Falling in love with PARIS

It has been my lifelong dream to see the City of Love they call Paris.

I knew I was soon to experience Paris when a dear friend of mine revealed to me that she and her longtime boyfriend are finally getting married in August 2016. And get this --- they are tying the knot in Nantes! Nantes is the 6th largest city in France, located west of Paris and about two hours via the high-speed TGV train.

Because there was so much planning to do, I started doing my research as early as January of that year. First off, I had to score a flight that would fit my budget. With another "kaladkarin" friend (okay, let's call her Sue) who willingly agreed to join me in this trip, getting sufficient information will be much easier. Second, my friend and I had to come to terms about which cities to visit -- the so-called non-negotiables -- after Paris and Nantes.

In between work duties, I have finalized my must-see cities: Barcelona in Spain, and Verona and Rome which are both in Italy. Why Barcelona? Because I have heard and read a lot about how it is much better to see first than Madrid; and that it is closer to the Montserrat Monastery. The reason for choosing Verona is obviously because of Juliet (sans Romeo). Who in the world wouldn't want to see Rome? Tell me.

Sue, on the other hand, was very kind to go along with my list with an addition -- Tuscany. Since we both loved Under the Tuscan Sun, I figured we have in our hands our final list: Paris-Nantes-Barcelona-Milan-Verona-Rome-Tuscany.

For the sake of this post, I will share some of my most favorite photos from our French getaway. Details of our Spanish and Italian journey will have to come later.

The train ticket from CDG to Vavin station (the closest to our hotel).

Vavin station

Our room at Hotel Chaplain Paris Rive Gauche.

The Arc de Triomphe

The star of Paris.

 Notre Dame Cathedral Paris

Here I am by the Seine River.

 The famous restaurant in the film "Me Before You."

 Musee d'Orsay (I loved it!)

The River Seine tour.

The main chateau at the wedding venue in Nantes. 

Most of my photos are with friends and other guests of the couple so I won't be able to post them here. I must say it was one of the best weddings I have ever been in -- relaxed, intimate and fun.