Twenty Something: When you fall off the horse, get back on.

Maybe you don't know, but when I was in third grade, I got into a horrible bike-collision-with-oak-tree accident. In short, I broke my face, an arm, and seriously mangled my brothers brand new bike. WHOOPS. Now, I had every intention of never riding a bike ever again. But that was about to change seeing as the entire Saturday spanning from 11-3pm would be me, on a bike, riding through the crowded streets of Paris. I was not excited. But 26 euro and no helmet later, I found myself on a bike in boots, a dress, and in a large pack of people, which is exactly where a previous bike crasher needs to be. We were off, seeing sights such as Napoleon's tomb, the Military school of Paris, the Peace monument, the Eiffel Tower, The Lourve, Tuilerie Gardens and Alexander III's bridge. It was actually a lot easier than I thought. I guess the saying it true, it's like riding a bike, and now it clearly shows that it was the trees fault for getting in my way and not my fault when I originally crashed. I did know how to ride a bike, and without crashing, I made it through four hours and 10 kilometers of biking. I even managed to snap a few photos while in motion, which I was proud of. We stopped for lunch at the Tuilerie Gardens right outside the Lourve. It was sunny and 60 degrees and the gardens were gorgeous. There were tons of statues and sculptures littering (not in a bad way) each flower enclosed square. The architecture and detail of the Lourve was amazing to see as well. All around, a worthwhile purchase. (pictured: Napoleon's tomb, military hospital, view from Alexander III's bridge, Tuilerie Gardens and the Lourve)

After finishing up our tour, we decided to embrace the Parisian lifestyle and picnic on the lawn outside the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up because the line caused a time constraint, so we figured a couple bottles of wine, two baguettes, cheese and grapes would be a better way to spend our time and money. We sat, picnicked and took cheesy touristy photos of baguette wars and were off to the Montparnass, the tallest and only skyscraper in Paris. For 5.50 euro, we took the elevator to the top and at 7pm on the dot the Eiffel tower lights up and sparkles. It was a complete 360degree view of the city and was absolutely fabulous. I knew then and there why this place was dubbed the city of lights. There was hardly a space that I could see that wasn't covered by lights. We took the opportunity to take tons of pictures before heading back to the hotel. (pictured: Eiffel tower, dinner, Paris at night)

We headed back to our hotel room, but made a stop outside the definition of Paris nightlife in my book, the Moulin Rouge. I half expected to see Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGreggor singing cheap covers of popular songs off the roof but quickly came back to reality when I saw it in it's modern day mask. With lights and a revamped windmill, the Rouge was not exactly how I pictured it. I was still engulfed by the beauty and historical plays and shows that took place but couldn't help but think about how it had originally looked when it was first built. My friends went across the street to Starbucks to get a quick coffee jolt, and I stood there mesmerized by the lights gleaming off the legendary club. We went back to our hotel and got ready for an entirely uneventful Halloween, came back at 3am and called it a night. Hailing a cab was still impossible, but by 4am I was passed out in my bed. 8am came way too early, having set my alarm so we could get up and do touristy things for the last day before our flight at 9pm Sunday night. We took advantage of our free breakfast (croissant, coffee, baguette with butter and jelly, and orange juice) and were off on the metro to the Lourve and Notre Dame for our last day. The Lourve was free because it was the first Sunday of the month, so naturally it was packed. We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and a few other notables before calling it a day and heading out of claustrophobia central into some much needed fresh air. We went to Notre Dame and I was blown away by the Gothic architecture and utter detail in every corner and inch of that cathedral. The inside was the most beautiful cathedral I've ever seen, with stained glass windows, high pointed arches, and a giant alter that would make any one proud to pray in. We headed back to the airport and after a long day, we were back in Dublin. Home sweet home. Paris, you were fun, but Dublin is where I rest my head and call home, and I definitely missed it. (pictured: Moulin Rouge, The Lourve, Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Notre Dame). I'll put a link to all my pictures so you can see them.