Europe

Our tour package included a guided tour of the interior of Versailles; this tour guide was separate from our regular tour guide. Having done it, I can’t say I would recommend this particular option. I think a self-paced, recorded guide may be better. Versailles is extremely popular, so it is incredibly crowded. We were packed…

We visited Versailles, the penultimate symbol of French monarchy and opulence, on our last full day in France. Our group split in two to do a guided tour of the palace interiors. I was in the second guided group, so we had a bit of free time to explore the grounds and gardens. Versailles is…

From the Eiffel Tower, we hoofed it down to the River Seine because our cruise was leaving at 6 pm whether or not we were on it. Again, #firstworldproblem complaint, we almost missed the cruise because our tour guide took us to a *$@!##$@ perfume factory and made us late to the Eiffel Tower. The weather…

After Mario took us on an unwanted trip to a perfume factory, we finally made it to the Eiffel Tower. We walked up only to discover that he hadn’t picked up our tickets even though we got there about 40 minutes after our designated time. But we made it to the top to take in…

As promised, here are the many stained glass windows in Notre Dame. The windows are really beautiful, and you should definitely leave time in your visit to admire them.

Do me a solid and hit play. Notre Dame is one of those quintessential Europe spots that needs no introduction. It might be a bit tourist-heavy, but I really think it’s worth the visit. The detail is exquisite, and the sheer scale of the cathedral is incredible. In his infinite wisdom, our tour guide from…