Midnights in Paris

This summer, I had the opportunity to go to Paris for the second time, but with people I had just met this past month through my study abroad program! I was very nervous to travel with people I didn't know very well, especially sleep in the same bed as one of them. However, I loved Paris immensely when I went with my parents for the first time in 2016 and I didn't want to miss my chance to go again when it was so close by and so affordable. I decided to go with the three other people and couldn't wait to be back in the City of Light!

The two guys, Matt and Jason, bought their tickets together and the other girl, Emma, bought her ticket with me. The guys left earlier that day and I had a tour of Westminster Abbey, so Emma and I were set to leave a few hours later than them. I almost missed the bus because I couldn't find the station, but I got there just seconds before the driver was about to pull out of the station! Emma and I made our way smoothly to the airport, but our flight was delayed by a couple of hours. Once we got on the plane, the ride there was extremely quick!

Getting through customs was also a breeze and it felt good to be on the ground again. I couldn't wait to get to the Airbnb and head to bed to prepare for a day full of walking around, being touristy, and getting to practice my French!

Unfortunately, it was so late that the buses were closed except for one and we couldn't figure out how to get to our Airbnb from there, so we took the bus for a bit and then called an Uber. We ended up getting to our Airbnb at around 3 AM and we slept like babies until the next morning.

With my memory of my first trip to Paris, I was able to get us around the city once we Ubered from our place to the Eiffel Tower. We saw the Champs-Elysées, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Moulin Rouge, the diner from Amélie, Sacre Cœur, the whole shebang. It was very nostalgic for me and I made sure to find the hotel I stayed at in 2016 just to take it in again.

We all had our take home short essay finals due for our Urban Communication class that night, but it turned out the we didn't have wifi, so we found a nice Italian restaurant in Montmartre, asked for the wifi password, and worked on them there.

We were frantic because of the time difference, but with our stress we hadn't realized that being one more hour behind meant that we had an extra hour, not a lost one! After we finished our delicious meals, we headed home in a hurry and completed our finals using our data hotspots. It was extremely stressful, and once we submitted them we were incredibly relieved. Nonetheless, we got our exams in on (Paris) time and we could spend the rest of our stay in Paris stress free! We all went to bed soon after so we could wake up earlier and spend more of our day roaming through the streets of Paris once again.

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The next day, we all decided to go to a museum. I was surprised when Matt said that he wanted to see an art museum and not the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay. Instead, the Centre Pompidou was at the top of his list. I was delighted because I would get to see something new! We took another Uber to the city and were dropped off at Notre Dame. It was crazy to see it blocked off and clearly damaged. I took them to see the Shakespeare and Company store and introduced them to the beautiful open water fountains of Paris, which Jason enjoyed quite a bit! We then all searched for a bite to eat for breakfast and found a cute crêperie with great iced coffee. Once we finished these, we headed on our way to the Centre Pompidou, where we spent many hours taking in all the amazing works. I was delighted to see a work by Larry Bell, one of his classic glass cube pieces! I loved how my internship at the Bernard Jacobson Gallery was translating into my life outside of the small commercial gallery in Piccadilly Circus!

After spending the day at the Centre Pompidou, we found dinner on the way back to the Notre Dame. They were having a dinner special with an appetizer, main dish, and coffee/glass of wine. It was impossible to pass up! We ate delicious meals and then set off to fine some wine, cheese, berries, and macarons to finish our day at the Eiffel Tower and watch the lights.

We were there well past midnight getting to know each other well while bargaining for cheap bottles of wine and getting to know the group of women next to us! Two of the women were Chinese and I was able to speak Mandarin to them. One of them had an adorable, soft cat that we all got to pet.

This weekend by far was one of the best parts of my study abroad experience so far, and I almost didn't go! I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gone not just once, but twice, to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I was able to practice my French and serve as a tour guide for my new friends and create stronger bonds with the people I was studying abroad with. I truly couldn't have asked for a better weekend away in Paris than this one!

Here are some more of my favorite pictures/video clips from this trip, enjoy!