A few weeks ago Katie and I took a quick weekend trip to meetup with my parents in Paris! My parents went to Paris for their 30th anniversary (congratulations!!). Since we were only a 2.5 hour flight away, and despite our inability to speak any French past “bonjour”, we couldn’t resist the chance to head a little north for a few days.
Since we were only staying one night, we tried to maximize our time in Paris between Saturday and Sunday. That meant an early start on Saturday as Katie and I woke at 4am to get to the airport on time. A few hours, a few train delays, and a few confusing metro ticket purchases later, we were at the Eiffel tower, next to the hotel.
The weather felt distinctly autumnal despite blue, sunny skies and warm temperatures; much different than the 90 degrees we had left behind in Sevilla. We took advantage by taking a casual fall stroll along the Seine. The fall foliage was pretty, and I really loved how the city felt here: bustling and large and modern, but also forced by the river to follow the eternal seasons.
Because we only had 2 days, we weren’t ever going to fit in all the sightseeing and museum-visiting that Paris has to offer. Still, we had a few checklist items to see. After a quick stop at the Arc d’Triomphe, we hopped on the metro to one of those checklist items: the Latin Quarter.
The Latin Quarter was highly recommended for sight-seeing by friends and the internet alike for its vibrant atmosphere. We grabbed a quick lunch there and walked past the Parthenon to the Luxembourg Gardens. The Parthenon square was wide open with tons of public seating available; the vibes were great here as they were in the crowded Luxembourg Gardens where thousands of Parisians soaked up the sun.
Finally, we met up with my parents who had been on their own sightseeing journey through the city. We shared our mutual amazement at the beauty of Paris, but quickly split up again until dinner, an unwise choice since all 4 of us were low on phone battery (Katie and I later pleaded with a posh furniture store to borrow an outlet so we had a map).
Dinner was at a Michelin-starred restaurant called Le Troquet in Montparnasse with a surprising view of the Eiffel tower peeking above row-home roofs. The restaurant served 3 courses and had a daily-changing menu written in chalk, but only in French (yikes). We stumbled our way through ordering and had to flag the waiter down multiple times in order to end our marathon meal before 11pm (we sat for 3 hours in that restaurant!).
The next morning, the four of us channeled our inner Lance Armstrong and hopped on bicycles for a culinary tour of Le Marais. The bike tour was amazing. Since we left early on Sunday morning, the streets were empty, allowing us free reign to cruise around and get a taste (literally) of the city. And as part of the culinary tour, we all learned that we’re not fans of real bleu cheese but could definitely do with more French patisseries in our lives.
A little thrift shopping later, we all met back at the hotel to share some street food. Katie and I had to take the bus to the airport so we bid farewell and went on our way.
We were quickly greeted by Sevillano culture right in the airport… the atmosphere was decidedly *party* despite the fact that our 9pm flight got delayed 1 hour. On the plane everyone was drinking, and upon landing the round of applause was deafening (something that is apparently common in Europe?). Still, Katie and I felt glad to be returning to Sevilla. It felt comforting to come home, even if I think the people of Sevilla are somewhat psychotic.
Paris was wonderful! A big thank you and congratulations to my parents. I’m so glad Katie and I could join you on your anniversary trip 🙂 We really enjoyed it! Til next time, Paris.
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