Vienna- Scenes from out and about

Architecture was just as amazing as Paris

Loved the streets that were decorated for Christmas- this was along the huge shopping area

The Palaces- I decided I need one. T said it was ok

All lit up- amazing

Yup- a bathroom with music in it

It snowed on our last day- this is in front of a summer palace

Finally Cheap food!!!

Even though the meat may have been sketchy

Pizza saved us many nights

But the Schnitzel (spelling?) and the Brats were amazing!

Soup was needed on cold days

Paris- Cathedrals

Now looking back- we visiting a lot of cathedrals 

They were so fascinating to me

 I loved the way they looked 

I loved that they had benches, a place to sit

 All were so different 

That and I have always liked observing other religions

The first cathedrals we walked into

Notre Dame- pretty proud of this picture. Not the MOST beautiful, but huge. We also went to a Gregorian Chant performance here.

Inside Notre Dame

The altar of a church by the modern art museum- all were so different and intricate.

San Chapelle- you HAVE to visit this one

San Chapelle is COVERED in stained glass windows. Each panel telling a different Bible book story

They were amazing- really took your breath away.

One more- loved the colors

Favorite spot in the city- Sacred Heart. Great View, Great Christmas Market and just amazing place. North part of the city by MontMarta (Moulin Rouge area- just skip that street- trust me)

The view- we were lucky to hit it on a clear day. You can see forever and get a good feel for the city. go the first or second day there- it helped me figure out the city a little better.

Paris- Museums

Let me preface this post-

 I am not that tourist who goes to museums to take pictures 

I go to museums to LOOK at art

 it bugged me when the tourists would hide behind their cameras the whole time 

you get the same vision from a camera as you do on a computer/textbook s

o when you go to museums- LOOK at the art 

Also- we spent lots of time at these two museums 

 my hubby is getting his master's in Art History= awesome explanations of many of the paintings 

and watching him be SO HAPPY! 

Also- thank heavens for free bathrooms and benches 

Louvre 

It was pouring rain- right after this our umbrella flew into the street

this sculpture really was amazing at the top of the stairs- T can tell you the name, period and artist

I loved looking at the art- but sometimes looking up you got an amazing view as well

There it is- proof I was there. Not my fav painting though

My view most of the time

Musee de Orsay

T was so excited about this one- can I can now understand why. AMAZING

It is an old railroad station- the ceiling was so fun!

Loved the clock on the upper floor looked out over all of Paris

This clock was my fav

Paris- Scenes from around the town

My first crepe in Paris- not the last

Loved the look of the metro station- this is how we got around

This bridge is covered in these locks- the bridge of love

Shakespeare and Company- AWESOME bookstore

Best Gelato ever

I had to add this- we saw alot of these around the city with me and my pregnancy issues. Yes, it looks like a spaceship and it is very frightening to use.

This boy ate a croissant every morning- yum

Loved all the cobblestone

Blowdryer broke in Europe= gross hair. I loved the views from this river

Arc de Triumph- amazing. Just as amazing is how the traffic navigates itself around it.

Macaroons- YUM

Art's Square was SO FUN to walk around. We should have gotten our portrait drawn.

The buildings around town just blew me away. So beautiful

Amazing Christmas Trees in all of the shopping centers

Paris- Eiffel Tower

We went to the Eiffel Tower twice 

We had to see it once at night and once during the day 

you HAVE to do both 

I just started tearing up when they turned that "sparkle" on 

It really is as spectacular as I imagined it to be

Europe on a budget

We were so blessed to be able to go to Europe

Weeks before we went I saw that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds recently went and thought "what a life"

We didn't travel like them:)

However, we still had fun- here are a couple of tips 

1. Decide ahead of time what you want to spend money on

It's so easy to go crazy over in Europe

The Euro and the American Dollar are different

If food is important to you- then spend money on food. 

If a fancy hotel is important to you- then spend money on that.

To us, the attractions are what were important to us. 

2. Where to stay

We spent under $500 for 12 nights of lodging through airbnb.com

It is not a hostel and you can choose anything from sharing a room to having you own house.

This was our place in Vienna- way nice and right off a metro stop.

3. Transportation

We took the subways everywhere. If you are there for a few days buy a multi day pass. It was only scary when we used it late at night- every other time I felt very safe. Just pay attention to when the doors are closing (we watched a lady get her face smashed in the closing doors). It is a fun place to people watch. We only have to take a taxi once in an emergency. 

4. Food

In Paris to eat at a restaurant it is outrageous! From what I can tell the normal prices were 10 euros for breakfast (croissant, coffee and an egg), and up to 50 euros for dinner. Yikes! We hit up a lot of Pizza places and food courts in the malls. So we didn't eat typical French Cuisine (which I am ok with) but had our share of crepes and gelato. We were able to eat at a pastry shop daily and other than that hit up a grocery store for breakfast.

Vienna, the food is MUCH cheaper. We were able to eat three meals a day for under 20 euros for us both. We ate at a lot of street vendors (didn't get sick once) and ate at a restaurant once- for 15 euros. Plus, the food is MUCH better there.

5. Attractions

For museums, if you are under 25 in Paris and 26 in Vienna there is usually a student deal for you to take advantage of. Also, if you really like audio tours, many of the places let you upload the audio tour on your phone, which can save you up to 8 euros in some places. 

6.Other tips and tricks

 I wish I had hand sanitizer

I wish I had inserts for my shoes- you walk a ton

Bring snacks- we had nuts and beef jerky to keep up going inbetween meals. We were able to get it through the airports just fine.

Figure out ahead of time your cell phone situation- we didn't miss ours

To block out noise in apartments, youtube has a great white noise video for 10 hours

Tylenol PM was a great friend

Netflix and hulu do not work over there- so bring movies to help in the middle of the night with jetlag

Be patient- it is hard when you don't speak the language and French people won't help you

Starbucks and McDonalds always have Wi-Fi and a bathroom

Bring Kleenex- will be used as TP as well

Every airport is different- Paris is VERY strict on the weight of your baggage, even your carryon

International Flights are not as bad as I thought

BO is a real thing- bring gum to chew while on the subway (pregnancy nose)

take TOO many pictures- you won't regret it

take it slow if traveling while pregnant- I had my moments

Enjoy every second

For the next week I have posts coming with pictures- stay tuned if you want!