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Kieron, John, and Dylan in the stairwell at VERSAILLES

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Kieron, John, and Dylan in the stairwell at VERSAILLES

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Kieron's favorite part of the trip was Versailles.

It's impressive to see all the luxury of the palace-- from the complex gardens, to the golden gates, to the marble columns.

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This is a view of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe, which is at the center of 12 avenues that all come together.

You can see so much of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe and it's amazing. Here a picture I took of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc.

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Walking through le Louvre was perhaps my favorite part of our trip. Some paintings and sculptures I saw are centuries old, some are as large as entire walls, and some reached almost to the ceiling!

Le Louvre contains over 30,000 pieces of art, and they are all incredible and unique in their own ways. I caught a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, so at least I can say that I've been there and seen it.

The center of the Louvre is absolutely beautiful. There's a big underground room with a window that is open to the sky. The window is actually in the shape of a pyramid which rises from the ceiling of the room. A winding staircase reaches from the pyramid to the floor of the underground room.

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Around 8.8 million visits were recorded at the Louvre last year, according to a report released by the museum earlier this week, an increase of five per cent compared to 2010.

This makes it comfortably the most visited attraction in Paris.

Officials at the Louvre attributed the rise to "strong growth in visits from America, and an increasingly notable presence of visitors from developing countries".

Almost two-thirds of those going to the museum came from outside France, and according to figures, with more Brazilians visiting the museum than Italians, Australians, Spaniards or Russians.

The number of visitors from China also climbed significantly.

The increase in visitors reflects a general rise in tourism to France's museums, which welcomed around 27 million visitors in 2011 according to the country's ministry of culture and patrimony.

In second place behind the Louvre, the chateau of Versailles attracted more than six million tourists, while the Pompidou Centre attracted 3.6 million.

By comparison, the British Museum, the most popular cultural attraction in Britain, attracted slightly more than 5.8 million people in 2010. Figures for the number of visitors in 2011 are not yet available.

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The Louvre attracts record visitor numbers

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Around 8.8 million visits were recorded at the Louvre last year, according to a report released by the museum earlier this week, an increase of five per cent compared to 2010. This makes it comfortably the most visited attraction in Paris.

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Here's a shot of some of our feet at Point Zero. Point Zero is found outside of Notre Dame Cathedral, and it's the distance from which everything is measured in Paris. It's said that if you step on Point Zero, you'll find your way back to Paris someday. So, OF COURSE, we had to... there was nothing to lose!

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On Sunday morning, one of the most popular markets in France can be found at Place de la Bastille. There were dozens and dozens of vendors selling fresh fish, home-grown fruits and vegetables, flowers, local soaps, clothing... anything you could imagine!

Check out this link for a virtual stroll through the market!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3EzyaimHPE

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The Champs Elysées is one of the most famous boulevards in the world. Mostly it's just a ton of high-end shops and restaurants. The avenue shoots off from "Place Charles de Gaulle" which is where the Arc de Triomphe is found.

Also, one of our classes favorite songs is "Aux Champs Elysées". Check it out here-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9V-zUlrhEE

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The basilica at the top of Montmartre is one of my favorite parts of Paris. It's forbidden to take photos inside, but I always kind of liked that about the place. It keeps it sacred and a little more obscure.

No matter what time of the day (or year!) it seems like people are always gathered on the steps to the basilica. There's often street performers there and sometimes more organized concerts.

Look, there's even a wikipedia page dedicated to photos of some of the more common acts you'll see on the steps:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Street_performers_in_Montmartre

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My favorite part of our trip was visiting Versailles. It was one of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen. After we toured the gardens outside, we experienced a tour inside. The beautiful chandeliers, fancy rooms, and The Hall of Mirrors were just a few of the incredible sights located in Versailles.

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Our Group in front of the Arc de Triomphe

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Our Group in front of the Arc de Triomphe

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Although I had visited the Arc de Triomphe before, I had never gone to the top to take in the view. The 284 steps to the top were in a narrow, spiral staircase... not the best if you don't like to be in small spaces! The view from the top make the ascent worthwhile. Apparently there was a smog warning* while we were in Paris, but I couldn't tell from where we stood!

* I guess the smog was so bad that the city had to start taking action. Only allowed cars with license plates ending with an even number to drive on certain days, and odd numbered license plates to drive on other days. On our way to the train station, we even saw the police with a car pulled over being fined for violating the license plate thing. It was being enforced closely!

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There are just two windmills (les moulins) left standing out of the original dozen or more that would have started to occupy the Montmartre hillside from the 16th century onwards. They helped Parisians determine the direction of the wind each hour and served to break down materials from the factories.

Pictured is 'Le Moulin Radet', built in the early 17th century.

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Here's me at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with some random French woman... just kidding. It's my Mom, she came along with our group to France in 2014.

This is one of the top tourist attractions in the whole world, and because of that, you have to be really careful about pick-pockets in this area.

There are some typical pick-pocket scams to be aware of. Check out this article for more details:

http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/category/pickpockets-by-country/france/tip/pickpockets-at-the-eiffel-tower-know-before-you-go

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Paris is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been to. On the first day of the trip rode the metro into the city to see a few sites.

One of the first things we saw was Notre Dame. We also got to climb to the top of Montmartre, which is on a really big hill in Paris. There is a beautiful church at the top called the Sacre Coeur. At the top of the hill you can see the city of Paris for miles. At the top of the hill, you can see the Eiffel Tower twinkle and light up on the hour. At night and every hour, the Eiffel Tower lights up and twinkles. We also went Montparnasse, which is Paris's largest skyscraper. You can catch a great view of the city. This was the first time we got to see the Eiffel Tower.

The next day we took a tour around the city. We got to see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Versailles. Versailles was absolutely gorgeous with all of the gold accents. We also got to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and see the city. The walk up was dangerous because their was a spiral staircase.

My favorite part of Paris was being able to eat all the good food.

PIctured is the view of the Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse.

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What was the most shocking thing in Paris?