Ohlala Paris… une des plus belles villes, non?
A weekend trip to Paris is like going on the most perfect date of your life; it’s full of quickened heartbeats, laughter and a longing sigh when you finally close the door after the goodnight kiss… Then you’re left sitting on a bus daydreaming about every moment, wishing that it didn’t have to end.
Or more poetically put:
“Paris is like a really hot girl I wanna get with but she’s out of my league.”
– J.j. Villalvazo
(Men…)
Yes, everything they say about Paris is true; there’s really no escaping the enchanting feeling. No matter what you do or who you’re with, there’s always that air of romance lingering around.
Which should be considerably awkward since this weekend it was just J.j and myself traveling together…. But he was a good sport (if not more caught up in the weekend affair). The two of us came and left Paris single, but for the 48 hours in between Paris coaxed us into a serious committed relationship.
And y’know, I couldn’t have asked for a better date.
Saturday we hitched a ride on the bus and got into Paris around 11:30 AM and we were welcomed by the most beautiful weather that I could’ve imagined in Paris in late October. Seriously, I was warm enough in a light jean jacket all weekend && I was LOVING it.
Our first priority was to head straight to the Eiffel Tower. Now I’ve been to Paris before, but when you see the Eiffel Tower in person for the first time in let’s say 9 years, you’re awe-struck all over again. But, hey, at least I was more composed than J.j. who literally jumped up and down, screaming like a little girl (it was his first time, so I really can’t blame him.. but I reserve the right to make fun of him for the rest of his life).
We chose to climb the Eiffel Tower, thinking it was going to be 1,700-some steps to the very top. However, we only climbed 700 and then found out that you can’t take the stairs all the way to the top, but you have to buy a separate ticket to take the elevator up… which I thought was LAME, but we did it anyway.
By the way, October is a great time to visit Paris because we only waited in line for roughly 30 minutes. But no matter how long you wait, it’s worth it in the end ’cause once you get to the very top… wow. Just wow.
We spent a few solid hours just admiring the view from each level. It’s amazing how the cityscape changes as you go up and down. On the first level, the Sacré-Cœur is the most prominent landmark, but it’s lost in a sea of white buildings from the very top.
It’s also amazing how quickly a day can get away from you in Paris. By the time we began to make our way to the Arc de Triomphe it was already 4PM.
We stopped to admire, but I rushed J.j. along; so much to do, so little time! I had to leave Sunday night after all…
We walked down the Champs-Élysées, gawking at all of the expensive stores and the Lamborghinis you can rent for around 150 euros/hour. And don’t even get me started about the restaurants on this street. I was absolutely appalled at how many people were seated for a restaurant with 80 euro entrees.
Safe to say that the materialistic side of Paris doesn’t get me going.
But the streets… So beautiful! Autumn looks good on Paris, for sure. As the sun was setting, we were feeling a little hungry. Somehow we had managed to skip lunch that day.. so maybe a ‘little hungry’ is an understatement. We took the metro towards Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement for the most magnificent crêpes I’ve ever beheld in my life. This suggestion came from dear Inés who wasn’t wrong when she said that was the #1 ‘don’t miss’ place in Paris.
She also wasn’t wrong when she said to show up hungry because these babies were massive. Like big ol’ crêpe bouquets. The restaurant in question is called P’tit Grec – you can’t miss it because theres a line out the door all hours of the day. We ordered deux crêpes avec un oeuf, jambon, fromage, salade, tomates et spicy sauce (whatever you call that en français)… And it was almost a shame that they were so massive because I would’ve loved to try a sweet crêpe, however after shoving this savory one in my mouth I was just about ready to explode.
Even still, there’s always room for wine where I’m concerned. So, to finish off the perfect day, J.j and I bought a bottle of syrah (where the shop owners gave us knowing looks, even though they really had no idea..) and made our way back to the Eiffel Tower.
I’m not quite sure when it starts, but once it gets dark the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 10 minutes at the beginning of each hour. We took a spot on the grass, popped open our bottle of wine and enjoyed the light show. Which, I highly recommend buying a bottle (if you choose to drink) before you get there. Somehow they make everything a tourist trap in Paris; there were men running around with buckets of champagne trying to sell us “just one more bottle…” So if you go, come prepared either with your own drink of choice, or just to be harrased the entire evening. We probably got asked at least 10 times.
All of that aside, it was the perfect evening. See what I mean when I say a trip to Paris is a date without you even intending it to be?
The next morning we got up nice n’ early to enjoy a free breakfast at the hostel and get our day started. The first stop: Le Louvre! J.j. had a date with Mona Lisa at 9AM sharp, so we wandered around the outside before I dropped him off at the line to get in. I myself have already had the pleasure of being disappointed by the Mona Lisa, so I took the opportunity to go off on my own adventure that morning.
I should add that the Louvre as a whole is a fantastic museum – there are so many treasures within it. However, the only thing I vividly remember as a 12 year old in the Louvre was how much homegirl (Mona Lisa) didn’t live up to the hype.
Across from the Louvre is the Jardin des Tuileries, which has beautiful fountains, classic and modern statues, and joggers – lots n’ lots of joggers. And I’m standing there like “Man! how can these people just casually jog through a garden that was established in the late 1600s and be so blasé about it????” Pfft. French people.
The Jardin des Tuileries separates the Louvre from the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in the French capital. Here you can see two major landmarks; the Obelisk and the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation… You probably know it from that one scene in The Devil Wear’s Prada.
This was just a deviation from my original plan to head straight to the Notre-Dame cathedral after the Louvre, but I’m glad I wandered off in the wrong direction. Getting back on track though, was more difficult that expected because Paris just so happened to be hosting a bike race/trials of some kind meaning a lot of the streets were blocked off.
It was almost as if for a second I was back in Richmond experiencing the international bike race that just happened this past Septemeber.. Almost…
Fast-forward to an hour later when my little leggies finally made it to my intended destination: The Notre Dame Cathedral! The last time I was in Paris I was pretty disappointed we didn’t get a chance for a quick tour inside, so I made it a top priority on my itinerary.
And, being that it was Sunday there was a service being held inside. Which, I was conflicted as to whether or not it was rude to take pictures… but in the end my tourist instincts won that battle.
Another thing that was top priority was grabbing some macaroons from Ladurée Paris. Y’know, like the one actually in Paris, not the Ladurée I know and love in New York (shout out to Courtney for introducing me to these wonderful little treats).
If you share the same love for these macaroons and find yourself in Paris one day, I highly suggest that you skip the Ladurée on theChamps-Élysées and opt for the one near the Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro stop. There’s no line, the neighborhood is much quieter and the macaroons are just as delicious!
Later that afternoon J.j and I met back up to visit Montmartre – a neighborhood in Paris just a quick walk from our hostel, famous for its artists and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Sacré-Cœur). The Sacré-Cœur is perched on a hill and if you climb to the top you get another gorgeous view of the city as well as free entry into the basilica.
Inside was absolutely breath-taking. This is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest appreciation for architecture. As soon as you walk in you’re stunned by the golden mosaic on the far side of the basilica entitled, Christ in Majesty. It’s one of the largest mosaics of its kind in the world.
We also had a good time walking through the Place du Tertre. I don’t know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Paris is a park full of artists displaying their artwork wearing cute little hats and striped shirts.
Sure, that’s a serious generalization; in fact, that’s not what Paris is like in the slightest. But, if that’s something you’re looking to see, then Place du Tertre is as close as you’ll get.
The trip was quickly coming to an end and there was still one thing on my Paris To-Do List that hadn’t gotten the official check of completion.
So, I don’t know if you know this or not, but I’m a little weird (goofy is also an acceptable term I identify with). When I was younger I was extremely obsessed with the Olsen twins and one time they came out with a movie call “Passport to Paris.” Are you familiar with that one? Well, they meet two little french boys and have just a grand old time… And then there’s one scene where they have a baguette sword fight in front of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve always wanted to do that.
SO WE DID IT.
J.j. – I just want you to know you’ll always remain one of my top favorite people for making this dream become a reality (what a good 48 hour boyfriend, non?) 😉
And that was it: the perfect grand finale to the perfect weekend trip in the perfect Parisian city. One of these days I’ll do it all over again.
Bethany en Belgique 