After a long journey to our hostel in Paris, Erin and I were eager to eat! We were staying in Montmatre, a classic neighborhood in Paris known for its picturesque streets, restaurants, and shops. Erin and I walked to the last open restaurant and treated ourselves to a delicious meal and bottle of wine. By the end of the night, the owners treated us to a mini bottle of champagne. Erin and I immediately fell in love with Paris. Luckily, it was just Erin and I sharing a hostel room and we were eager for a restful night of sleep before a busy day ahead.
Erin and I grabbed our free breakfast from the hostel and walked around Montmatre, admiring the beautiful buildings even in the cloudy and slightly rainy weather. Next, we want to The Lourve (starts playing the Lourve by Lorde)! We had our mini photoshoot prior towards entering and before it got too busy. We knew we wanted to head to the Lourve first before it got too crowded and we are thankful we did. We were able to get front and center to see the Mona Lisa (somehow) right before it got a little too crowded for preference. We explored the rest of the museum, admiring the art and sculptures and the paintings. It was easy to get lost in and if we had more time in Paris, Erin and I would have gladly spent the entire day there.
After witnessing some Yellow Jacket action, Erin and I decided to stop at an adorable restaurant for lunch. In true Parisian fashion, we decided to sit outside by the heaters to people watch and eat. Lunch was delicious that day. Afterwards, we explored the streets of Paris, checking out vintage stores and book stores before heading to the Notre Dame. (I will always be eternally grateful to see such a beautiful French landmark after that horrible fire.) After a quick stop for ice cream, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.
By now it was dark out, but it was Erin's first time seeing the Eiffel Tower and I was so excited to see her reaction. (She cried.) We admired the twinkling lights and after much debate, we decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We admired the lights of Paris from the top. It was quite beautiful seeing the whole city twinkle. After exploring the top, we reached the bottom and decided to have a mini photoshoot in front of the tower. We sat and shared a delicious cheese crepe and opted in for a Nutella crepe afterwards too. On our way back to our hostel, we stopped at Moulin Rouge to admire the iconic landmark. Feeling very sleepy, we quickly went to bed.
The next morning, we stopped at a local cafe to grab a baguette as a snack before heading to Angelina's! Angelina's is famous for their rich and delicious hot chocolate and tea! I was extremely excited to take Erin to Angelina's since we did not have tea time in London. Erin and I indulged in our hot chocolate and nibbled on our croissants, bread, cheese, and jam. It was a perfect way to start our last morning in Paris.
We stopped at Lauduree to grab some macaroons before exploring the local Christmas Market. Next, we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower, in the daylight this time, and proceeded to have another mini photo shoot. I believe we were both in disbelief that we were actually in Paris together. After some flight drama, our last stop of the day was Gallery de Lafayette, famously known as a fashion department store and its Christmas decorations. After some shopping, I took Erin to the rooftop deck to admire our last beautiful view of Paris. We quickly headed back to our hostel to pick up our luggage and admire one last quick glance of Montmatre. We said au revoir to Paris as we took off and headed back to the states.
It was a beautiful trip and Erin and I are so thankful that we were able to experience such an opportunity and would like to give a big shout out to our parents for encouraging our dreams and crazy adventures. Here is to the next adventure!