Paris

Of course, we had to stop by Paris on our trip, and it just so happened to be during the Olympics. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy it as much as we had hoped, but we still managed to see the major landmarks everyone loves. Paris required a lot of advance planning, so most of our days were scheduled beforehand.

On our first day, we visited the Palais Garnier, a stunning opera house with incredible details—grand rooms filled with gold, paintings, and countless chandeliers. It was mesmerizing! Afterward, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower, but we first stopped by the Notre Dame that is still being worked on from the fire but still great nonetheless. The Eiffel Tower was so much bigger in person than I imagined. We planned to go to the top later in the week, so for the moment, we just walked through the park, sitting on the grass for a while and taking plenty of pictures from both near and far.

On the second day, we started at the iconic Louvre and saw some of the world’s most famous art pieces, including the Mona Lisa. Typically, the wait to see it can take hours, but since we arrived right when the museum opened, it took less than five minutes to get to the front and snap some pictures. The rest of the museum was relatively empty, and we spent hours exploring. As an art lover, strolling through this museum and seeing such beautiful pieces felt like a dream come true. In front of the Louvre is a large park that we had hoped to visit, but unfortunately, much of it was closed due to the Olympics. We did our best to admire it from the street before walking to the Arc de Triomphe and heading home.

For the rest of the trip, the weather wasn’t ideal, but we made the most of it! We had engagement photos taken by a photographer, and they turned out great—even in the rain. We enjoyed a meal on the river right by the Eiffel Tower, and it was beautiful. The rain slowed down just long enough for us to eat outside. Unfortunately, when we finally went up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the rain didn’t let up, so we couldn’t enjoy many views or spend much time there due to the storm. Thankfully, the weather cleared up that evening, and we returned to watch the tower sparkle. Seeing it in person was absolutely amazing.