About a month and a half ago I popped over to the City of Lights for a weekend. In order to get to Paris, though, I had to first spend the night alone at Malaga airport. Since my flight was very early in the morning and the buses wouldn’t be running yet, I was forced to bunker down on a SUPER comfortable plastic bench and survive the night. I kept myself busy reading the ENTIRE Rick Steve’s Paris guidebook. Yep - you can accomplish a lot in 6 hours. Around 4am, I decided it would be a good idea to catch some shut eye. So clutching my backpack, I curled up and attempted to catnap. Just when I had gotten used to the “Do not leave bags unattended” announcement that went off every 15 minutes, and drifted off, a man jarred me from my peaceful slumber asking if I was going to Edinburgh. NO I am not going to Edinburgh, and thank you so very much for ruining my nap. Eventually I made it onto my plane and the flight went well -- I even got to enjoy this beautiful sunrise.
After landing I then had to get on the AirFrance bus to the city center. It worked out okay, but by this point I had become really uncomfortable in not knowing the language - I felt really helpless. It made me realize how much I had grown in spain - back “home” I had enough knowledge and confidence to be able to talk to anyone, ask for directions, or get my point across. Here I was really lost - not a word of french!
Somehow I got off at the right stop and was able to make my way to the bus parking lot where I was meeting Bre and Mckenna. At first - they were no were to be found. But then! Ah! Breanne’s white jacket! They turned around as I called their name. And it was literally a slow motion movie moment. We sprinted towards each other screaming gleefully as if we hadn’t seen each other in 10 years. Well, that’s what it felt like. We tackled each other in a giant group hug and might have shed a few tears - relieved that our plan had SOMEHOW actually worked. Paris is gigantic - and by the grace of god we had found each other within 10 minutes.
Arm in arm, the three us made our way back to the street to wait for Catherine to pick us up. Soon enough, a woman driving by on the opposite side of the street began to wave fanatically at us - the three americans with backpacks. Catherine pulled a U-y and was at our curb in a jiffy. She was SO welcoming. I hadn’t seen her in at least 12 years and so I wasn’t sure what to expect - but she is the kindest and friendliest woman ever. On our way out of the city to Saint Cloud, where Catherine and Philip live, we made a stop at a tiny supermarket. It was chock full of french fancies - cheese of every shape, size, and color, pastries that made my mouth water, and chickens fresh of the farm (head still intact). Catherine picked up some fresh ground beef for lunch and we were off.
After quickly settling in, Catherine made us lunch (BEST host ever). A fresh hamburger patty, green beans, salad, and of course french bread. So simple - but it was to die for. Our first meal in France exceeded our expectations BY FAR!
As it was still pretty early in the day, we decided to venture into the city. Our first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral. A few metro stops later, and Bre nearly getting squished between the closing doors, we had made it. It was beautiful - but unfortunately quasimodo was nowhere to be found.
From ND, we attempted to find the Louvre because it was free for students on Friday nights. You think the LOUVRE would be easy to find right? It’s the LOUVRE! Well, we wandered around the same five blocks for an hour before we finally stumbled upon it. But no pasa nada, because it gave us time to soak up the neighborhood - and enjoy an essential french treat. THE CREPE.
Words cannot describe my love for this work of gastronomical art. I went the deluxe route and stuffed mine with nutella, banana, AND whip cream. It was heaven on earth - and on my shirt… those things are delicious, but incredibly messy. By the time we arrived at the louvre, we had sticky fingers and happy bellies.
Even at night, the Louvre was stunning. The buildings themselves were so regal - and then the famed glass pyramids were exactly how Dan Brown had said they would be :)
Two and a half hours was both way too short and yet just the right amount of time. Sure, we didn’t see EVERYTHING (I hear that would take months), but we came, we saw, we conquered. We ogled at the tiny Mona Lisa, we posed amputee-style with Venus de Milo, and we were impressed by the wild Winged Victory.
But the night didn’t quite end there. I had read up (surprise, suprise) on fun FREE things to do in Paris and learned about a free night bicycle ride through the city. So we went to the meeting place at Hotel D’Ville. But surely not - those guys could not be part of the tour. There ahead of us was a circle of Lance Armstrongs - completely outfitted in spandex and reflectors, sitting idly atop their high-tech racing bikes. I asked the most reflective of the bunch (neon vest) if he knew where the free bike ride was meeting. And lo and behold - he was the leader of this free bike ride. UM WHAT? Coming to Paris, I had no intentions to actually be IN the Tour d’France. It was actually quite laughable -- both Breanne and I were in dresses and tights. The man assured us that it would not be too difficult - he even said the pack would split into the fastest in the front to the turtles in the caboose. That made us feel SO much better. NOT.
Using our better judgement, we decided that it was not a good idea to go for a 3 hour intense bike ride at night after getting only an hour or two of sleep. So with that, we decided to metro out to Champs-Elysee -- the famous shopping avenue that starts at the Arc d’Triumph. We snapped a few pictures with the arc, and then walked along the avenue. Unfortunately, it was 11pm and none of the stores were open -- but we got the effect anyway.
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Saturday morning we rolled out of bed and enjoyed a slow breakfast with Catherine and Philip. I have to say, the French do food like no other. We munched on fresh bread and homemade jams, while sipping our espresso fresh from Philip’s espresso machine (one of his many high-end kitchen gadgets). It was so nice to just sit and chat with Catherine and Philip. This trip was so different than our others. Staying with Catherine and Philip made it less like a stressful non-stop tour and more of a fun weekend with old friends.
For Saturday, we decided to take a day trip to Chateau Versailles. So off to the train station we went. Again, feeling so incredibly lost without words beyond “Oui” or “Merci,” I ordered my ticket to Versailles. But I couldn't understand the amount it cost and ended up handing the man a 50€ bill - hoping to God it would cover it round-trip. The guy started laughing at me as he handed back my 47€ worth of change. Fail.
At Versailles, we walked through an incredible French market place to pick up some bread, cheese, and fruit for a picnic. I was astounded by the variety and freshness of everything. The fish looked like they had been caught 10 minutes ago - with eyes as clear as day. And all of the fruit was bright and welcoming. There were some interesting finds, though, for sure. Like the poor little piglet that exactly like Babe :(
At the cheese counter we just went with the “point at a random wheel” technique and ended up with two different kinds. So with cheese, fresh fruit, and each with a fresh baguette, we walked into the Chateau garden.
Versailles is incredible. To anyone who visits Paris, a trip to Versailles is mandatory. The gardens are so immense and stretch on forever along the Grand Canal. I cannot at all imagine what it must have been like to live in that lap of luxury. In some gardens, they changed the flowers EVERY single day -- talk about decadent.
Speaking of, our picnic was wonderful. We planted ourselves right by the Apollo Fountain on the Grand Canal and dug in. Unfortunately, one of the cheeses we purchased turned out to be THE worst smelling cheese on Earth. As soon as it was unwrapped, the entire area smelled terrible. It was a feat to eat it, as it would have to come within two feet of your nose in order to make it to your mouth - which was nearly intolerable. We named it Butt Cheese and rightly so.
Inside Versailles, we explored all of the extravagant rooms. Upon entering the famed hall of mirrors, we spotted a couple waltzing goofily together down the hall. We were all caught up in their private moment, until suddenly, the waxy floor got the best of them -- they crashed, fell over the velvet rope, tugging the whole chain down with a bang. IN VERSAILLES. Everyone around us didn’t know how to react - the whole scene was just too ridiculous. But as they ran away from the angry guards, we couldn't help cracking up.
Back in the city center, we climbed the GIANT set of stairs up to the Basilica of Sacre Coure. With the whole city spread out before us, we sat on the steps and listened to a man and his guitar bring us the soothing melodies of… Barbie Girl? Okay - so kind of different - but it was a wonderful moment just the same.
And no visit to Paris would be complete without a photo shoot with the Eiffel Tower. Right on the hour, we stood on a terrace overlooking the tower - and just like clockwork, it lit up and began sparkling. It was incredible and dazzling, and we took more than enough pictures :) The perfect ending to the perfect day.
Sunday morning, I said au revoir to McKenna and Breanne as they took their earlier flight home. I was lucky enough to stay at Catherine and Philip’s for Sunday lunch - aka Fancy French Feast. I believe this was the most posh and exquisite meal I have ever had. For the first course, Philip made scallops with shaved truffle on top. Now - I’m not sure if you know me, but I am not one to eat creatures of the sea. But being abroad has taught me to just eat whatever someone puts in front of me - so I went for it! And they were actually pretty good, which was fun. And since I was in such an adventurous mood, I ate the orange gooey sac that was also on the plate. And it tasted absolutely terrible. I literally wanted to spit it out. Upon googling later, I learned that I had in fact eaten a sac of scallop seminal fluid. YACKKKK.
The next course was DELICIOUS fish with beautiful vegetables. Yes - they were beautiful! So colorful! Deep reds, greens, whites - I don’t actually know what any of it was, but it was quite tasty. While we dined, we also sipped on Philip’s homemade wine - yum.
After this came the cheese course - where I had goat cheese for the first AND last time. ew. Though not necessarily a cheese lover at my mom’s level, I still had fun trying the different cheeses.
Annnd after the cheese course we had chocolate mousse made by the wonderfully French couple that we were dining with (friends of Catherine and Philip). I say wonderfully French, because the man was literally 100% a stereotypical Frenchman. When tasting wine he did the whole swirl and slurp before each sip. He had an opinion about everything and was not afraid to voice it. But even though he had a very strong personality, he was still a very nice man. And his wife makes the best chocolate mousse ever.
After chocolate heaven, Catherine whipped up some crepes to eat with sugar. I’m pretty sure by this point I had surpassed loosening my belt and unbuttoning my jeans -- I needed maternity pants stat. And with the crepes, Philip made us all teeny tiny cups of espresso.
Again - BEST. MEAL. OF. MY. LIFE. Philip is an amaaaazing cook and really should go on Iron Chef or something. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and so when it came time to say goodbye, I could not thank Catherine and Philip enough. They were the most welcoming, generous, and wonderful hosts ever! I hope to see them again soon :)
