Paris

The last stop on my spring break was Paris. Paris is one of my favorite cities that I have visited thus far. The city gives off a romantic atmosphere that just lures you in. Every street is lined with trees and flowers, and there is not a piece of trash in sight. Despite warnings from past American visitors, the French people were some of the nicest people I have encountered in Europe. Although, it did help that I remember a little French from when I took it back in high school!

We stayed at Arty Paris Hostel in an 8-person dorm room. Don’t worry our roommates were perfectly normal human beings! The first night we got in late and grabbed some dinner by the Eiffel Tower. We tried escargot (snails) and it turns out we all loved them! The snails have a sort of pesto sauce on them and the consistency is less chewy than clams. After dinner, we sat by the Eiffel Tower to watch it light up. Every hour at night, the tower sparkles for five minutes. I know it probably sounds silly, but I actually got tears in my eyes because it was so beautiful. The only way the night could have been any better was if we got crêpes. Oh wait, we did! Man, do I love Paris.

The next day we toured around the city. We started by climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower to admire the views. We then visited the Arch di Triumph and walked down Champ-Champs-Élysées street, which has some of the best shopping in the world. I went inside the Louis Vuitton store and felt like if I touched anything it would burst into flames. The cheapest thing I found was a $350 keychain!

Afterwards we walked through the Tuileries Gardens and arrived at the Louvre. Since we are technically European Union citizens with our visas, we got to go inside for free. The museum is one of the largest in the world, so we just went to the major pieces. Obviously I had to take a selfie with the Mona Lisa haha. Afterwards, we went to the lock bridge and I dedicated a lock to my lovely parents (Shout out momma and papi!). To end our productive day, we got coffee in an artsy neighborhood and enjoyed some chocolate croissants.

The next morning we got up early and visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Out of the dozens of churches I have visited so far, this was my favorite. I loved the gothic feel and the beautiful architecture. I also thought it was amusing to see the cartoon drawings from the Hunchback of Notre Dame appear before me in real life. My favorite part was climbing the bell towers and seeing the gargoyles up close. 

Then we enjoyed lunch by the river in this adorable café. Our server was hilarious and even sat down with us for a little bit. He was so excited when we asked if he wanted to take a picture with us. After lunch, I bought a pistachio and a praline macaroon. They were much more delicious than I had anticipated. We enjoyed our macaroons while lounging in the Luxembourg gardens. The gardens were so peaceful. The Parisian royalty really knew what they were doing when they decided to place these spectacular gardens all over the city. I could have sat there for hours just people watching and enjoying the greenery. 

Later that day, we visited the Moulin Rouge! My favorite move in the entire world is Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McCregor. It is also Brittany’s, so we were estatic to see the red windmill in person. After pretending to be cancan dancers, we got some coffee at the Café des Deux Moulins. The café appeared in the film Amelie, if anyone was curious! We ended the night stargazing at the Eiffel Tower, admiring it as it sparkled on the top of every hour. Paris is such a magical city and I would love to return to it.