I wasn't disappointed in the least.

PARIS. (Flash mental image of the Eiffel Tower surrounded by people in berets... am I right?)

To be honest, before Napala and I booked our flights, I wasn't that excited about going to Paris. Everyone makes such a big deal about it that I thought I could only be disappointed. A huge city where monuments are completely spread out and every restaurant seems to be a tourist trap? No, thank you.

But after hearing about Paris from so many different people, Napala and I decided we should check it out for ourselves. We bought cheap tickets, kept our expectations low, and gathered lists from friends about what to do and eat. And in the end, we were far from disappointed.

Our initial arrival, however, was less than ideal. We got into the airport around 11:00 PM and began to navigate public transportation to get into the city. After finding out the train was closed, we got on a bus (it seemed like a rented party bus but it got us to our next stop), which was followed by a different train (which remained stationary for over 10 minutes after its departure time, convincing everyone that they were on the wrong train and causing them to switch trains... only to switch back a few minutes later), and finally found our way onto the metro (where we were repeatedly bothered by two old men asking for money and swearing at us in English when we ignored their French).

Thankfully, we had Matthew (another auxiliar from my school who did the auxiliar program in Paris for two years) to guide us through this long journey. But transportation was not all that Matthew had to offer. (In fact this was probably his high point with getting from one place to another. As the weekend went on, we realized that directions are not his strong suite.) He was a wealth of knowledge of all the best spots for hot chocolate, macarons, duck, crepes, falafel, and... oh wait that's all food. Okay, we did see some museums and national monuments too, which he told us all about as we walked through the city. But enough with words, you probably want to see what I did for the past 3 days...

Day 1

After 5 short hours of sleep, we all dragged ourselves out of bed to get in line for the Eiffel Tower. Since we had heard there would be such a line, we aimed to get there a half hour before it opened. Napala and I got a little backed up because our airbnb hosts (check out how pinterest their apartment was!) were trying to get ready for work at the same time as we were trying to get ready for our adventures. Luckily Matthew got there on time and we ended up being the second group in line to buy tickets. First elevator up, anyone?

View from the second level of the Eiffel Tower

 

Bucket list item, check!

It was pretty dang big after all...

 

It was rather cold in Paris this past weekend so our outdoor activities were often punctuated by food excrusions. It was a win-win situation: eat something delicious and get warm. (We couldn't depend on the Metro to warm us up like it does in Madrid... our travels are definitely teaching us to appreciate some things about our beloved Madrid.)

Our first food excursion was something Matthew had been telling me about for days: the best hot chocolate in the world from the quaint French restaurant, Angelina.

 They brought us heated chocolate, which we stirred homemade cream into in order to create our desired concentration.

Warm, full, and on a slight sugar high, we continued onto the Louvre. 

 

Outside the mueseum

And again, we did what you are supposed to do: see the Mona Lisa. It was fine, but it seemed a little overrated to me.

After wandering around the museum for a while (mostly the French impressionist wing), we succumbed to our need for real food. We headed off for duck from a French restaurant that Matthew knew from his time living in Paris.

It took us a while to find it, but we finally found it tucked back through an alley!

We must have been in the art mood that day because we then went to Musée d'Orsay, which is housed in an old train station. And it must have been good because anti-museum Napala wanted to go again later in the trip! The museum had a good amount of Monet, Manet, and Van Gogh, which was great. All three of us enjoyed the art there over the art we saw at the Louvre.

But all good things must come to an end. So as the museum was closing, we left and set out for our next culinary adventure: macarons!

Matthew took us to Pierre Hermé's store, where everything was so pretty you hardly wanted to eat it! Napala and I shared 6 different morsels of macarons: mint and raspberry, rose, creme brulee, salted caramel, passion fruit and milk chocolate, and white truffle hazelnut. AMAZING. As the man himself said...

“Macarons only weigh a few grams, but that’s enough to leave your senses quivering with pleasure. Their thin, crisp shell, slightly rounded shape, tempting colours and tender interiors draw devotees to devour them with their eyes, and caress their smooth surface. Their flavours solicit the nose and, when one bites into that crisp shell, the ears tingle with pleasure and the palate is finally rewarded.”

- Pierre Hermé

Raspberry and mint macaron

Tired out and fully content, we went to bed early. (Our hosts were again, quite surprised about the hours we kept... I guess most young people don't plan their days to include so much sunlight.) But then we were well rested for Day 2!

Day 2

First we saw the Moulin Rouge...

Takes me back to when Advanced Jazz did "Roxanne" at One Braodway!

Then we happened upon a cultural festival which included some food stands and historical dances...

Not quite as good as Holland's (MI) dutch dances ;)

This was right around the corner from the Le Mur des "Je t'aime" or the "I love you" wall. It has "I love you" written in 250 languages! See if you can find the English and Spanish... hint, hint, I'm pointing to them....

 

Yes, I rocked my Holland, MI, winter hat all weekend :)

You may have noticed that these were outdoor activities. So it only makes sense that we then headed inside for some food.
 

Savory crepe: filled with caramelized onion, potatoes, raclette, and bacon! Mmmmmmm...

And we finished the day off with a few more monuments.

First we saw the Panthéon, which is inscribed with, "To the great men, the grateful homeland." Underneath the church is a massive crypt where many important people (Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, Marie Curie) are buried.

 

Outside of the Panthéon

The Panthéon also has a 67 meter pendulum inside, which was first installed in 1851 to show the rotation of the Earth. (How? Not exactly sure...)

Annnnnnnnd, Notre Dame!

 Celebrating 850 years... not too shabby!

Then Napala and I headed home once again to enjoy a dinner of cheese and bread (which I managed to order... with Matthew's help...). I have no idea what exactly the cheese we ate was (besides gooey goat cheese that was wrapped in leaves), but it came from this fromagarie.

The one we had was in the middle right, wrapped in brown leaves. Not sure what purpose the leaves served but it made it seem exciting!

Day 3

Overall, we lucked out with the weather. The cold wasn't too harsh and the expected precipitation didn't come. Until Sunday morning. Thankfully, Napala and I know what to do when it rains: head inside to a fancy tea room and eat eclairs!

 We only took pictures of the outside since everyone around us seemed way too sophisticated to be so eager about the fancy teapots and sugar cubes.

And then it ended up being sunny after all! So for the rest of the day we strolled around Paris, taking in the sights, eating, and being merry.

Soooooo many love locks.

 Falafel from L'As de Falafel... we knew it was the right place because there was a 20 minute line out front. Unless everyone just got in line because it seemed like the thing to do...

Our last adventure was a walk through Père Lachaise, the largest cemetary in Paris.

Graves upon graves...

And the sun finally set on our last day in Paris.

Overall, I can't imagine a better weekend in Paris. Great food, great company, great adventures. I am repeatedly reminded of how blessed I am to be experiencing this year in Europe. I will look back on these memories for the rest of my life and be thankful. Thankful to the God who created this beautiful planet, these diverse cultures, and every moment that led me to this place.

Much love, as always,

Amber