It had always been a dream of mine to hike the Swiss Alps and the Italian Dolomites, and a couple of months ago we finally made it happen. I can’t take any credit for planning the trip—I simply told our photographer friend, Roger, that I wanted to go, he said he too has always wanted to go, and the rest is history. For more than a year, Roger researched the best spots for photos and handled everything from Airbnbs and Refugios, to trains and the rental car.

I’d also always wanted to visit Paris, so we spent a few days there as well, with Brad taking the lead on planning that part of the trip. The entire experience was even better than I imagined, and our group couldn’t have been more perfect with friend's Roger & Leanne, and Brad’s brother Blake and his wife Josie, who joined us for the Italy portion since they had recently visited Switzerland.

We’re beyond grateful to Roger for the countless hours he poured into planning so that we could simply show up and enjoy the time of our lives—taking in breathtaking sights and experiencing some of the most beautiful places in the world.

PARIS FRANCE

While in Paris we stayed at the cutest little AirB&B on the outskirts of Paris. Even though it was a little bit of a walk and then short train ride to Paris, it was totally worth it for the price, plus we got to stop at our favorite corner bakery every evening on our way back to the B&B. We tried a variety of tasty treats but these were everyone's winners...Roger's raspberry tart, Leanne's lemon meringue tart, Brad's coconut tart and my multi-flavored little cake (I'm really not sure what it was, but it seriously was one of the best pastries I've ever tasted!

Our first full day in Paris he hired a personal guide, Thierry, who was recommended to us by a friend, who took us all around the city on foot, and made sure we had the full Paris experience. We met him on a terrace with perfect views of the Eiffel Tower.

The first place our guide took us was to the farmers/flee market. It has everything imaginable from fish and cheese to silk scarfs and handmade crafts! I got a delicious peach and the best mango I have ever tasted, they were giving out free samples and I usually stay away from those because of germs but Brad begged me to taste the mango because it was soooo good, and he was not wrong...the best mango I've ever had!

The next stop was Notre Dome Catheral. These were the best photos I took of Notre Dame, since much of the cathedral is still being repaired after the 2019 fire. Even so, it felt special to see it in person, knowing it has stood in Paris since the 12th century.

On the pavement in front of Notre Dame, we placed our feet on this marker which signifies the center of Paris or Point Zero Des routes de France.

Other historic places and sites included Luxembourg Palace, Hotel de Ville, The Louvre Le Marais, and Sacre-Coeur Basilica:

Luxembourg Palace built in 1615 with its beautiful architecture and perfectly groomed grounds, now houses the French Senate.

The Hotel de Ville is the city hall of Paris and is known for its Renaissance Revival architecture.

Beautiful stone and brick archwaysStone and brick on a rich family's homeRed paint to look like brick on a less-affluent family's homeOur guide pointing out other facts about historic Paris

Sacre-Coeur Basilica translated is "sacred heart". This 19th century church is made of white travertine, and sits on a hill above Montmartre. It makes quite the statement, and the views of the city from its grounds are breathtaking.

The Montmartre is quite the place as well with its steep winding streets, and charming villages and parks packed with shoppers, spectators, artists, and live-performers!So it makes sense that Montmartre was also a hub for famous artists like Picasso and Van Gogh,and even historic cabarets like the Moulin Rouge (located at the bottom of the hill). It was such a charming place we decided to grab dinner at a fun burger place (below Leanne enjoying her shake)

Other places of interests that we visited were Princess Diana's memorial, Shakespeare and Company book store and bouquinistes, famous cafes & bakeries, and our guide's favorite brasserie and restaurant:

Princess Diana's MemorialActual tunnel where the deadly car crash occurred. All of the writings on this wall are in regards to people's love for Diana.

Shakespeare and Company is a famous English-language book store that became a literary sanctuary for expatriate writers.These green boxes found along the Seine River and called Bouquinistes, they house old books, journals, stamps and other memorabilia.

Grabbing hot chocolate and croissants at one of our guides favorite places.Walking by some famous cafes and amazing bakeries...French pastries are so buttery and flakey, and then throw in raspberry as a filling or topping, and they're to die for!

Brad and Leanne enjoying some raspberry gelato! It was good, but not as good as the gelato in Italy!

I guess Thierry was sensing that everyone was getting hungry so he took us to his favorite restaurant for lunch, and it did not disappoint! Thierry had the roast duck something, Brad had the best Carbonara he's ever tasted,I can't remember what Roger and Leanne ordered,but I had the French onion soup with big chunks of bread thrown right in! It was so good!

After lunch we walked back to the Seine River, catching a view of Tour Montparnasse, a 689 ft. modern skyscraper built in the Montparnasse area of Paris in 1969-1973.

How can you not feel the love when the Seine River and Effial Tower is your backdrop in the most romantic city in the world?

That evening, after saying goodbye to our wonderful guide, and re-charging a bit back at our AirB&B, we took the train back into Paris for views of the sunset and city at night.The beautiful sunset taken from the Montparnassse Tower.The tower also had this cool sign for taking selfies, on the top of its viewing platform. The sign really lit up in the dark as well as changed colors.More information about this unusual landmark in the middle of the city.

More views of the Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse Tower...

Views with its headlight going around in circlesThe best picture I could get with the lights twinkling, but with all the people in my way it was very difficult, so we decided to walk to the Effeifal Tower and take pictures from underneath the structure.

View of the Eiffel Tower from underneath it. So fun fact, the Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World Fair, it was supposed to only be up for 20 years, but because of its popularity, and use as a radio tower, it's been around ever since!It is so magical at night...every hour the entire structure glitters with blinking lights for 5 minutes, I loved it!Arc de Triomphe is also a site to see at night, especailly with the cars speeding and honking at each other as they drive around it!I'm pretty proud of this picture with the bright yellow tree branches and leaves accentuating the Arc from above, and a Lamborghini of the same color, accentuating the structure from below! Magical! (Did I mention that Lamborghini's are my favorite car?)

An of course no Paris tour would be complete without a visit to the Louvre! I've wanted to visit the Louvre ever since I took French in High School.

The beautiful Louvre exterior in classical French Renaissance architecture.The Louvre is the world's largest and most visited art museum. It was a medieval fortress from the 12th century, then converted into a royal palace in the 16th century, and finally opened as a public museum in 1793.Louvre Courtyard

The Louvre campus also includes the Carrousel and Tuileries Gardens, which we did not get to see due to our limited time.A large glass and metal pyramid was added in 1989. It was controversial because of it's sharp contrast to the rest of the museum, but over times it's become more appreciated as a landmark, for its function as the main entrance to the museum, and for the light it brings to the underground areas.The underground pyramid which illuminates Hall Napoleon, the main reception, ticket, and service area for the museum.

Grand Hall leading to the courtyard

The reception area illuminated by the pyramid

Walking into what used to be a mote, when the Louvre was a medieval fortress built in 1190 to protect the city.Our wonderful tour guide whom I assumed was British because of her accent. She is explaining that each brickmaker would mark their individual bricks with some kind of sign, like a heart or cross, etched into the brick...

The Great Sphinx of Tanis was made with Egyptian pink granite and was found in Tanis among the Temple of Amun ruins. It was believed to be made around 1750 BC though some say it is older than 2600 BC.Athens of Velletri is a marble statue from the 1st century Imperial Period, discovered in Velletri in 1797. Her Corinthian helmet is a symbol of her role as the goddess of defensive war and strategy.

Our tour guide explained that it was believed that the smaller the male genitalia, the larger his brain.

Venous De Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) was discovered on Melos island in 1820. She is the goddess of love and beauty and an icon of female beauty with her curved posture, serene expression, and slipping drape.

Because she is one of the most popular attractions at the Louvre, there were tons of people surrounding the sculpture!

The Daru staircase is one of six grand staircases built during the Second Empire in the 19th century by architect Hector Lefuel. Atop the staircase sits one of the most famous exhibits in the Louvre, The Winged Victory of Samothrace.The Winged Victory of Samothrace, is a Greek Hellenistic sculpture showcasing the goddess of Nike or victory. She is made of Parian marble while the base is made from Lartos marble. She was discovered on Samothrace island in 1863 and dates back to 190 BC. Some parts of her wings have been restored using plaster, and her right hand was discovered at a later date (see info below).

The beautiful Galerie d'Apollon which houses the French Crown Jewels.Usually all the huge windows in the room are covered with shades to protect the art, but are tour guide pointed out that on this day there was actually a window that wasn't covered. I wonder if that had anything to do with the jewel heist that occurred a week later, in this exact room, with the robbers breaking through the window?

Huge solitaire jewels with explanations of each below...

Pictures of the jewels that were stolen!

Brad being silly as were about ready to go into the room with The Mona Lisa.

Brad, who detests crowds, was so nice to work his way to the front of the group and get a pic of me standing in front of the Mona Lisa.I also sacrificed my body for an up-close photo of the Mona Lisa...

The Mona Lisa is famous for the masterful painting technique used by Leonardo de Vinci, for the 1911 theft of the painting, and her enigmatic smile, three-quarter pose, and mystery behind her identity. Roger took this picture of me finally escaping the mob!

Other famous works...Portrait of A Lady, known as La Belle Ferronniere (the title is actually a mistake by Ingres, who gave it the wrong name).Saint AnneSaint John the BaptistVirgin of the RocksThe Louve itself was a work of art, the ceilings alone just blew my mind, it was truly an honor to finally visit the magnificent place!