City of LOVE

Bonjour!

Pardon my absence . . . I have been a bit busy wandering the world!

My boyfriend, David and I spontaneously decided to take some time this summer to travel around Europe and I thought I'd share our amazing adventures with you!

First stop . . . Paris!

If you remember one of my previous posts, I have a goal to reach 25 countries by age 25. Now you might be wondering, "well why did she go back to France if she's already been there before?" Well, for those of you who once followed my travels abroad back in 2015, you may remember the not-so-great time that I had in Paris. It was time for a re-do and I couldn't be more pleased with how things went!

I'd first like to share that we found insanely cheap flights from Boston to Paris through Primera Air for only $160! We were initially dumbfounded by the price and did some research before booking . . . it sounded too good to be true. The flight ended up being great - no frills, clean, friendly staff, a free carry on luggage and personal item allowed, decently comfortable seats and after the redeye, we woke up in Paris!

Our Airbnb was within walking distance to The Louvre, so we made that first on the agenda. The stunning views and famous works of art are unlike anything I've seen before. It amazes me how this museum is constantly flooded with tourists from around the world at all hours of the day and night. I was most fascinated by the extremely large and colorful oil paintings sizing up to about 30 x 40 feet. I could never imagine being able to paint such detail at such a large scale, let alone have a place to hang it on a wall! We saw the famous Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo and while those ladies are doing fine and dandy, I was more impressed by some of the other works we saw. That evening we explored around the rest of The Louvre and then enjoyed a delicious meal of steak frites at Le Relais de l'Entrecote (highly recommended).

Day two we ventured out of the city and visited the Chateau de Versailles. This mansion was magnificent and reminded us both of the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. Tall gates dripping in gold, hallways lined with marble statues and luscious gardens filled the property. The painted and carved out ceilings, crystal chandeliers and grand windows where light would beam in were some of my favorite details of the chateau.

That evening we chased the sunset by the Eiffel Tower and roamed around the streets to find the perfect spot for dinner. We found that Le Comptoir de La Gastronomie has an amazing selection of wines and delicious classic French food. Escargot was on our list of things to try and it was so flavorful and surprisingly tasty! My absolute favorite dish was the Foie Gras Ravioli with a Truffle Sauce. . . it was melt in your mouth kind of good! David and I literally licked the plate clean by dipping endless amounts of bread in the truffle sauce.

While the next day was a simple day, it might have been one of my favorites in Paris.  We spent time casually exploring around Notre Dame and gathering the perfect ingredients for a picnic in the park. We picked up a fresh baguette from a boulangerie, an assortment of five cheeses from a fromagerie, and freshly ripened green and purple grapes from a fruit stand. A nice and shady park in the middle of the Seine River was the perfect place to be on a hot summer's day in Paris. Sounds like a dream, right? I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure that this was really happening. We ended the evening with a bottle of Rosé chasing yet another sunset while listening to live music play in the distance.

The next morning we went off to Normandy, about two and a half hours west of Paris. A little history lesson for you: Normandy is where "D-Day" occurred on June 6, 1944. The Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. With a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe.

Here we visited The Peace Museum, Pointe du Hoc (the 100ft cliffs that US soldiers scaled to defeat the Germans), Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery (where over 9,000 American soldiers are buried). This trip was moving and made my mind wander back in time. It was dark and depressing to look at photos in the museum, craters within the landscape from bombs being dropped and the memorials of thousands of our soldiers. To think about how these men risked their lives for our country gave me a lot to be thankful for.

Note to those looking to visit Normandy: Public transportation is nearly impossible to use getting to and around Normandy. I highly suggest booking a tour bus from Paris to take you to all of the important landmarks with helpful information along the way. We did Normandy in one day, but I would certainly recommend staying for a few days to make the most of your experience.

That evening, we caught the sunset from the top of a ferris wheel. The view of the entire city was absolutely breathtaking! Our last morning in Paris was spent strolling Champs-Elysées and sitting at a café to savor the tastes of our last French croissants.

Our time in the "City of Love" was purely magical. This was the trip to Paris that I had always longed for and I was overjoyed to see my dreams become a reality.

Next stop. . . Barcelona!

Stay tuned for more about our travels through Europe. . . Au revoir! 

PEACE&LOVE

ARIANA