Amanda and Megan Do Europe Day 8: Last Day in Paris, Travel Day to Rome

My Cherie amour... is pretty much what I said to Megan everyday in Paris. Actually I think I'd say "my petite bounjour" to which Megan would respond 'My Cherie Amanda". Needless to say we did not speak a lot of French. Thankfully every French person we met was very accommodating. On August 2nd, 2017 Megan and I woke up for our last day in Paris and got ready for our trip to Rome! We were sad to say goodbye to Paris but so excited to see Rome! We got up, ate the usually delicious breakfast in our hotel, and checked out of the beautiful Hotel Dauphine Saint Germain. (Quick hotel review nice/small rooms, simple/nice breakfast, great location) We had a little bit of time before we had to the airport for our flight so we went to the Notre-Dame Cathedral so we could look around the inside. I'm not a particularly religious person but it was nice being inside the cathedral and fealing at peace. I prayed for my family, and continued safety for Megan and I on our trip.

We then had time for one last baguette in Paris. The streets in Paris are just like they look in movies, I can't wait to go back there with my children. Maddie and I have a trip planned for the summer she graduates high school. So Paris 2024 I'm coming for you! Megan and I took a bus and a train to the airport. My phone worked everywhere we went in Europe (sometimes a little slower) but it made navigating our way around really easy. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We gave ourselves plenty of extra travel time and we also had done everything we wanted to in do Paris. The only drama we had in the airport was finding an ATM because we knew we had to get Euros to pay our driver when we landed in Rome but after we went through security we found out the only ATM was out of security. Thankfully the lines were short enough so I could go out to the ATM and go through security again. The only casualty of our trip was a corkscrew I had bought in London without really thinking in through. RIP corkscrew. I had a 1664 beer (which I guess was an important year and I should know or I could google to pretend I know but I don't, sorry) that tasted like a bud light. We waited for over 2 hours to get on our Easy Jet flight and then boarded and found our seats with no issues.

We enjoyed our two hour flight. I had a pinot grigio and some madeleines, and Megan tried a Italian drink called an Aperol Spritz that we both thought tasted disgusting but we drank it anyway (When almost in Rome!). When we deplaned at about 8pm Roman time and felt like we were walking into an oven. It. was. hot. In the selfies I took of myself on the ramp off the plane I'm already sweating. We took some pictures inside the terminal and marveled at their clean bathrooms. London and Paris both had easy metro transportation from the airport and train station but the Leonardo da Vinci airport was pretty far from our hotel so we had arranged a driver to take us straight there. Rome doesn't have a very extensive metro system, we never used it for transportation. Our driver was waiting for us with a sign with my name. We hopped in his car. (I love how when traveling we can sometimes defy every rule we were taught when we were younger... get in stranger's cars in a foreign country, sure why not?) We couldn't see much from the car but marveled at the few domed buildings we saw and pretended we were Lizzie McGuire in The Lizzie McGuire movie. Our driver pointed out some points of interest and one street he affectionately called "the party street". At about 9pm our driver stopped across the street from a large old building that didn't look like a hotel. "This is it ladies, enjoy your trip" He helped us with our bags and was about to drive off when he looked at us awkwardly standing at the busy street. We were looking both ways and patiently waiting for a lull in traffic so we could cross the street safely. "In Rome the cars won't stop for you unless you make them stop" he said with his classic Italian accent. He walked right into traffic and put his hand up to stop the cars and ushered for us to cross. We ran across with our backpacks and waved thanks to our driver and entered the large building. It was a large office building and our small 6 room hotel called "Best Pantheon B&B" (It wasn't really a B&B, more on that later) was on the second floor. There wasn't a front desk but a man was waiting for us and showed us to our room. It was definitely the nicest actual room of any of the hotels we stayed in on our trip. It was spacious, had a nice bathroom (with a fancy toilet with a bidet), our own private deck, and interesting, sensual art on the walls. There were even complimentary snacks and drinks in our room (we love snacks). I believe it cost about the same as our hotels in London and Paris but you can get a little more for your money in Rome. It was a little after 9 and we were hungry, tired, and to be honest a little scared. We were so excited to explore Rome but the sun had just set and we didn't feel safe venturing out at night. Buuuut we were hungry again. I looked at my phone for nearby restaurants. The nearest restaurant was only a couple blocks away but we didn't even want to walk that far. There was a convenience store on the first floor of our building so we went there instead. They were closing but they graciously waited for us as we picked out a ham sandwich, some Pringles, and hers and hers boxes of wine (wine was literally cheaper than juice, when in Rome!) It was one of the best meals we ate in Rome! JK, but it was nice relaxing in our nice hotel room eating pringles, drinking wine and watching Italian television. Eventually we got some sleep for our big day of exploring that lay ahead.

Amanda and Megan Do Europe Day 7: Third Day in Paris, Versailles

Happy....Happy....Happy Birthday Megan! We woke up in Paris on August 1, 2017, Megan's 28th birthday. We had slept in a little bit but we got up, got ready, and had breakfast in our hotel. By the time we got on the metro to head to Versailles it was already almost 11. Our plan for the day was to explore the Palace of Versailles and explore the town a little bit and go to the market. There were some metro lines under construction so we were a little confused about what one to get on and we actually went the wrong direction for a little bit. Then we got in a dumb fight, then we got over it. Considering we were together 24/7 for 13 days in foreign countries we got along really well, with only a couple dumb arguments. We got off the metro and got tickets for a train that would take us right to Versailles. The train took about an hour. I wish I took pictures of the scenery from the train but I only took selfies of us.

After our fight

The cutest girl on the whole train

When we finally got there we decided to go to the market first. It was a giant farmers market that mostly outside with some shops inside along the streets. A lot of the stands were already cleaning up and closing for the day. We felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast "Little town Full of little people, Waking up to say Bonjour bonjour Bonjour bonjour bonjour" We saw fresh baguettes, fresh fruit, and lots of flowers. We weren't really hungry since we had a late breakfast, but we bought some peaches from a stand and they were so delicious. Pretty much every customer service person we spoke with in France spoke English but the lady we bought the peaches from didn't and it's amazing how hard it is to do anything with a language barrier. When we finished at the market we walked to the Palace of Versailles. The palace and front courtyard was so huge, and there was also the longest line I have ever see. We already had purchased our tickets online so at least we didn't have to wait in line to do that but the line just to get into the palace went on forever. In my mind I thought it took like three hours to wait in line, but looking at pictures now I guess it only took about an hour and 40 minutes. We got really hungry while we were in line so I left and bought us a baguette sandwich to share and a mini bottle of wine to help pass the time. Then we finally got to the front of the line and went through security. That's what was making the line so slow, people acted as if they'd never been through a metal detector in their life. "I can't wear my metal jacket through a metal detector? You have to look through my bag?" After about a million years, we finally were inside the places of Versailles!

The palace was amazing of course. There were dozens of beautiful rooms with original 1600s furniture and artwork. Like in the Louvre, there were rooms full of fancy chairs ("these kings were really obsessed with chairs"). After exploring the different rooms for about an hour and a half we stopped for a drink in a cafe (I don't remember if it was coffee, water, or wine, but I bet it was delicious). The palace was beautiful but my favorite part of the estate was still to come.

After exploring inside, we spent over 3 hours walking the paths, viewing the fountain shows, and looking at the sculptures and lakes in the gardens. We found an absolutely adorably cafe hidden among some ivy covered arches. Our waiter looked just like Macklemore. We had some champagne and soup. There was so much good food to eat and drinks to drink that instead of 3 meals a day we usually ate 5-6 smallish meals while in Europe, and drinks were an option with every meal. "When in Rome"... Oh wait, we weren't there yet... Anyway, after our soup and champs in the most beautiful outdoor cafe I've ever been in we continued to explore the gardens of Versailles. We watched a fountain show (sort of like the one at the Bellagio in Vegas but on a smaller scale, but somehow cooler) and did a big photo shoot in front of one of the ponds with the palace in the background. At one of the ponds they rented out boats and Megan said it'd be a great place for Josh to propose to her and I joked, "Well Josh asked me to ask you..." and got down on one knee. (Spoiler alert... Josh did propose a year later in my backyard. It was equally romantic.) We found a place that rented bikes but it was already too late to rent them (it was 6:30ish). Pro tip- rent a bike in the gardens and you can see so much more. We wish we had time to see Marie Antoinette's garden and the pink pigs but it was almost closing time. We made out way towards the exit and stopped at every fountain/statue we could for more pics/flute playing. After being practically forced out of the gardens because they were closed, we walked towards the train station to catch our train back to Paris.

After waiting in line for 84 years and walking 20,836 steps (thank you fitbit) over the palace and gardens of Versailles we were understandably exhausted when we finally got back to our hotel. It was about 9pm and we thought about just calling it a night, but true to form we were hungry again. In addition, Megan hadn't had a proper birthday dinner. So we put on the fanciest "Paris clothes" we could muster out of our back-packs and walked down the street to a highly rated Mexican restaurant. I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again- We never had an authentic French dinner in Paris. Mexican sounded good, and it was Megan's 28th birthday so obvs we were gonna do whatever she wanted. We got a pitcher of margs, some nachos, and some quesadillas. They were delicious and similar to the kind of thing I'd make at home so it was comforting. After we had our fill we made our way to the bridge at Pont Neuf for a "birthday girl/last night in Paris" photo shoot. We could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance and just enjoyed the evening air and scenic views. At times I literally had to pinch myself and say something along the line of "holy sh** girl you're in Paris". I think Megan had a memorable 28th birthday in Paris.