J'adore Paris

Walking through an airport terminal in Charles De Gaulle is a bit like stepping into an alternate universe. It seems Paris is one of the most highly fantasized places on earth...little girls dreaming of fashion and frolicking, with hopes of one day gleaning something from their (the French) seeming unparalleled sophistication. Me...I just went for the macarons, and well...a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!

The night my bestie, Charline and I decided to go to Paris was a fit of Carpe Diem; A spur of the moment decision to go that very next weekend. Then you hear the words, 'Yeah, I'll be in Paris next weekend,' float out of your mouth, and it's surreal, and a bit incomprehensible.

That first night we learned a great deal of Paris, that is, the outskirts: The Paris no one dreams about because they never see it. Upon stepping onto the Metro platform, you abandon the notion of being a tourist, and embody the French, otherwise, you will get lost (which we did). Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon which glass you favor), we went out there as dreamers, with only the Lord's favor, and 100 euros of which to keep us for two days.

 In those two days, we managed to float through opaque Parisian afternoons taking in the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, wander through street artists in Montmartre (which I later found out was the whimsical stomping ground of Amelie Poulain), and breathe in all the glitz of the Champs Elysees. In the evening, we got to experience why Paris is called the 'City of Lights.' After all the gray, everything seemed to take on a glow, like being in a field of fireflies, except a vast city of lovers, artists, and chimera. Every hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles in the night, and upon sight, you suddenly feel wistful, as if you should take at least one chance that night.

Out of everything we encountered, we adored Montmartre the most. It's exactly what you think of when you think about Paris: little shops and cafe's clustered about it's center, artists admiring the Cathedral and jumping at the chance to turn you into art; Also, archaic looking restaurants that make you think this is how it was when the Moulin Rouge was in full effect and artists came far and wide just to sip green fairies, and write.

Laduree is everything is seems to be: beautiful and delicious. Every single dessert looks picture perfect, exactly as they did in the film Marie Antoinette. We had the pleasure of going to the Champs Elysees location, and it was a lovely choice. The queue of macaron enthusiasts lengthened until it was almost outside of the front door! Unfortunately, I did not get to purchase an official box, as they were a bit pricey, but I did have as many macarons as I could afford. My favorite was the vanilla flavored macaron: so creamy, and spotted with pure vanilla bean! Later on, we decided we couldn't leave without having a coffee in their decadent restaurant. We were met with suited staff, ready to take our orders, and who presented us with a little cup of coffee with heated milk (with a Laduree handle holder that is now pasted in my Life Book) and a Cinnamon Iced Frappe (which really means Iced coffee, not the blended iced Frappucinos we're used to). Our coffees, combined with soft light, 18th Century furnishings and gold etched ceilings, made for the perfect evening!

By the end of the trip, we had walked 20 hours total, gotten lost at least 6 times, jumped on and off of the Metro, eyed the handsomeness that is the French Man, bought Wine and two large bottles of water for only (around) 4 Euro, dined on mussels and roast chicken, a small cup of cookie gelato, been harassed by souvenir sellers under the Eiffel Tower (6 Keychains for 1 Euro), found two cool pink 'J'adore Paris' tanks, gorged ourselves on sweet croissants, felt our way through the dark hallways of our hotel before discovering a light switch, and were completely exhausted. Aches were discovered in placed we had no idea could hurt, but was it worth it? Absolutely!

Everyone should go even if it's only once in their lifetimes.