Bonjour! Or, more accurately said with my American accent, bo sure!
I've just returned from my very first trip to Paris, the city of love, and am happy to report I did in fact find love...in the form of a strawberry and Nutella filled crepe!
This was not only my first trip to Paris, but also my first trip to France. I was eager to see the sights, and after a quick hotel snooze, I split a cab with three other flight attendants and headed into the city. One of the first things I noticed during the 20 minutes cab ride was the lack of English signage. Props to the French for fully embracing their own language, but I was just surprised by this, considering how cosmopolitan the city it.
Our first stop of the day was the Eiffel Tower. The structure itself was amazing to see and being next to this landmark was definitely one of those pinch me I feel like I'm in a movie moments! After taking the obligatory cheese ball Eiffel Tower pictures, I bid farewell to the other flight attendants and set out for my afternoon adventure, solo style!
As much as I do like the company of others, there's something equally enjoyable about being able to discover a new city at my own pace. With frequent bathroom breaks, slow walkers, and stopping for photos every 30 seconds, sightseeing with other flight attendants frequently turns into being one Lisa Frank lunchbox short of a fieldtrip!
My main objective for the afternoon was to just wander! With the famous quote in mind...a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single bite of Nutella....or something like that, I grabbed a delicious crepe and a coffee latte from an outdoor café. Sitting on a set of concrete steps and divulging in my afternoon snack while taking in the views of the Seine River to my left and the Eiffel Tower to my right, was beyond peaceful. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world! Not even for the plain white tee shirt I used to own, before I spilled chocolatecrap crepe down the front of it.
The rest of my afternoon was spent moseying down European side streets, ducking in and out of small art galleries, and even catching an intense neighborhood game of pétanque (pronounced pa tonk.... rhymes with honkey tonk badonk a donk), a traditional French game in which the objective is to throw large balls closest to one small ball. What can I say, I'm a sucker for hunky jocks!
No matter how amazing a city may be, what really makes a layover awesome is being able to meet up with a friend while I'm there. Luckily, I knew just the girl in Paris; one of my sister's best friends, Karen!
My sister, Genny, and Karen met during their freshman year of college and have remained close friends ever since. Over the past 13 years, Karen and I have spent time together, and I think it's safe to say we are also friends. That's what Facebook considers us anyways. Karen is currently living in Paris and working in the student ministries field. I was elated when Karen and her fluent French speaking skills agreed to meet up with me.
The two of us met at a prearranged time underneath the Eiffel Tower...so romantic. We jumped on the metro and headed to the famous Notre Dam Cathedral. Unfortunately, we didn't see any hunchbacks.
The next stop on our tour de Paris was for dinner at a traditional French restaurant with a fun outside seating area. Like the public signage, the menu was completely written in French. As much as I do enjoy making a fool out of myself, I decided to let Karen handle the ordering portion of our dinner. The huge seafood salad, fresh bread, and red wine all lived up to my very high expectations as to what my very first French meal should be like. So perfect!
After dinner, Karen was gracious enough to escort me to the correct train that eventually led me safely back to my hotel. A quick seven hour snooze, a seven hour flight, and here I be!
Because of our crazy schedules, my roommate, Maggie, and I had not seen each other for about three weeks, so it was a fun surprise to walk into my apartment tonight and see her cute, little self sitting on the couch. We celebrated our reunion with a little 10 P.M. P.P.P.....that's Poolside Pizza Party for all you non cool kids out there!
And on that slap happy produced joke, I'm off to bed!
Ever been to Paris? If so, what was your favorite part?
"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life."
-Thomas Jefferson
I've just returned from my very first trip to Paris, the city of love, and am happy to report I did in fact find love...in the form of a strawberry and Nutella filled crepe!
This was not only my first trip to Paris, but also my first trip to France. I was eager to see the sights, and after a quick hotel snooze, I split a cab with three other flight attendants and headed into the city. One of the first things I noticed during the 20 minutes cab ride was the lack of English signage. Props to the French for fully embracing their own language, but I was just surprised by this, considering how cosmopolitan the city it.
Our first stop of the day was the Eiffel Tower. The structure itself was amazing to see and being next to this landmark was definitely one of those pinch me I feel like I'm in a movie moments! After taking the obligatory cheese ball Eiffel Tower pictures, I bid farewell to the other flight attendants and set out for my afternoon adventure, solo style!
As much as I do like the company of others, there's something equally enjoyable about being able to discover a new city at my own pace. With frequent bathroom breaks, slow walkers, and stopping for photos every 30 seconds, sightseeing with other flight attendants frequently turns into being one Lisa Frank lunchbox short of a fieldtrip!
My main objective for the afternoon was to just wander! With the famous quote in mind...a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single bite of Nutella....or something like that, I grabbed a delicious crepe and a coffee latte from an outdoor café. Sitting on a set of concrete steps and divulging in my afternoon snack while taking in the views of the Seine River to my left and the Eiffel Tower to my right, was beyond peaceful. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world! Not even for the plain white tee shirt I used to own, before I spilled chocolate
The rest of my afternoon was spent moseying down European side streets, ducking in and out of small art galleries, and even catching an intense neighborhood game of pétanque (pronounced pa tonk.... rhymes with honkey tonk badonk a donk), a traditional French game in which the objective is to throw large balls closest to one small ball. What can I say, I'm a sucker for hunky jocks!
No matter how amazing a city may be, what really makes a layover awesome is being able to meet up with a friend while I'm there. Luckily, I knew just the girl in Paris; one of my sister's best friends, Karen!
My sister, Genny, and Karen met during their freshman year of college and have remained close friends ever since. Over the past 13 years, Karen and I have spent time together, and I think it's safe to say we are also friends. That's what Facebook considers us anyways. Karen is currently living in Paris and working in the student ministries field. I was elated when Karen and her fluent French speaking skills agreed to meet up with me.
The two of us met at a prearranged time underneath the Eiffel Tower...so romantic. We jumped on the metro and headed to the famous Notre Dam Cathedral. Unfortunately, we didn't see any hunchbacks.
 |
| Karen and I in front of Notre Dame |
The next stop on our tour de Paris was for dinner at a traditional French restaurant with a fun outside seating area. Like the public signage, the menu was completely written in French. As much as I do enjoy making a fool out of myself, I decided to let Karen handle the ordering portion of our dinner. The huge seafood salad, fresh bread, and red wine all lived up to my very high expectations as to what my very first French meal should be like. So perfect!
After dinner, Karen was gracious enough to escort me to the correct train that eventually led me safely back to my hotel. A quick seven hour snooze, a seven hour flight, and here I be!
Because of our crazy schedules, my roommate, Maggie, and I had not seen each other for about three weeks, so it was a fun surprise to walk into my apartment tonight and see her cute, little self sitting on the couch. We celebrated our reunion with a little 10 P.M. P.P.P.....that's Poolside Pizza Party for all you non cool kids out there!
And on that slap happy produced joke, I'm off to bed!
Ever been to Paris? If so, what was your favorite part?
"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life."
-Thomas Jefferson
I noticed in the second picture you had your coat buttoned up. Must have been the chocolate stain huh? Glad you got to see Paris.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteSo glad you had a great time. Loved reading about your trip and seeing pictures. How fun!
ReplyDeleteI love this blog!
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks! =)
DeleteAlright, I like you already...your willing to admit to your dorkiness! (Nutella stains are a pain in the rump...especially if you sit on some!)
ReplyDeleteI've been to Paris once. Unfortunately I didn't like Paris as much as I thought I would. Perhaps the best part was to climb up the stairs of Basilica Sacré Coeu and see the view. And to buy a bottle of perfume at Printemps.
ReplyDelete