France | Paris

Paris is always a good idea — so, it was an immediate yes when Anjani mentioned that I should travel there around the same time as her this summer. The trip couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as I was starting to feel the corporate burnout coming on pretty strong. Frolicking around the charming streets of Paris with un pain au chocolate in hand was just what I needed…and it’s exactly what I did.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12TH

My flight landed early in the morning as I had decided to take a red eye — no PTO was going to be wasted on flying! My Airbnb, however, wasn’t available for check-in until much later in the afternoon, so I took an Uber straight from CDG to Anjani’s Airbnb to drop off my luggage and freshen up. We ended up enjoying a quick little quiche, egg, orange juice and coffee breakfast on her balcony before heading out for the day.

Our first stop was to grab yet another coffee since we were both tired and had time to kill before our lunch reservation at Pink Mamma. We took scooters (Anjani’s favorite form of transportation) over to the Montmartre area where we found a nice café to sip espressos at while catching up. Fueled up and finally ready to go after 45 minutes, we walked on over to Pink Mamma.

Pink Mamma is one of those restaurants you see all over social media. It’s mainly hyped up because the vibe of the place is so aesthetic. My expectations for the food weren’t particularly high since it’s easy to get bamboozled by the opinions of people online, but I had heard good things from personal sources. We were seated near the window and ordered the famous mafaldine pasta with truffle, grilled octopus skewers and a bottle of white wine. It wasn’t mind-blowingly delicious food, but it was pretty damn tasty.

My Airbnb was finally ready for check-in after lunch so I grabbed the keys and moved my luggage over before meeting back up with Anjani at Sacré Couer. We sat on the steps just out front, taking in the views, people watching and reminiscing on all of the life we’ve experienced together thus far. Existential-type conversations are pretty typical for us. We then made our way down the hill, making a stop at a grocery store to pick up baguettes and cheese to enjoy throughout the week.

Anjani had plans to watch a movie that night and I was fairly jet lagged at this point, so I let myself take a nap while she was at the movie screening. We met up for dessert later near the Arc de Triomphe and called it an early night since we had a full day of plans ahead of us.

THURSDAY, JULY 13TH

This day of the trip was the most pre-planned (and it was probably the one I was most excited for). Anjani and I signed up for a croissant making class at Maison Fleuret — indulging in more local, cultural activities has been a goal of mine, so this felt like the perfect fit.

We both took a slow morning to ourselves, cooking breakfast in our respective Airbnbs before meeting up at Maison Fleuret in the 6th Arrondissement. Upon walking in, we were greeted by the pastry chef who would be leading the course along with our classmates for the day. There was a family visiting from elsewhere in Europe, a private flight attendant and a couple from California.

The class was incredible! We were able to make both classic croissants and chocolate croissants — from preparing the dough and shaping the croissants, all the way up to enjoying them fresh out of the oven. One of the fun facts I learned was that pastries oftentimes taste better in Paris because in France, in order for something to be considered butter, it must contain 82% fat. The U.S. typically includes only 80% fat and adds more water which helps make production cheaper, but also compromises on taste.

After about three hours at the class, we headed towards Jardin de Luxembourg to journal, sketch and snack on the baguettes and cheese we had purchased the day before. It was such a peaceful, serene environment to spend the late afternoon. Timing wasn’t our friend, however, as we ended up having to rush home quickly to change before our Seine river cruise and dinner reservation that evening.

We took an Uber over to where the boat was docked, blasting the soundtrack from The Idol (not a great show…but surprisingly good music). We then spent about an hour on the boat, sailing under the many bridges of Paris, making wishes, enjoying the sights/sunset and feeling the sweet summer breeze. After the cruise we hopped into another Uber to get to our dinner at Terra in Le Marais.

At Terra, we ordered wine, a couple of appetizers and an entree to share. I wish I took a picture of the menu since it’s seasonal and in constant rotation…that being said, it’s gone now and I’m unable to find the actual names of the dishes! Nevertheless everything was absolutely delicious.

After dinner we walked along the Seine for awhile, weaving our way in and out of little canals and streets before subconsciously finding ourselves in search of dessert. We ended up at a cafe near Saint Michel Notre Dame where we sat people watching with ice cream and coffee. What a perfect end to the day!

FRIDAY, JULY 14TH

Given this was Anjani’s last day, it only felt right that I spend the entire morning/early afternoon with her before her departure. The one thing she hadn’t eaten yet during her time in Paris (and was determined to find) was a crepe — and, if you know her at all, you won’t be surprised to hear that we went searching for crepes via scooter. After unsuccessfully riding around for about half an hour, we stopped at the first cafe that seemed decent — sans crepe on the menu.

Anjani had to leave for the airport shortly after our meal and I ended up making my way towards a park near my Airbnb: Parc Monceau. I had plans later that evening to meet up with some friends to celebrate Bastille Day, so I decided to take an easy afternoon at the park to journal, sketch and read.

Here’s a journal excerpt from that afternoon:

Currently sitting alone in Parc Monceau which is just a few blocks down from my Airbnb. This park is so peaceful and feels very local, not touristy. All the people around me right now are speaking French, and there’s this cute little group of friends right next to me playing Uno. The other day I had a full conversation with my Uber driver except he was only speaking French and I was only speaking English, yet somehow we understood one another. The ability to piece together words and have a conversation is so interesting.

After spending an hour or two at the park, I stopped by my Airbnb for a quick outfit change before heading over to the Seine where I would be celebrating Bastille day with Tommy and Spencer. I hadn’t seen Spencer since he moved to Cape Town the year prior and I hadn’t seen Tommy since sophomore year of college — so, needless to say I was thrilled to be spending time with both of them. They each brought along a few friends and we all had a great time hanging out on the water, listening to music and watching the fireworks against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. With Holi in India and Día de los Muertos in Mexico under my belt, Bastille Day in France officially became the third holiday that I’ve celebrated in its respective country.

SATURDAY, JULY 15TH

Although I was staying at my own Airbnb on this trip, it wasn’t quite a solo trip. By this point I’d already spent time with Anjani, Tommy and Spencer, so to no one’s surprise I had plans with yet another friend. Gabe was in Paris for a work trip so we decided to spend the day together. He had taken a red eye from New York to Paris the night before though and needed some time to settle in before meeting up, so I had the morning to myself.

My intention coming into Paris was to emulate living a normal life since I had visited and done the tourist attractions more than a handful of times already. That said, I spent the morning doing exactly what I’d do in New York — grab a drink from a cafe. Café Kitsuné is a classic and right by the Louvre, so it was only natural that I stroll through there with an iced matcha latte in hand. Eventually I crossed the river and met Gabe at his Airbnb in the Latin Quarter…and I got drenched in torrential downpour in the process. Luckily I was wearing a nylon-type shirt so it dried pretty quickly.

Hungry because it was noon and neither of us had eaten yet, we started walking towards the Luxembourg Gardens, stumbling into a random cafe for lunch. We filled up our stomachs with quiche and iced coffee there before spending the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of Paris. We popped into shops we found interesting and admired architecture until we decided to partake in the cliché activity of wine by the river. We picked up a bottle of white wine, a couple of plastic glasses, and headed down to the water. Tommy had invited us to join a dinner reservation that evening, so we spent about an hour sipping, chatting and watching the boats float by before hopping in an Uber to meet the group.

Our group of seven dined at Poni — ordering cocktails and dishes tapas style for all of us to share. Everyone at the table was either a travel fanatic or an expat so conversation was flowing with each of us telling stories of our experiences in different countries/on different trips. It’s when I surround myself with people like this that I feel especially lucky to have my life.

SUNDAY, JULY 16TH

The weather was beautiful the next day and I wanted to have a picnic, so I recruited Gabe to pick up cheese, fruit and juice to graze on while sunbathing in the park with me. We spent a few hours at Place des Vosges snacking, reading our books and people watching. It was the perfect way to spend the first half of my Sunday.

Gabe had to leave for a work event that afternoon and I didn’t have plans until dinner time so I spent the interim shopping — which resulted in buying a pink dress from Zara. After dropping off my picnic materials and shopping bags at my Airbnb, I met up with my friend Rahul who was staying at another one about 10 minutes walking distance from me.

Rahul and I strolled towards the Arc de Triomphe and found a restaurant to stop at for dinner. We ordered wine, pasta, and fries to chow down while playing catch up. We actually live two blocks from one another in New York yet we hadn’t seen each other in months (that has since changed though!). Rahul shared how he was traveling with a large group of friends and Paris was a pit stop on the way to the music festival, Tomorrowland, in Belgium. We ended up meeting said friends for a couple more drinks after dinner which gave me the wonderful opportunity to make a few more New York-based connections.

MONDAY, JULY 17TH

My last day in Paris was primarily solo as I spent the majority of it walking around the Montmartre area. The day started with coffee, of course, which bled into window shopping at vintage stores and souvenir shopping for my niece. Like Anjani on her last day, the one thing I hadn’t eaten yet was a crepe. Luckily one of the Breizh Café locations was nearby and I was able to stop by for a traditional ham, cheese and egg crepe. There was another solo girl sitting at the table beside me and we made some conversation — she was also from the states and backpacking across Europe! Little interactions are what makes the world go round.

As late afternoon approached, I finally made my way to the main area of Champs Élysées to pick up some macarons at Ladurée. The macarons there aren’t significantly better than anywhere else in Paris, but they give me such a feeling of nostalgia because they remind me of my time abroad in London — my friend Nicole and I ate so much Ladurée during that time. A little box of six (all different flavors) was the perfect sweet treat.

After stopping by my Airbnb and resting for a bit, I met Rahul and his friends at Le Paris 17, a restaurant near both our spots. We ordered escargot for the table and filmed Rahul doing a little taste test since it was his first ever! He rated it a 6 out of 10 and commented that it “tasted like a mussel”. We each ordered our own entrees and shared some desserts — the meal was overall delicious and it was spent in good company which is really all you can ask for.

All in all, it was an amazing trip and just the break that I needed. Anjani and I have traveled internationally together at least once a year since my move to New York and we’re looking to continue the tradition next spring. Can’t wait to see what the future brings!