J'adore Paris

Dear Internet,

What a week! I’ve had my feet planted in 3 countries over the past 6 days. A little perspective goes a long way, let me tell you.

Paris was, as always, beautiful. It’s hard to really hate Paris. Yes, some creepy men may follow you and it might smell a little like a Port-a-Potty at times, but you get over it once you see the art, eat the food, and visit the sights. This time was especially entertaining because it was my second time in the city and I was with a lovely group of friends. Since so much happened in such a short amount of time, I decided to divide up events by day. I like to be organized sometimes.

Day 1 Paris:

-       Left London at 5:30 AM (!) to get to Paris by train

-       Notre Dame. After a walk through my favorite cathedral in all of Europe (so far), we climbed the 633 steps to the top of the tower to get panoramic views of Paris. We made friends with the gargoyles too.

-       Visited the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company and almost got kicked out.

-       Lunch in the Latin Quarter (first French pastry of the trip!)

-       Saint Chapelle. At first, this place doesn’t look like much. Once you climb the stairs to the second floor, prepare to be blown away! All 4 walls are covered in some of the best stained glass in maybe the whole world.

Pretty great, huh?

-       Crepe in the Latin Quarter. We just had to!

-       Walked from the Latin Quarter down to Love Lock Bridge, the Louvre, Tuileries, and Champs Elysees to…

Love Lockdown

-       Arch de Triumph. We climbed up to the top to see the sun set over the city and the Eiffel Tower light up.

Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower

-       Dinner at the amazing Maison de la Truffe. Went to this truffle themed restaurant on a whim.  Black truffle and foie gras pasta. Best meal in Paris!

The meal to end all meals

Day 2 Paris:

-       Musee de Rodin. Rodin was the famous French artist who sculpted ‘The Thinker’ amongst other amazing works. He focused less on the human body and more on the emotion humans project.

Joel put a ring on it

-       Napoleon’s Tomb. Just across the street from the Musee de Rodin, this golden covered dome holds the famous dictator’s remains. Everything is over the top, from his tomb to the golden statues.

-       Musee d’Orsay. Holds some amazing impressionist paintings from the likes of Monet and Degas.

-       Laduree. If you’re ever in France, this is a MUST. The salted caramel and vanilla macaroons are out of this world. I die every time.

-       Sans Coeur Chapel. Otherwise known as the big white church on the hill. It was raining when we went, which took away from the beautiful view. Last time I was here the sun was rising over the city and my heart melted.

-       Wandered around my favorite section of Paris, Montmarte.

The streets of Paris

-       Best crepes of my life (second to my sister Bayli’s)! Fried apple crepes with vanilla ice cream. Cooked thin, just like I like them.

Day 3 Paris:

-       Louvre. I found my twin! My favorite piece in this whole museum is Winged Victory. Makes my heart skip a beat every time I see it.

My twin?

-       Musee de L’Orangerie. Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ line the oval shaped rooms. I sat in front of one for almost 15 minutes they were that beautiful. It made me miss my Aunt who recreated them for her house.

-       Angelina’s. Another signature French restaurant. The hot chocolate is to die for. Literally melted dark chocolate poured straight into a saucer.

-       Opera Garnier. Probably my favorite sight to see in all of Paris. I want to become an opera singer every time I step onto the main staircase. It truly is a magical place!

-       Eiffel Tower pictures at dusk. We met the most unintentional hipster dad from Nashville while taking pictures. He was one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. I wanted to be his best friend.

-       Dinner at Au Petit Sud Ouest. Located right by the Eiffel Tower, you’d think this was a tourist trap but it actually has some of the best duck and foie gras in the whole city.

Just some cuties at dinner

Day 4 Paris:

-       Versailles. Freezing but worth it.

-       Thrift shopping in the Jewish Quarter. Utter madness! I actually feared for my life at one point.

-       Le Soufflé. The waiter cracked open my soufflé and poured melted dark chocolate inside. HEAVEN.

Day 6 Paris:

-       Slept in (yes, this is noteworthy!)

-       Walked around Eiffel tower

-       Rode a carousel. Just because I’m 20 doesn’t mean I can’t still act like a kid!

-       Lunch at Au Petit Sud Ouest. Because good restaurants deserve to be visited twice.

-       Train ride home

If you’re clever, you noticed that I skipped Day 5. That’s because Day 5 was spent in Belgium! I loved it so much that I’m going to write a blog post devoted just to my time spent there.

I don’t know when I’ll get to go back to Paris, but this trip was definitely one for the books. Nothing beats good times with good friends and good food in a good place. The sad thing is as much as I love London, it was snowing when we got back. As we all know, I hate snow. Time for another trip? Barcelona sounds like fun…Until next time my darlings!

Love,

Courtney