Notre Dame vs. Navy: The American Invasion

In preparation for the BCS National Championship game tonight between Notre Dame and Alabama, I thought it was a good time to rewind to Notre Dame's very first game of the season. This, of course, took place in none other than Dublin, Ireland! Perhaps it was the Luck of the Irish that led them to victory in that game and the title of the only undefeated football team this year (aside from the ineligible yet perfect Buckeyes... Urban Meyer, what!?).

Despite what tonight's championship brings, Notre Dame's first game brought our first visitors and made for a fun weekend. Fun, but also overwhelming! It was estimated that some 35,000 Americans descended upon Dublin for the Emerald Isle Classic, hence my referral to it as the "invasion." After living in Ireland for a bit, my senses went into overdrive from the ubiquitous sounds of boisterous American voices and sights of ball caps, tennis shoes, logoed polo shirts and lanyards. It was nuts having that many Americans here in Dublin!

We braved the tourist-ridden Temple Bar area, which we rarely visit as it is, 2 days in a row to meet friends for a night out and the pre-game Tailgate Party. As you see above, the streets were crowded as far as the eye could reach in every direction. Like I said, it was quite overwhelming, but we made it through the masses to a rooftop bar, where we planted ourselves to watch the game and enjoyed an uncharacteristically beautiful day.

Even though the city was packed and I was asked every day for weeks if I was visiting for the game, it was a blast. It's always great to show friends your city, and get a little reenergizing boost from home. It seemed like all the visitors had a great time in Ireland and it was a successful event for The Gathering, an Irish tourism initiative encouraging people with Irish ancestry to visit the country (the weekend was rumored to have brought in ~ €100 million!).

We won't be able to watch the game tonight since it starts at 1:00 AM for us, but best of luck to the Fighting Irish! We're rooting for you from across the pond!

Paris Itinerary

Itinerary #3: Here are some tips and must-sees for a few days in Paris...

Where to Stay:

Paris is a pretty compact city, so wherever you stay, you should have no problem getting around. Paris is split by the River Seine and divided into the left bank (south of the Seine) and right bank (north). The left bank is usually associated with Bohemia and creativity, and some of the main streets include Boulevard Saint-Germain, the Boulevard Saint-Michel and the Rue de Rennes. We stayed in Saint-Germain and loved it! The right bank is more known for elegance and sophistication, with the main street being the Champs-Élysées. 

Getting Around:

DO NOT rent a car in Paris. Like most European cities, it is easier to walk and driving in Paris would be very difficult. You can walk most places, and the Metro (train) is everywhere and easy to use.

What to see:

In no particular order...

Notre Dame de Paris: Free to go inside, but there is a charge to go into the bell towers - €8.50 / adult, but well worth it for views (just be prepared for ~400 steps!)

Champs-Élysées & Arc de Triomphe: Stroll down the famous shopping street in Paris, lined with designer stores and restaurants, ending in the Arc de Triomphe. If you're like us, it may take a moment to figure out how to get to the Arch. You have to take a small underground tunnel to get there.

Eiffel Tower: Pretty straight-forward. Go see it! During the day AND at night when it is all lit up. You can go up in the tower for a fee too, but the lines are typically very long, so depends if you feel like waiting! There are riverboat tours that take off right around the Eiffel Tower as well, which we didn't do b/c we had poor weather, but I've heard they're very nice.

Louvre: MUST see. As I mentioned before, you could spend days here, but at least set aside a half day and pick out the exhibits you want to see most. Costs about 10 euros, and is free on the first Sunday of every month. I've also heard that Friday nights are a good time to go, because it's less crowded and admission is free for anyone under 25 years of age.

Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur: Take the train, or taxi, to Montmartre - cool neighborhood to walk around and see the Moulin Rouge. I'd recommend taking a bottle of wine up on the stairs to Basilica de Sacre Couer (take a look inside the church too) and watch the sunset and lights come on in the city. It's beautiful! 

Cuisine:

Have plenty of delicious french wines, cheeses, breads... so fantastic there! We didn't find any places we loved, so I don't have many good recommendations for restaurants. If anyone has some great suggestions... let me know too!

Paris!

We spent our first holiday weekend in Barcelona, and the next in Paris. I've always wanted to go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe... there are so many amazing things to see!

In Barcelona, I could get by on my college Minor level of Spanish, but France marked our first country where neither of us spoke the language. I know the travel basics, the song "Les Poissons" from Little Mermaid (hee hee hee haw haw haw!) and the words to a nonsensical French Rap video my brothers put together 5 years ago... meaning, I don't know French. However, as with every major city in Europe, most people also speak English and you can get by -- I just think it's polite to attempt the native language, even if I butcher it and it's blatantly obvious that I'm American. At least I'm not being assumptive and I'm trying, right?

The trip itself was fantastic! We stayed in Saint-Germain, an artsy, upscale neighborhood on the left bank of The Seine -- great location for sightseeing. We spent the first of three days walking around the entire city and exploring as much as possible. The morning was spent walking through the neighborhood and the Jardin du Luxembourg, the expansive gardens surrounding Luxembourg Palace. Our walk worked up our appetite and we had a delicious breakfast of fresh crêpes and espresso. Maybe my favorite meal of our whole trip! 

Next, we made our way over to the river Seine and to Notre Dame. We didn't go in because of the charge and line, but we should've and will do it next time! The exterior architecture alone is beautiful though...

 After Notre Dame, we walked along the river and through Jardin du Tuileries to Champs-Élysées, the enormous shopping street filled with cafes and luxury stores. The Avenue dead ends in the Arc de Triomphe, another famous monument that honors the soldiers in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

The Eiffel Tower was next. It started raining (the Dublin weather followed us!), but it didn't matter and actually made the setting more romantic :) That is, until I got soaked and was freezing and we stumbled into a local cafe where the waitress was not a fan of us, ha! That was the only experience where the people were not very friendly; otherwise, we found that most people defied the Parisian stereotype and were very nice and helpful. 

On Day 2, we spent the bulk of our day at The Louvre (it's so massive you could spend days in there!). Even though we got an early start, we arrived to a ridiculously long line. I just figured it was par for the course, so we sucked it up and waited in line for an hour, inventing silly "would you rather?" scenarios, only to find that the line was so long because admission was FREE! This occurs on the first Sunday of every month... works for me! 

The interior decor by itself is incredible and, of course, it has some of the greatest art in the world! Notice the Mona Lisa is blurry b/c it's actually smaller than you would think and you can only get so close, especially amongst the crowds.

 Following the Louvre, we visited the neighborhood of Montmartre, where the infamous Moulin Rouge is located. It's a very cool neighborhood, boasting panoramic views from Sacré-Cœur, a gorgeous basilica at the highest point of the city. We got a bottle of wine and watched the sunset here for our last night in Paris...

 Our final day, we did more of the same, strolled the streets and relaxed at cafes. Can't wait to go back and visit again. Until next time... Au Revoir, Paris!