WHERE
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Paris was never really a city that I was dying to go to. Sure, I wanted to see it at some point because it’s PARIS, but it wasn’t at the top of the list like Portugal / Budapest / Italy / Morocco. (I’m not even sure WHY those places have topped my “list”. Maybe people talk about them more?) Paris only won the Semana Santa plans because everything else was outrageously expensive and while Paris isn’t inexpensive, looking at the cost of the flight and the airbnb only made my heart skip a few beats. It was back to normal as soon as I saw the beautiful buildings…and pastries … and river .. and cheese … and crepes… and cafes … and bread .. and falafel… and I’m 12 pounds heavier.
People always say that Paris is beautiful, like no other place in the world. But it really is BEAUTIFUL. Every city that I have ever been to has beautiful buildings and architecture and landscapes, but in Paris, that beauty seemingly goes on…forever.
The streets are dotted with typical (stereotypical?) Parisian cafes with people bundled up sipping espressos and eating the nicest pastries I’ve ever seen.
The buildings all look so grand and old, even the apartment buildings on the winding small streets. There are small wine shops and pastry counters tucked away in the most unsuspecting places. 
And Paris is a city with so much to do and see and eat and five days hardly feels like enough time. Five days was enough time for one trip, but I could go back 10x over and see so much more that was glanced over on this trip. Five days is a good amount of time to “hit the big points”, but also chill out (relaxin’ all cool, shooting some b-ball outside the school, when a couple of guys, they were up to no good! started making trouble in my neighborhood…) and enjoy Paris, not just run around like a chicken with their head cut off.
In total, I have 97 pictures to share. Those are the edited ones from the 500+ that I took, so this will likely be broken into 2 to 3 posts.
Day One
Flight, find airbnb, rest, and go to the Louvre.
(*TIP: If you don’t want to pay full admission to the Louvre [15 Euro for adults. there is no student rate unless you are an EU citizen. Maybe.] then go on Friday night at 6:00. It is free for students under 26 and they are open until 9:45. If you feel like being a delinquent, have all of your over 25 friends bring IDs that looks somewhat like a student ID and show that to get them in free too. They hardly even glanced in our direction)
Afterwards, take these obligatory tourist photos…
Almost:
Getting there:
Not quite:
Good job:
Then walk across the bridge to the Latin Quarter to take in the sites and have dinner.
The end of Day ONE.
Day Two
First things, first. Coffee. Proper coffee. 
Then a long walk to the river to meet a dear and lifelong friend of my mom!
We met at a cafe by the river and had crepes and espressos and chatted for awhile before they took me on an incredible tour all around Paris.
Seeing a city with a local is SO DIFFERENT and so much better. You see all the spots that locals really go to, as well as get a better understanding of all of the main attractions.
Marche au Fleurs (flower market)
Palais Garnier (Opera House)
Montmartre– A great place to see artists busy at work, learn some history, and take in the most incredible views of Paris.
And finally, the day ended at the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.
The Eiffel Tower was so much different than I imagined, but also exactly the same. It was bigger than I thought, and busier, and more beautiful. The first night I saw it, it was lit in tribute to Belgium.
And it was full of families, and couples, and old guys selling toys and caricature paintings.
The plan was to take the river cruise, but for fear of being sick by motion sickness and without any pills, the plan changed to walking almost two hours along the river while taking in the sites and sounds before finally (FINALLY) having some incredible food based on a great recommendation by Lisa’s daughter, Elsa (Lisa is my mom’s friend).
THANK YOU ELSA!
I think that is enough to take you to your breaking point for one day. Stay tuned for more 😉