Isa in Paris!!

Bonjour!!!

This weekend, I took on Paris! Three of my new friends and I spent 42 incredible, jam-packed hours exploring the City of Lights. Our adventure began with a bus ride from Oxford to Heathrow, followed by a flight to Paris. We arrived on Friday around 4 p.m., quickly dropped off our bags, and made our way straight to the Louvre.

My goodness. First of all, the lighting was stunning. We arrived just before sunset, and the golden hour light going through the Louvre was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t believe I was seeing it with my own eyes. I kept saying, "omg, omg, omg".

We bought tickets to go inside, and the architecture was just as impressive. I spotted so many famous paintings... and, of course, I saw the Mona Lisa!

Now, I know people always say it’s smaller than you expect, but honestly, it was bigger than I expected. With everyone talking about how "tiny" it is, I was picturing a little photo frame. The room was packed, and you had to nudge your way to the front, but it was such a cool experience after hearing about it all my life. And yes, I had to take another picture of the Louvre’s exterior because it was just that beautiful.

After leaving the Louvre, we headed to dinner at Café de la Régence. This is where I had the best dessert of my life. It was called Brioche Perdue which is french toast with salted caramel ice cream on top. It was heavenly. My brothers, however, would've appreciated this restaurant for the legos all over.

And that was the end of Friday!

Saturday started with breakfast at a café called Immersion. I ordered a pink latte and a fried egg, and then split a We Love Choco waffle (bananas, Nutella, blueberries, basil, and other deliciousness) with one of my friends. It was the perfect start to the day.

Next, we were off to Versailles! Is it just me, or is the train/metro system (whatever it was) in Paris a little complicated? I’m so used to just driving everywhere in the U.S. that navigating public transport felt like a whole new adventure in itself.

Anyway, Versailles was huge!!! I had always heard of it, but I never really knew what it was, and oh my goodness, I was speechless.

We first explored the King’s State Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Gallery of Great Battles. So many cool bedrooms, stunning paintings, intricate armor displays, and more! I was amazed how some of these rooms are still similar as to when it first was done.

Before heading into my favorite part of Versailles, we grabbed some hot chocolate from Angelina's. What a perfect pick me up! One of my professors had recommended it, and it did not disappoint. The hot chocolate was so thick, and I’m still wondering how they make it like that! Afterward, we swung by the gift shop and bought a few souvenirs for some of my favorite people.

And let me tell you about the macarons! We got them from Ladurée, and they were not only delicious, but beautifully presented. I wish I had a picture of the box they came in, but here’s a picture of the actual macarons. The strawberry candy flavor was my absolute favorite!

Then, we explored the gardens. I’m sad we didn’t have more time to spend there, but we made the most of it! We took tons of pictures, galloped through tree archways, admired all the different types of plants, and just stood in awe at the beauty all around us.

 Pictures don't even do it justice.

Afterward, we rushed over to the Eiffel Tower to catch it before the sun set. In my mind, I wasn’t expecting it to be that big and tall. I just assumed people were hyping it up too much. But no, it was gigantic and amazing. Seeing it in person brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn’t believe I was actually there. It was surreal. It was also really cool to see that the Olympic rings were still up! Watching the sky change colors as the Eiffel Tower lit up was pure magic. Each moment felt like a dream, as the tower and the night sky transformed together.

I missed my mom during this moment. We had talked about her taking me here for as long as I could remember, and it was hard not having her there with me. I facetimed her, my dad, and my brothers, and enjoyed the view all the way through sunset.

I also can’t forget to mention seeing the Seine. How did I not realize that the song "Our Last Summer" from Mamma Mia is about being in Paris?!

We were at the Eiffel Tower from 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., then headed to dinner at In Casa. After dinner, we went right back to the tower to watch it sparkle. We got really close and even went underneath. It took forever for it to start sparkling, though—we waited so long. It didn’t begin sparkling until 11:10 p.m. That day, I racked up 21,948 steps. My feet hurt and I was exhausted, but it was so, so worth it.

The next morning, we woke up early, grabbed some croissants, and headed to the airport. It was a quick trip but another check off my bucket list.

This week has been busy, and homework is picking up. I’m looking forward to the upcoming weekends, but I know I need to get ahead of my work.

Au revoir

Isa