Brave Goes Abroad: 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.