Final Weeks in Paris

I can’t believe it’s here already! In less than 3 days, I will be boarding my American Airlines flight back to the United States of America. Wow. Still can’t believe it! I’m actually happy to be going home, but I know I’ll miss this place SO MUCH. I realize that I haven’t given an update in awhile, so I thought I’d just recount my final hours in the city of lights.

Well, right after spring break, my family came!!! Woohoo!!!

on the Seine

I was so excited to see them! I loved playing the tour guide, taking them to different parts of the city. It was the most amazing thing to be in Paris with my mommy, who had come to the very same city nearly 27 years ago. In fact, she’s the inspiration for my desire to come to Paris in the first place. Before I even started elementary school, I remember talking to my mom about where she’d been in the world and she told me about her trip to Paris – PARIS! Of course I’d heard of the city before, but to know that my mom had been made it seem even more magical, and made me determined to visit the city myself one day. I’ve always admired my mother and try to follow her footsteps wherever I can

I love my Mommy!

It was also a HUGE plus to have Mr. Sims, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Hope here too! They were all newcomers to the city, and it was great to see everyone’s reactions to the architecture, the people, the language, and especially the food! One night in the Latin Quarter, we actually sat down at two different restaurants before settling at a pretty good place. As you can imagine, food in the states, especially in North Carolina, is totally different from what you will get in Paris. So it was great to see how their reactions compared to my own on first arriving in the country.

One of the days during their visit, we went to the Foire de Paris, which is basically a cultural exposition featuring the best items from France as well as all around the world. It was fantastic! Even ran into my hairdresser there, repping the Antilles!

inside one of the exhibition halls at the fair

Another cool thing we did was go to the fashion show at Galeries LaFayette.

All in all, I just really enjoyed spending time with my family – it was definitely needed after being away for so long!

Once my family left, I embarked on this amazing trip to Dublin, Ireland Would’ve been even more amazing if I hadn’t gotten stuck there 2 extra days to a volcano but…we shan’t mention that

Dublin

Once I returned, it was crunch time for a plethora of finals and papers due that week. And finally…I’M DONE!!!!! So stoked!

So what have I been doing with my free time? Relaxing in parks, eating all my favorite treats, trying out new restaurants, and seeing things that I’d missed the first time around. Actually went to this really cool fondue place tonight where you drink wine out of baby bottles!

at Le Refuge

As you know, I didn’t like my first fondue experience too much, but this one topped the cake. The place was awesome – I wish I’d gone sooner. Tomorrow I’ll be dining at La Duree, the best place for macaroons in the city of Paris, perhaps the country of France. Oh, and get this, we went to Versailles today, to finally see the chateau that we’d neglected for so long, and the castle was closed due to a strike! Imagine that! It would only happen to us…

Oh wait I forgot! Nichole came to visit!

me and Niki

She spent her last two days in France in Paris! We went out to Bastille, ate sushi at the Esplanade des Invalides, did a little shopping where I picked up this great vest, and took the hike up to Sacre Coeur. The best part of her weekend? The Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the Petit Palais. I literally DIED the exhibit was just that good. For anyone who has yet to go, don’t walk through the exhibit without getting the headphones! Many shy away from that 5 euro purchase, but I must tell you that it’s worth every single bit of it. There’s so much about his life and his work that I didn’t know, and I was sincerely touched by how he viewed the world and was able to affect change through his designs. Truly a visionary and a revolutionary. Nichole said she cried

the iconic YSL pantsuit

So what haven’t I done while in Paris that I wish I had? I wish I’d gone to more fancy restaurants, but I wasn’t willing to shell out the cash for that so I can’t complain. I wish I’d gone to Disneyland, but I had some pretty amazing trips that totally made up for it. Um, my neighborhood is actually pretty bomb; I wish I’d explored more of it before this week. But to be honest, it was just too cold! I do wish I’d spent more time laying in the grass in the different Parisian parks. But once again, let’s blame the weather. Also, I didn’t visit all the museums that I could have, but I got so much else in otherwise. Frankly, of course there are other things I would have liked to do, but I’m pretty satisfied with how I spent my time in this glorious city. And let’s face it – If I’d done everything I wanted to do, what would I have to look forward to upon my return? I do plan on coming back – don’t know when, but I definitely hope to return to the city.

—–

Ok so I’ve just completed my last day, am packed and ready to go, literally waiting for the clock to turn to 6:45am so I can run downstairs to catch my shuttle. And I must say, today was a fantastic one! Started it off by going to La Duree for breakfast, where I ate this FABULOUS pain perdu (french toast, the french version). With that I tried their delicious tea – love love loved it! After breakfast, I couldn’t help myself and bought macaroons as souvenirs for some family and friends – after all, it is the most famous one in France!

After breakfast, I headed over to Montmarte to buy more souvenirs for everyone on my list. And I must say, I had a fabulous time! I hope everyone likes what I bought, because I literally went to every store/boutique leading up to Sacre Coeur. After that, I couldn’t help myself and decided I just HAD to climb the steps leading up to the basilica (probably not the best move lol but what is Paris without the climb?) and walking around to see Place du Tertre, which is famous for its square of artists and painters.

place du tertre

A beautiful sight! I swear I circled around them about three times, fighting the urge to get my portrait drawn.

From there, I moved my shopping spree over to Rue St. Honore (full of fab designers, by the way) where I purchased…dum dum dum….my first Longchamp bag! It’s my official souvenir from Paris, complete with an Eiffel Tour in front. I was so stoked!

So through all of this, I don’t think I mentioned that it was HOT outside. Not as hot as I’m sure North Carolina will be, but definitely reaching the point where it starts to get uncomfortable. So feeling icky I took a shower then headed over to the “hood” once more to buy extra luggage for cheap. Surprised? You shouldn’t be! I barely had enough space for my stuff when I came – so I definitely needed more going back! I just hope nothing is overweight; we shall see the outcome at the check-in counter. Well, funny story about the luggage is that the place I’d traveled 30 minutes to get to (because nothing INSIDE of Paris is cheap) was closed! So I walked around the sketch neighborhood for some minutes trying to find a place – ANY place – that would sell me some large luggage for under 20 euros. And I found it! 14.90 to be exact for a sizeable duffle bag. The only catch is that it doesn’t have wheels lol.

In addition to all of that, I went to Monoprix to buy some last items for my Uncle and went to the AIFS office for the very last time to drop off some treats. I’m actually having a little hard time believing it’s all over!

My day pretty much ended with my trip to Versailles, which is amazing by the way! The only thing I have to say is that the castle itself is really nothing to sneeze at. Chateau Fontainebleu is so much better and less crowded. But when it comes to the gardens and just the general grounds, I must say Versailles has it made. I loved going to Marie Antoinette’s estate!

part of Marie Antoinette's estate

These little thatched roof cottages dotting the landscape and her Temple of Love magically placed. If anyone is planning on going to Versailles, I actually recommend skipping the castle altogether and just spending the entire day exploring the grounds. Yes, it will take you an entire day!

Beat from my voyage, I returned to Paris to eat my last European Chinese meal (which is REAL food, unlike the mess they feed us in the US). I planned on saying my last goodbyes to everyone at Champ de Mars, but I completely crashed. My body had been going at a fast pace since 6:30am and it just couldn’t handle anymore :-/ But, I did wake up an hour later to pack Mommy would be proud.

We then said our goodbyes to our host parents and took pictures.

our host family

The task of taking the luggage downstairs followed, as did the trash, and now I am waiting for the shuttle. A great ending.

You know what I’m proud of though? The fact that I did what I set out to do. And I’m ecstatic that I maintained this blog for my entire time here. It’s something that you, my friends and family, and I myself can look back on to recount my experiences abroad. Never again will I have such an amazing opportunity and I’m so thankful to everyone who made it possible. Thank you, Paris, for giving me an amazing 4.5 months. I shall never forget thee.

me at Sacre Coeur

Advertisement