Final Thoughts

And just like that, my trip to Paris has come and gone and I am back here in my apartment in Charlotte.  My trip back from Paris was certainly an eventful one.  First, I got stuck in my apartment as the door knob fell off when I was trying to leave so I had to wait for the landlord to come and let me out.  Then, the train I was taking to the airport stopped when we were halfway there as there was an accident or something - I can't say for certain what happened because I just don't understand enough French to even come close to piecing it together, but let me tell you - getting a cab to the airport from there was a disaster as there were well over 100 people trying to hail cabs.  Oy vey.  I about had a panic attack as for awhile there I was fairly sure I was going to miss my flight.

But alas, it all worked out, and I am back in Charlotte.  I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to take this trip to Paris.  That city will always hold such a special place in my heart.  It's certainly not perfect, no place is.  But it's a perfect getaway destination for me.  Between its history, beauty, and charm, Paris has certainly captured my heart and it's hard for me to imagine loving another city as much as I love Paris.  

I had a lot of time to think on this trip, and a recurring theme of my thoughts was the crazy amount of uncertainty in my life right now.  I am going to make a bold statement and say that my life holds more uncertainty than it ever has.  A year from now, I don't know where I will be living, what job I will have, or whether I will be back to running.  All this uncertainty weighs on a type-A planner like me.

But I know this much is true.  I know I have family and friends (including those of you reading this) to lean on along the way.  I know I have my faith in God and a (sometimes wavering) belief that things will work out as they are supposed to.

And I know that I will always have Paris.  It will always be a place that I can go to (albeit not as often as I would like) to be reminded of who I am, what I value, and how very blessed I am. 

Day 5: last day in Paris

All good things must come to an end, I suppose, and sadly this trip is. I can't complain too much as I am lucky to be in Paris, the time just went far too fast!  It does not help when you don't have an ounce of enthusiasm about the city you are returning to, but I am trying to block out those feelings right now.

My last day in Paris was a great one. I started off the day with a walking tour of Paris. I have done about 6 tours by the company 'Paris Walks' and they never disappoint. We spent over 2 hours walking through the Montmatre area, which is a northern quartier of Paris that is known for many things from art to its entertainment district (the famous Moulin Rouge is found there) as well as the famous Sacre Couer cathedral.

One neat thing we saw along the way was a mural that was recently done. The artist had people from all around the world write down the phrase 'I love you' in their own language. He collected the phrase in over 300 languages and when it came time to make the mural, he used the writing of each person who wrote the phrase down, which I think is really cool! Can you spot 'I love you' in English in this photo?

We would around this hilly quartier, learning a lot about the artists that lived in this area, such as Van Gogh and Renoir. Most of these artists were very poor and only because famous posthumously.  Like much of Paris, this area had lots of narrow winding rows. You can see Sacre Couer peeking through in this photo.

The tour ended in front of Sacre Couer. I attended mass here on my first trip to Paris - it is a really beautiful cathedral and is kind of an architectural marvel as it's built on a hill that is not very sturdy!

This area of Paris is especially known for pick pockets so I did not hang around there for long after the tour concluded. I am always really careful about keeping my bag closed and close to me but it still made me feel a little uncomfortable knowing thieves are prevalent in this area!

I took the metro back to the central part of Paris so I could have lunch and walk around the Marais, which is one of my favorite areas of Paris.  I wailed along the Seine for part of the way. It was another beautiful day. I have definitely lucked out in terms of weather as it's been in the 40s and hasn't rained!

I found a little brasserie that served a dish called 'aligot' which I had read about last month. It's basically mashed potatoes with a special French cheese whipped into them. Talk about the ultimate comfort food! It was served with a little fresh salad and really hit the spot. I saved room for dessert, though, as I had one last famous macaron shop to check out called 'Pierre Herme'. They had a large selection of macarons and definitely win the award for most 'unique' flavors. Some of the macarons at the top are their seasonal flavors and have foie de gras in them. I know that is a delicassie but can I just say GROSS?  Yes, ALL CAPS.

I avoided those and stuck with more traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and a caramel with a brown butter filling.

The verdict? These were good but my favorite ones from this trip are the ones from Carette, followed by Laduree. Which makes Pierre Herme a close 3rd. I definitely could write an article on what makes a good macaron after this trip!!

I headed back to my neighborhood for some hot tea and reading and now I am packing and getting ready to head out for one last dinner in Paris. *sob* Like I said in my intro, I am not excited to go back. I know vacations are not reality, but Paris feels more like home than Charlotte does or ever will. That said, this trip away has been good for me and was definitely a great reward for both passing the CFA and surviving the Charlotte move!

I have a long day of travel tomorrow, get back around 8:30 pm and have to work the next day so I will be diving right back into reality. I am sure I will post some final thoughts on this blog before leaving it dormant until my next trip! Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday!

Day 4: Tour Eiffel and the Left Bank

Another wonderful day. Another day closer to the end of this fabulous vacation. I started off this day with my usual cafe creme and reading time at a local cafe. After I was properly caffeinated, I took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower area. Before visiting Paris for the first time, I think that seeing the ET in person would be underwhelming - that is not at all the case. It really is such a beautiful monument! And the area around it is so beautiful as you can see from these photos!

After walking around the ET area, I made my way up to the Trocadero area which also had wonderful views of the ET. I found someone to take my picture!

After that, I went to find a patisserie that allegedly has some of the best macarons in Paris. I have to agree. These were so delicious, I think they are the best I have has so far. The cream one is vanilla and the brown one is caramel with a brown butter filling. The caramel one was TO DIE FOR. I would actually say these are better than Laduree's, which is probably the most famous macaron shop. 

After that I took the metro back to the St. Germaine area as I wanted to wander around some of the areas we went to on the walking tour. I had worked up an appetite at this point so the first order of business was finding a place for lunch.  I saw a waiter deliver a roasted chicken plate to a guest and was totally sold on the place. It tasted even better than it looked! It was such a simple meal but done so well!!

After lunch, I wandered around the St. Germaine area. The stores have started to decorate for the holidays and there were definitely lots of shoppers out and about!

One of my favorite things to do while traveling in Europe is check out their food markets. I really appreciate their approach to shopping and cooking as they tend to buy less on each shopping trip but shop more often. I know that is not practical for everyone but I think its a great approach to cooking. This market was small, but still had a nice selection of seafood, cheese and other items like foie gras - which I personally do not like AT ALL.  And I can say that because I have in fact tried it!

After the market, I kept wandering around the neighborhood, marveling at its beauty. I wonder if the people who live there appreciate it? I just love all the little details from the terraces with window boxes to the beautiful street lights!

After all that walking, I took a break, had some tea and did more reading.  I had an early dinner and then went to mass at Notre Dame and went to a Christmas concert at St. Chapelle, which is a famous church known for its stained glass windows. I have been to a concert here before so was glad I was able to go to another on this trip. The setting is beautiful. My only complaint is that the building is not heated. Burr! But it was still a fun experience and the music was beautiful!!

Tomorrow is my last full day in Paris. I fly out Monday but will spend most of the day traveling. I plan to take a walking tour of the Montmartre area and walk around the Marais area, but don't have much planned besides that. I know I will have no trouble filling my day, though! 

Day 3: Notre Dame and the Right Bank of the Seine

Another day is coming to a close, and I am finding that this trip is going entirely too fast!!

I started my day off with a cafe creme and some reading in a coffee shop close to Notre Dame.  Even though my natural inclination is to 'go, go, go' I am trying to force myself to take it someone easier on this trip so I don't come back too exhausted!

After reading for a bit, I headed over to the grounds of the Notre Dame. While the interior of this church is obviously very beautiful, I also love the surrounding grounds.

There is a park area in front of the church with lots of trees and benches to sit in. I think Paris does a great job of providing lots of outdoor spaces with ample benches and chairs, which I think is really cool.

There was a bit of a line to go into the church so I decided to delay that until later in the day and instead headed over to the right bank of the Seine for a walk to the Tuilleries/Louvre area. You can just barely see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance in this picture. I have not seen it up close yet but plan to tomorrow!

After my long walk, I had worked up an appetite so treated myself to some mussels at a restaurant on Champs Élysées, which were delicious!

After lunch, I walked back to Angelina's, which is a cafe I discovered on my last trip to Paris. They have this incredibly decadent hot cocoa.  It's definitely rich, but so good!

In addition to the hot cocoa, I also had some macarons that I had picked up at Laduree on the Champs Élysées.  You know, since there wasn't enough sugar in the hot cocoa. ;)

After putting myself into a sugar coma, I headed back to the Notre Dame so I could look around at the interior. It is the largest church in Paris and is so beautiful! I wandered around for awhile and then stopped for a bit to light a candle and pray for some intentions, both for myself and others.

I had been gone for quite awhile at this point so went back to my apartment so I could use the wifi connection to so some research and plan out my last 2 days in Paris. Then it was off to my favorite Gallette place that I found on my last trip to Paris. Luckily I am able to eat gallettes as they are make with buckwheat flour, which is gluten free. I really want to learn how to make these as they are so good! The one I ordered had onions, mushrooms, ham, and an egg and it was so good!

Now I am back in my apartment figuring out my agenda for tomorrow which will include seeing the Eiffel Tour up close, attending mass at Notre Dame, and going to a Christmas concert at St. Chapelle, which is a beautiful church!

Au revoir for now!

Day 2: St. Germaine, making a new friend, and French Thanksgiving

Happy Friday, everyone! I bet some of you were up at the crack of dawn to snag some deals? I certainly wasn't. I guess Black Friday is sort of being introduced in France but has not taken hold yet!  Anyways I hope my American readers had a great thanksgiving! I certainly had a great day in Paris!

When I woke up yesterday morning, I missed my family but I can't complain about waking up to this view!

After eating breakfast in my apartment I headed out for a walking tour of the St. Germaine area, which is the quartier next to the one where I am staying. I love doing these walking tours as I learn way more about an area than I could if I was seeing it on my own. The St. Germaine area is one of the oldest areas of Paris and has several beautiful churches, 2 of which we went inside. The first church we explore was St. Sulpice. It's the 2nd largest church in Paris (largest is Notre Dame). It's so beautiful. The main church area is gorgeous and then it has all these side altars, like the one below which is dedicated to Mary. 

There are also some impressive works of art in these churches, like the painting below by Delacroix.

We also went inside St. Germaine des Pres which is another beautiful church that dates back to the 11th century I think? The stained glass window below dates back to the 13th century. It's hard to wrap your mind around how old some of these buildings are!!

At the beginning of the tour, I struck up a conversation with another woman as we were the first two to arrive. She lives in the UK, but is from Russia and had lived in Australia (where I studied abroad). We chatted on and off along the tour and at the end, she asked if I would like to join her for lunch and then walk to the Galleries Lafayette to see the magnificent tree, and of course I said yes!  We had lots to talk about between our travels and shares loves of Paris and reading. I know that some find my willingness to travel alone strange (and well, I get the sense some think it's a little depressing) but experiences like this just go to show that traveling alone doesn't have to be lonely. I find that I always seem to meet people along the way. I had so much fun with Elena, and now I have a new friend to visit if/when I travel to the UK! I know we will definitely stay in touch!

Anyways, Elena and I had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the Notre Dam and then we headed over to see the tree at this huge department store called Galleries Lafayette. The building itself is gorgeous as you can see, and the tree was magnificent!

After spending several hours together, it was time to part ways as I had a thanksgiving dinner to attend in a suburb of Paris. How did that come about? Well this fall I was traveling back to Charlotte from Pittsburgh and got upgraded to first class. As you all know, I have a strict no talking on planes rule, but I broke it on this trip because when I sat down, he immediately asked if I was a runner and when I had ran my last marathon! I guess my running shoes and 'club run' fleece I was wearing made it fairly obvious that I am (err was) a long distance runner. He had ran 97 marathons and was an all-around interesting guy between his career as a professor and the extensive travel he has done. It tikes out that his girlfriend lives in Paris and he thought he might be there over Thanksgiving so we kept in touch over the next couple of months. In September when we met, I was hoping we could meet up for a run on this trip, but that was not possible so instead he invited me to the thanksgiving dinner he was hosting. 

I had such a fun night but unfortunately I don't have any pictures. All the other guests were academics and they were from countries such as Lithuania and Belarus, so it was quite the multicultural crowd! We had a great time and are very well!  My contribution to the meal was macarons, of course! I tried a different shop this time and they were really good! 

So that does it for Thursday. I was out and about from 9:30 am until 11:30 pm so I plan to take it a bit easier today!

Day 1

Greetings from Paris! I made it here safely, albeit sleep deprived but that is to be expected and was overcome by my excitement of being in my favorite city in the world!  I landed this morning and was at my apartment by 10, dropped off my bags and headed out to explore!  In the 5 minutes I spent in the apartment before heading out, I failed to notice that there was no computer... So that was not the best discovery when I got back tonight. Womp womp. But you know what, I am in Paris so I am going to try to not sweat the little stuff. It just means I won't be posting as often as I normally would as posting from my phone SUCKS! This is the one time I have wished I had an iPad...

Anyways, back to the post at hand! This is what I was up to today!!

One of the first 'landmarks' I spotted, besides the Notre Dam was this famous book store!  I wanted to get some fresh air today so didn't pop in but I intend to before my trip is over!

I spent a lot of time today just wandering the streets of my neighborhood. Even the most 'ordinary' streets are beautiful, in my opinion.  I just love the narrow, winding streets of Paris. They are so charming!

I mean, even their metro signs are charming!!

In the afternoon, I rested my feet for a bit and treated myself to a cafe creme and 2 caramel macarons which were so good! I think the eating of macarons will be part of my daily routine!

After I was properly fueled with caffeine, I went for a long walk along the Seine. I will never tire of these views!!

That mostly sums up how I spent day one. I am eating in tonight as I am pretty worn out since I got less than 2 hours of sleep on the flight so will call it an early night. Tomorrow I plan to do a walking tour of the St. Germaine and then I have Thanksgiving dinner plans in the evening. And I am going to hopefully find an Internet cafe as posting on my phone is definitely not something I want to do again. So if you don't see another post from me, that is the reason. If the recaps have to wait until after the trip then so be it!

Au revoir for now!!