When I was planning my trip, I considered not going to Paris because I had never had a strong urge to go, but decided that while I was in the area, I might as well eat some crepes and do other French things. I am so incredibly glad that I did! This city is just absolutely magical. I am not sure exactly what it is, but I seriously did not want to leave. I am not too concerned though because I have a feeling we will be seeing more of each other in the future. J
I imagined that once you get outside in Paris, you would see the Eiffel Tower in all its glory with nothing in the way, which actually didn’t happen, but lo and behold, I could see the tower popping up behind some buildings from my room, so it was almost just as good. The other equally amazing thing is that everything here is so French it is fabulous. I swear 95% of the stereotypes are true. They eat baguettes and croissants, wear berets, bonjour everyone (I know it is their language, but still…), kiss both cheeks as a greeting, women wear patterned/brightly colored tights, etc. So here is what I did to try and be as French as possible.
· Put myself into a Nutella coma.
Leave it to the French to come up with personal sized Nutella to put onto things. In addition, I might have had several Nutella crepes during my visit. Nothing can seriously beat a Nutella and banana crepe. My first night, I made a friend who had not experienced the deliciousness of a Nutella and banana crepe, so I made her walk with me around the town and we split one along the way. Naturally, my last meal in the city was a Nutella crepe from a Christmas market.
· Used bonjour, merci, aurevoir and other French words and phrases excessively (probably more than appropriate).
And apparently you can put “le” in front of anything to make it French? Le comedy club? So French!
· Stayed in a super French hotel that had ceilings that were only slightly higher than me, amazing patterned wallpaper and windows that opened inwards…just like something out of a movie.
· Learned how to make amazing French food.
· Learned how to make amazing French food.
I took a magnificent cooking class during my stay. As much as I would love to know how to make macaroons, I tried to pick the class that would be most useful and that I would have the highest possibility of actually using. I took a class to learn how to make dinner which included lamb chops marinated in a mustard sauce (agneau a l’ail, romarin et moutarde), stuffed zucchini (courgettes farcies) and chocolate molten lava cake (fondant au chocolat). It was like a dream. It was right on the waterfront of the La Seine on the 2nd floor, so it was lovely to share a dinner (complete with wine and baguettes) with the 9 other foreigners from all over the world.
· Marveled at the incredible architecture, beautiful gardens and intricate sculptures surrounding me.
I actually don’t think the Parisians realize how truly beautiful their city is. I was seriously in awe of everything there and can’t imagine having that city as my daily life. I guess if you are around it all the time it might not be as magical? That is very difficult for me to imagine.
· Spent my afternoon at a boutique coffee shop sipping a latte, eating macaroons and reading a book.
So for full disclosure, the book was an e-book on my phone, which is probably not very French, but my heart was in the right place, so I still count it as being as French as possible. I have no idea how they do it, but the macaroons in France are more amazing than those you get other places in the world. I am not quite sure how that is possible, but apparently it is. I guess it would make sense that the best macaroons are found in Paris. My favorite was a lavender cake (not sure if that is what it is called) with an apricot filling. So incredible!
· Stared at the Eiffel Tower for three hours daily and took about 800,000 pictures of it.
This might be a slight exaggeration although not for my first full day in town. I woke up and bonjoured the Eiffel Tower before grabbing a bus for a tour around the city. Since Paris is so big, they had four different tours, so I was thinking that I would just spend the day seeing the entire city on all the routes. But when I laid eyes on the magnificent structure, I couldn’t resist hopping off the bus and climbing up to the 2nd story viewing deck to get amazing panoramic views of the city. I also dreamed of owning every Eiffel Tower souvenir they had displayed. My favorite were the fabulous heels below. I WANT THEM!
I then walked to a great viewpoint across the river and decided to cross off “eat a crepe in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower” from my bucket list.
When it gets dark, she (I am assuming the Eiffel Tower is female) puts on a little light show every hour, so naturally, I watched two of these light shows since one was just not enough. I might have also sat and stared out the window admiring her beauty before heading to bed since I had a view of the top point!
· Hung out at places that are referenced in movies.
Triplets of…
The Hunchback of…
Self explanatory.
· Got lost in the Louvre (and lost in thought while staring at Monet's Water Lilies).
I am not really a museum person (although seeing Monet's Water Lilies was absolutely incredible...I could stare at those paintings for hours), but I do not think that seeing the Louvre is optional if you are in Paris, so I ventured one morning to the museum trying to beat the crowds for the day. It was absolutely big…like incomprehensibly giant. The displays included not only paintings, but also sculptures, furniture and documents. I did my best to get a sampling of everything and of course saw the Mona Lisa. That is not something I felt like I personally had to do, but again it is something that is not really optional if you’re there. I was just more entertained by the slight frenzy surrounding the painting…and it isn’t even high tourist season.
· Ate my weight in baguettes.
I got breakfast where I was staying and the menu was basically half a baguette, a croissant and your option of Nutella or jam (there also might have been some cereal, but that is not very French so I thought I would leave that out for now). Dr. Atkins would not be happy with this diet, but at least it is super French, so that is all that really matters.
· Listened to super French music.
This song is my new obsession. Although I do love the more classic jazz French music too!
