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Le Tour Eiffel, L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Moulin Rouge…there’s just so much to see in Paris. It was sort of a whirlwind, especially with the European summer July sales (“soldes”) going into full swing, we were far from the only tourists in town.

We avoided lines at the Eiffel Tower and the L’ouvre by going in the evening. It was all very impressive and historical, though the city felt more old-fashioned and less modern than I was expecting.

I really felt like Paris was somehow the center of my trip (time-wise I hit the 50% mark on July 3rd). There’s just so much history there. But I was left wondering if that’s all it was. Is there anything moving forward in Europe anymore? Where are the European startup companies? New technologies and inventions? Or, is everyone just content with the way things are?

The unexpected highlight was definitely a restaurant recommendation from Andrea: Le Refuge des Fondues - a fondue place in Montmarte where wine is served in baby bottles and the clientale seems to all be expats and English-speaking tourists. Really fun!