Paris

We arrived into Paris from Dublin in the early evening and took a cab from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our AirBnB in Montmartre. We intentionally booked an AirBnb with washer and dryer so we could do laundry halfway through our trip and pack much lighter than we could have otherwise. Pro-tip:  AirBnB's can often provide amenities hotels cannot, like laundry.  However, they are often missing amenities like luggage storage before check-in or after check-out. Make sure to plan accordingly. 

Once we were settled in our AirBnB we headed out to explore the area and make our way to Moulin Rouge. It was raining a bit, but we were prepared with jackets and umbrellas so it didn't bother us too much. We stopped in Le Chat Noir for a light dinner since we only booked the show tickets and not dinner at Moulin Rouge. We checked a few things off the bucket list there: drank some champagne, ate some french onion soup, and relaxed.

The Iconic Moulin Rouge Windmill

We headed to Moulin Rouge where unfortunately they do not allow photography. The place was very eclectic and had an old school paris vibe. The show itself was even better than we expected. It wasn't just the famous can-can girls, but the show also included all kinds of variety acts including a couple on roller skates that really amazed us with their skills.

After the show was over we decided to hop in a cab to the Eiffel Tower so we could check it out at night. We walked around a bit, but Josh started to feel sick, so we headed back to the AirBnB for the night.

The Centerpiece of the City of Lights

We had lots of activities planned for the next day, but everything got put on hold so we could head to the hospital. We won't go into too many details here, but this is a good time to mention that things don't always go according to plan. This is why it's a good idea to book travel insurance. Pro-tip: Check with your credit card companies and health insurance provider to see what coverage they include for travel. This may help determine what additional coverage you need.

The hospital detour took a bit of time out of our itinerary and made us miss our flight to Amsterdam as well. Pro-tip: Make sure to research back-up options in case your travel plans don't go according to schedule. Over the years of travel, we've missed flights and trains, so it's a good idea to make note of other transportation options when you're initially booking your trip. We were lucky to be able to book last minute train passage to Amsterdam that left us a few hours to sight-see before we had to leave Paris, so we decided to fit in as much as we could.

We left the hospital and took a cab back to the Champ de Mars to see the Eiffel Tower in the light of day. This cab ride took us past the Arc de Triomphe.  We took some more photos at the Eiffel Tower and then stopped at a little cafe for a late lunch.

Drive-by Arc de Triomphe

From there we headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral and got to drive along the Seine river and pass by the Louvre museum. Once we made it to Notre Dame, we each took a turn going inside while the other watched the luggage outside.

The famous Notre Dame

Notre Dame Interior and Sculptural Detail

After Notre Dame, it was time to head to the train station and make our way to Amsterdam. We definitely plan on another trip to Paris though so we can see it properly. What are some things we should make sure to see next time?