I am not a Paris Person. I am not one of those girls who dream about going to Paris with the love of my life. I don't have the dream of going to Paris once a year to walk the streets of Paris or to see the Eiffel Tower at night all lit up. I'm just not one of those people who dreams of Paris. No hate to anyone who does. Everyone has their own preference. Paris is just not mine.
But something was happening with my visa and I was practically forced to go to Paris. So I purchased a last-minute ticket to go to Paris for 24 hours. I was honestly excited to go. I felt like maybe I would like Paris if I went for a day. I could do all the things I wanted to do but without feeling the pressure of seeing every single attraction or feeling like I was spending literally all of my money on one meal. I was excited to just go and relax a little bit and enjoy my time and get the things I needed to get done, done.
My flight to Paris was pretty good and pretty easy. It was a fairly short flight as well and the seats were priced fairly cheap for the cleanliness of the plane, which I appreciated. But going through border control took about 2 hours, which shredded my plan of landing, getting to the hotel, and getting dinner. By the time that I got to my hotel, because of landing, border control, trains, and traffic, it was already 4 hours after we had landed. So I quickly made my way up to my room, which was on the top floor, and set all my things down.
I was honestly hustling to plug my almost dead phone into the wall and then I sprinted to the tiny room to take a cold shower. I was hungry, I was upset, I was exhausted. I finished my shower, got dressed, grabbed my wallet and phone, and headed out to the Metro. I just took a train to a station I thought sounded like it was in the middle of the city. I knew that I didn't have time or any desire to go to the Eiffel Tower, but I wanted to get close enough to see it in photos and stuff.
I ended up going to the Louvre. I got there around 9 pm so it was obviously closed. But I was able to see the outside. I was walking as fast as my little legs allowed me to take a picture of the Louvre and then a selfie with it. It took skill because I literally didn't stop moving my legs. I ended up finding the river and walked half of the bridge to find the Eiffel Tower all lit up. It was a gorgeous view. So obviously, I took a selfie and moved on.
I was hungry but knew most places were probably going to close soon so I hustled my way to find a place. On Google Maps, I found this sandwich shop that looked good enough that closes at 9:30 pm. I was basically running (honestly, I was lightly jogging. I don't run) to this place to grab something quick and easy. I didn't make it. But on my way over there, I found a cute corner restaurant that looked good and was open a little later.
I walked in 5 to 10 pm. I sat down, ordered pasta and wine, and relaxed. I felt a little sad that I walked in so late since they closed at 11 pm, but it was either eating here or not eating. So…. It was really nice to just sit and relax. It was nice and warm, not too hot, not too cold. The restaurant was practically empty but it was in the middle of a touristy area so I saw a bunch of people walking around and people watch. It was a nice way to end a very busy and tiring day.
I had the best pasta of my entire life that night. When I ordered the “penne” for some reason I thought it was stuffed bell pepper. Did I want stuffed bell pepper? No, but I was so tired that I just ordered the first thing I saw. So when they came out with a personalized-sized pan filled with pasta, I was so excited. I also ordered wine with the pasta and I can tell you, I have never understood how a glass of wine could “pair” with food. But somehow, I managed to do that with this pasta and wine combo.
I was so hungry that there was not even a second where I didn't have food in my mouth. I was SHOVELING it into my mouth hole. I would shove pasta in my mouth, then some bread, and then some wine, and repeat. I probably looked like a crazy person. I felt bad that I couldn't sit there and enjoy it. I was so hungry. (Let me tell you, it was about 13 hours since my last meal because of the travel situation that occurred. So I was HUNGRY)
I got back to my hotel and immediately fell asleep. When I woke up, I had about 2 hours before I needed to head to the airport. So I decided to lounge around the hotel room. There, I found an absolutely stunning view of my room. I drank my coffee while I built a concoction of tables and chairs on top of each other so I could watch the view from my window. Then I packed up all my stuff, headed to the airport, and waited for my flight, which unfortunately got delayed because of the air control strike that was occurring.
Though it seemed fast-paced and crazy, I did enjoy my time in Paris. I wish I planned to say for about 48 hours instead. I feel like that would be the perfect amount of time for me. But I am happy with what I got. I will also never stay in another hotel in Paris. The hotel I stayed in was absolutely stunning and perfect.
