Paris on a Rainy Day

Luis and I decided to take the bullet train from Kaiserslautern to Paris over Valentine’s Day weekend. I mean, is there really a better place to spend with your Valentine?? With it being February, we weren’t expecting great weather at all. So, I came up with a few plans just in case the rain really started to come down. The good thing is that is only rained one of the days we were there. Even then, it was more of a light drizzle than rain. We definitely didn’t let it stop us! Here are some things we did during our rainy day in PARIS!

1. Les Invalides(Musee de L’Armee)

We could’ve spent hours in this place!! There was really so much to see. Napoleon’s tomb, WW2 and WW1 history, medieval tools and armor, etc. It is the military museum of France and is highly underrated! Sure, you could go spend a day in the Louvre on a rainy day, but you’ll be joined by just about everyone else with that same idea! Try heading to Hotel des Invalides, instead!

2. Catacombes de Paris

This was an awesome experience! The only downside of course is the line and the fact that you are waiting outside. The line is significantly shorter if it is raining, however. Also, if you arrive around 15-30 minutes before opening time you won’t have much of a wait at all! We arrived 30 minutes prior to opening time and I watched the line grow tremendously behind us!  Exploring the catacombs is a good choice for the rain because you’ll be nice and dry underground.

3. Grab a bite and wait it out.

It’s no surprise that Paris has cafes and restaurants everywhere you look. Usually when it rains, it passes by within an hour or so. Find a cozy place and grab a coffee or enjoy a nice meal and people watch as Parisians continue their daily activities out in the rain!

4. Dress for the weather and explore the city, anyway!

As I stated earlier, the rain definitely did not intimidate us! We spent a couple of hours navigating the metro and walking around trying to get a feel for the city. The weather kept a lot of tourists and groups away and it really felt like we had the city to ourselves. Put on your rainboots and don’t miss out on such a beautiful city. Even in the worst weather! 😉

“I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles.”- FRANK SINATRA

 

1 Day in Strasbourg, France

For a quick day trip, we hopped over the border and took the two hour drive to Strasbourg! It is located in the Alsace region of France and is by far, in my opinion, one of the prettiest cities to just walk around and take in.

We arrived with absolutely no plans…which is definitely not like me at all! I normally need EVERYTHING planned out. However, I didn’t feel the need to do so for this trip. We intended on eating a traditional french meal and seeing the gorgeous cathedral, but that’s about all. 🙂

And that’s exactly what we did! I don’t have much to write about Strasbourg so I will let the pictures do the talking.

Walking around Strasbourg is like taking a step back in time…I would go back in a heartbeat!

 

After Strasbourg, we went to La Montagne des Singes(Monkey Mountain). Here you can get up close and personal with… monkeys! It was so much fun! When you enter, they give you a handful of popcorn to give to the monkeys as a snack. Some of them were very bold and would come up to you while others were shy and would stare at your hand deciding whether or not to take the popcorn from you. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

 

I hope to return to the Alsace region of France very soon!

 

Til next time 🙂