48 hours in Paris

When I was a student in Barcelona, I turned down the opportunity to travel to Paris with a group of friends. I'd heard from various people that Paris was extremely expensive and at that time, I decided that I'd save this trip for some day when I was older and could really do Paris in an expensive Paris-y way. Turns out that "some day" would be just two years later, however I did not do Paris in the glam way I had envisioned. Instead, I did Paris on an English teacher's budget and I had an incredible time.

On Friday morning, I met my cousin Ashley at the airport in Paris. Since Ashley is currently studying in Barcelona, we'd been talking about doing a trip together. Turns out, Paris was on both of our lists and we were lucky to find cheap flights from Barcelona and Madrid. Once reunited in the airport, Ashley and I navigated a series of trains and metros to get to the hostel we had booked. Since this was Ashley's first experience in a hostel, I was glad to find that the place was exactly as shown in pictures: clean and hip.

Although it rained the majority of our first day, this did not stop Ashley and I from exploring. Both of us agreed that the best way to see a city is to walk it so we went from brunch to Notre Dame, to the Louvre and the Love Lock Bridge, and to Angelina's for a cup of their famous hot chocolate. By the time we finished with our afternoon snack (hot chocolate, champagne, and macaroons), it was already dark out. This meant that we'd have to save some of our other plans for the next day when there was sunlight again. So we meandered down a couple of shopping streets and popped in and out of a few concept stores.

Since we knew it would be a while until we were hungry again, we decided to cross the river to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. This experience was magical. At first, we staked out a spot in the park next to the Eiffel Tower, waiting for the clock to strike 8 pm so we could see the Eiffel Tower sparkle (the light show happens every hour on the hour and lasts for 5 minutes). With half an hour to spare, we decided to cross the bridge and view the light show from the other side of the river. Yes, the side we started on. By 8:05, with two camera rolls full of Eiffel Tower pictures and videos, we decided it was time for dinner. We waited for about 20 minutes outside a well-known restaurant with entrecote and frites (steak and fries) before we could get a table but the wait was totally worth it. Ashley and I devoured our dinners and called it a night afterwards. Saturday would be another busy day!

On Saturday morning, our plans to eat breakfast at a famous pastry shop changed when we arrived at the shop to find the door locked and the lights off. Of course, this was disappointing but just a few steps down the road, we found an adorable tea shop with a fantastic selection of cakes. I took the waitress' suggestion and ordered the tea of the day, a cherry flavor. It was a great recommendation!

From this adorable tea shop, we cut through the rest of the 10th and 9th Arrondissements to get to the basilica or Sacré-Coeur. I was expecting the surrounding area, Montmartre, to be an adorable neighborhood of shops and cafes but the immediate streets leading up to the basilica were tourist traps with all sorts of characters pushing mini Eiffel Towers in your face. We took our pictures and moved to our next destination, the Arc de Triomphe.

All-in-all, Ashley and I covered over 26 miles of Paris this weekend. Of course, when it was cold at night we took the metro but otherwise we were happy walking and just taking in the beautiful streets around us. The walk between Sacré-Coeur and the Arc de Triomphe was our longest route by far but when we finally arrived at the Arc de Triomphe and climbed to the top, Sacré-Coeur was just a speck in the distance. It felt pretty cool to look around and think how much of Paris we'd already seen by foot in a day and a half.

Next stop? The Eiffel Tower, of course, because we wanted to see it during the day. On our way there, we picked up some picnic foods such as a baguette, cheese, prosciutto, and champagne. We parked ourselves on a bench right in front of the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the views over lunch. The magnificent fall colors of surrounding trees really made for some beautiful pictures so we snapped even more shots between bites. Don't worry, they are included below!

Suddenly, we realized we were in a race against time to see the Luxembourgh Gardens before dark. It was about 4:30 (yes, a very late lunch) and we expected the sun to go down in the next hour. Sadly, when we arrived at the gardens, the gates were already closed. I guess the Luxembourgh Gardens will be my excuse to return to Paris some day.

Last but not least, Ashley and I met a TCU friend of mine for dinner, Julia. Julia is currently working on a grad degree in Paris and was happy to recommend a place for dinner and join us! We ate at a delicious, newly-opened Korean burger restaurant across from Notre Dame. At the end of the meal, it was fun to step outside and see the cathedral lit up at night.

Before heading home (to the hostel), there was one more thing Ashley and I wanted to check off of our list: a chocolate crepe! Julia pointed us in the right direction of a crepe place and we got one to share on our way back. While it wasn't melt in your mouth or "this is the best thing I've ever had to eat" material, it was still that something-sweet I needed before going to bed. We caved and took the metro back to the hostel with very tired feet.

To sum it all up, Paris was a dream! Ashley and I had a great time touring the city together and I think we both fell in love with it. However, now that I've experienced Paris, my heart truly breaks for the city that experienced so much tragedy last year. Oh, what Paris and France have been through.

With acts of terrorism becoming more and more common, sometimes its hard to wrap your head around a tragedy such as the attacks on Paris, especially when you learn about it from across the globe. Everywhere we went, Ashley and I saw groups of French military, whether they were riding the metro with us, passing us on a random street in a more quiet, residential area, or guarding a major attraction like the Eiffel Tower. While their service is appreciated, their presence is somewhat unnerving. They are a reminder of the hard times France has been through and the hard times France may face.

So I ask you to pray for Paris and any other cities who have been targeted by terrorists. Please pray that one day we will all see each other as human beings equal to one another and refrain from judging each other by labels of ethnicity or religion. This is especially important today, on Election Day in the US.

Notre Dame on Friday.

The Eiffel Tower light show.

Amaaaaazing french entrecote with frites!

Saturday morning breakfast at a tea shop.

Sacré-Coeur in all its glory.

Atop the Arc de Triomphe (with the Eiffel Tower behind us).

The serious VIEWS from our picnic.

After dinner with Julia (Notre Dame behind us).

Polaroids :)

Trip to Bilbao

Today, Tuesday, November 1, is a national holiday in Spain and I'm treating it as such by being lazy around the house. Just last night, I got back from a trip to Bilbao, a city I've dreamed of visiting for quite some time. While Bilbao was once thought of as an industrial city, it has since gained international recognition for the Guggenheim Museum and also for several Michelin star restaurants which call the city home. I will now attempt to do my weekend trip to Bilbao justice without writing a novel... no promises though.

Sarah, one of my roommates at TCU, has always talked about Ane from Bilbao like she is truly a part of her family. When Sarah was in high school, her family opened their home to exchange students from different countries and one of these students was Ane from Spain! When I told Sarah where I would be living and teaching in Spain this year, she insisted I travel to Bilbao and stay with Ane so that is exactly what I did this weekend. Over the past 2.5 days, I got to see, taste, and experience Bilbao with a local and like a local. 

So what were some of my favorite moments? On Sunday afternoon, Ane's dad (who they call "Aita", the Basque word for dad) took us to the old part of the city to enjoy some drinks and light bites. We spent three hours walking from bar to bar sipping on beer or Txakoli white wine while tasting different pintxos. While I was once a picky eater, I found myself enjoying foods such as croquetas de bacalao (fried cod mixed with cheese). I also loved a pintxo with deer meat!

The combination of great weather for walking, the delicious food and drinks, and getting to practice my Spanish with Ane's dad (who doesn't speak any English), was the recipe for a perfect Sunday afternoon. I was pleased to hear Ane, her dad, and sister agree that I spoke Spanish well and that I did not have a noticeably American accent either. Success! 

I also enjoyed Saturday night because I got to meet Ane's friends and go out with them. In Bilbao, it is common for young people to drink a beverage called kalimotxo, which is red wine mixed with Coca Cola. I remembered my students in Guardo telling me about this mixture a few weeks ago but they hadn't told me the name... and perhaps they call it something different. However, the Basque people are proud of kalimotxo and the fact that The New York Times has given them a couple shout outs for creating the "poor man's sangria". Hey, I know it might sound terrible but I actually enjoyed it. I also felt very authentic sipping this drink out out of a plastic cup while sitting on the sidewalk with a slice of pizza in my other hand. Drinking in the streets is a cultural thing here. It might not be legal but everyone does it. 

Last but not least, I got to check the Guggenheim off of my bucket list. While contemporary art is one of those things I LOVE (kind of like iced coffee, coffee shops, and sushi), I did not love, love all the exhibits at the Guggenheim. I didn't even love, love half of them. I did, however, enjoy the building from both the outside and the inside and one installation called "The Matter of Time". Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures so instead of sharing my own pictures, I am directing you to the images on Google.

What was special about "The Matter of Time"? I enjoyed this installation because of its dizzying-effect. Each figure felt like a giant maze and it was interesting to see my own response and other people's responses to the way the giant figures leaned towards you and then away from you. As you walked through one, you felt like you were in a dimly lit, cave-like hallway and then the next figure would be bright and spacious. Sometimes, you would experience this dark to light and narrow to spacious transition within the same figure. It was truly intoxicating and I was happy that I saved this installation for the end of my visit to the Guggenheim.

This weekend, Bilbao did not strike me as industrial at all. I got to walk along the river and through the old part of the city and down the main shopping streets of the new neighborhoods. It was all very charming! Ane and her sisters also took me to the old port, just outside the city, to see Bilbao's beach. We had sun all weekend long except for, of course, the afternoon where Ane wanted to ride the funicular up a nearby mountain to see the view over the city. That afternoon, there was a thick fog.

Yesterday afternoon, I was riding the train back to Guardo with a to-go bag of sushi on my lap and a big smile on my face. I was thinking about how perfect my weekend had been when all of a sudden, the train's conductor told me that I had to get off the train. Don't worry, he wasn't singling me out. He was telling everybody they had to get off the train. For some reason, the train from Bilbao to León (which stops just 30 seconds away from the front door of my apartment building in Guardo) wasn't going any further last night. At this fine moment in time, we stopped in a small town in Cantabria and everyone got off. If it wasn't for these two elder ladies who helped me catch a bus to Guardo, who knows where I would have woken up this morning. I got home safe about an hour behind schedule.

Oops!! I almost forgot to mention a special part of my weekend that came as a surprise. Friday night, I got to have dinner and drinks with my friends from Cádiz who also happened to be spending a few days in Bilbao. On Thursday, I saw my friend Raul post a picture of Bilbao to Instagram so I reached out to see if he would still be around when I got in the next night. Raul and his girlfriend, Carmen, met Ane and I at Mercado de la Ribera and after a few pintxos and drinks there, we walked to Plaza Nueva for one final glass of wine. It was soooo good to see them again and catch up. I really enjoyed the time I spent with them this summer in Cádiz and hope I can see them again very soon.

Ok, I've reached my blogging capacity for the day. If you'd like to hear more about my trip to Bilbao or the last couple of weeks teaching in Guardo, please send me an email or a message on Facebook. You can also expect another update from me next week, after a very exciting trip I will be taking with my cousin Ashley!!

Without further ado, the pictures part. I wish I'd taken more!

Raul, Carmen, and I at Mercado de la Ribera on Friday night.

A beautiful and delicious goat cheese pintxo from the market!

Kalimotxo with a side of pizza. This was Saturday night while drinking in the street.

Ane and I standing outside the Guggenheim before our Sunday afternoon pintxo-crawl.

(photo creds: Aita)