La Ville-Lumière

Oui, oui…Paris est romantique, enchanteur, magnifique et tout ce que vous pense que ce sera!

I studied abroad in Paris for 3 weeks back in 2010 and went back in 2011 for a brief visit. I stayed in an apartment near the Place D’italie metropolitan stop which was surrounded by a weekly farmers market, fresh bakeries and the town hall.

There is SO MUCH to love about Paris so here is my short list of must dos – which are obvious – if you are going to visit the City of Lights:

• Disneyland Paris
• Walk through the Hall of Mirrors, tons of gold and see where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette once lived at Versailles
• Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, see the Peace Wall & watch the light show at night
• Check out Mona & Aphrodite at The Louvre
• Visit Notre Dame & the Center of Paris – if you touch it, you are destined to come back!
• Stroll the red light district and get your tickets to the Moulin Rouge
• See Napoleon’s tomb at Les Invalides
• Descend down to the Catacombs of Paris – don’t go if you have claustrophobia and/or anxiety
• See the Jardin du Luxembourg
• Visit the Latin Quarter for dinner
• Go to the Opera House
• Cruise the Seine River

Also, how can you not fall in love with the bakeries offering fresh pastries, bread and macaroons?! Nothing ever beat a fresh, warm desert crepe while strolling around the Eiffel Tower. And because of all these carbs, France was the first place I saw bike stations where locals could quickly rent a bike with the simple swipe of their credit card. I soon realized that Ireland and Spain did the same. And saw it for the first time in America while visiting Chicago in 2014! Glad the idea is making its way over here.

What to eat

Sadly, I did not record the names of the places I ate – other than the dinner at Moulin Rouge. But, I do know what I ate.

• A lot of escargot!
• Pho – there is a heavy Vietnamese population in France due to the French colonization in Vietnam – thats why banh mi is made with French bread. I also learned that the Vietnamese culture favors the taste of MSG. At restaurants you will see MSG shakers accompanied with the salt and pepper.
• Macarons
• Fresh crepes
• Rabbit
• Cheese fondu