City of Love (Part Two)

I was looking forward to Monday morning all weekend because of one specific place. And it involved food (which is reason enough for excitement):

Olivia raved all week about this fancy, overpriced café with DELICIOUS food and superb service. Café de Flore, on Boulevard Saint-Germain, is one of two famous cafes frequented by Ernest Hemingway. It did not disappoint. 

Their hot chocolate is actually the best thing ever. 

Olivia loves this place partially because last time she visited, they willingly spoke French with her and her mom to help them practice. I let her take over ordering for the both of us :)

I highly recommend the Quiche :)

After a long brunch, we found ourselves at the bottom of the many steps that led to Sacré-Cœur:

 "Selfie-stops" gave us a good excuse to stop and catch our breath:

One of my favorite spontaneous moments of the entire Paris trip took place at Sacré-Cœur. I was a little nervous to be around a lot of pick-pockets. Olivia warned me about people who come up to tourists and ask them to sign a petition, which they use as a distraction tool to then steal a phone or  wallet. There were many "petitioners" around Sacré-Cœur, and it was almost too stressful to enjoy the view. So instead, we walked around to the back of the building and found several beautiful photo-worthy sights. (I'll spare you the many pictures):

The best part: all the other tourists were still in the front! It was so quiet and peaceful...with no "petitioners" in sight. 

The gardens here were so beautifully laid out...I can't imagine what they looked like in the spring!

After a little bit, we made our way back to the front to walk back down the steps. At the bottom of the hill, in front of Sacré-Cœur, we stopped for macaroons at Olivia's favorite shop:

Very aware that my days in Europe were coming to an end, I planned to take this (expensive!) package of sweets home to share with my family. That idea lasted about thirty minutes as my hunger reasoned with me: 1.) They might get squished in the luggagee  2.) They might lose flavor in the next few days and 3.) There were only four which meant one person would be left out...

 Needless to say, the macaroons did not make it to the United States!

The last landmark we visited in Paris was also a special moment. Here is the famous "Love Wall of Paris" ( a wall covered in the phrase "I love you" written in hundreds of different languages). 

I noticed an American couple near the wall, and offered to take their picture. In turn, they took this picture of Olivia and me. Turns out they were only in Paris for a short time, and were leaving for London next! Excited, I gave them my spare Oyster Cards along with several suggestions about where to visit. I realized in that moment that somehow I had officially become a Londoner.  I was as confident in my directions of London as I would be of any directions I gave around Ellington. (Quite frankly, maybe even more confident!) This realization hit me so suddenly I almost started to cry when I saw him put my Oyster Cards in his wallet. I didn't want to leave Paris because it meant I would only have a few days left in London.  

Olivia and I sat down on a bench near the wall to share a baguette. It was almost time to catch the metro back to the hostel. We watched the American couple leave, and I looked down at the business card he had given me. They were wedding photographers, and he told us girls to be in touch "down the road if you're looking for one." I laughed, but then I realized he wasn't kidding. He viewed me as as the adult I had become. After all, I was travelling without my parents in a foreign country...a trip I had planned entirely by myself and my friend. I wasn't a kid anymore.  

Disclaimer: I'm in no position to get married anytime soon!

Olivia and I got back to the hostel, returned our keys, and took our bags from the lockers there. At the airport, we were forced to go our separate ways at (our gates were in opposite directions). We weren't expecting such an abrupt goodbye, but managed to get one quick selfie before leaving. 

And just like that, I was back in London. With four days, three finals, and two essays left. 

Before I sign off, though, here's on last picture of Paris with a story that cracks me up:

As some of you may know, I tend to mix up words a lot. Olivia and I passed this bakery several times (it's right near our hostel) and she explained to me that "Patisserie" means "sweet bread" in French. I thought about this for a minute as we were walking, and then blurted out, "Oh, that makes sense! It's sweet. Like Patisserie chicken is kind of sweet." She looked at me, confused, and started to nod. Then she said, "Do you mean Rotisserie Chicken?" It's a good thing I'm good at laughing at myself. :D That 'Leahism' will probably go down in the books as one of the best. 

City of Love (Part One)

Some may call me insane for skipping my last class before finals to fit in a visit to two more countries, but it was the absolute best decision I made all semester (and I know I say that a lot...). I had such a relaxing long weekend. Especially because I spent it with basically the best girl in the whole world:

Here we are waiting for our Argos order (EU converter plugs) to be processed :)

The journey from my flat to Olivia's (at the University of Stirling) involved a bit of proactive planning the night before. In case you don't know me, being proactive is not a strength of mine. So in order to catch all the right trains on Thursday, I made this plan:

A sticky note probably could've done the trick, but I like to have "pretty" directions :)

We spent most of Thursday and Friday on campus (partly because I had an essay to finish up by midnight and partly because we were having too much fun talking to go elsewhere!). I did get to meet some of her Scottish friends and enjoyed eating in a [clean] kitchen.

Left (at the mall), Middle (on campus), Right (Olivia's room). 

After lots of laughter and little sleep, we headed to Edinburgh airport... I've learned to master doing homework on flights! We arrived in Paris early that afternoon, exhausted yet excited. 

Our hostel, above, was a really nice one, but since we booked separately we weren't assigned the same room. Hostels are always a bit of a gamble; I ended up with two random guys in a room for three. 

Thankfully, by the second night, we managed to switch Olivia's stuff into my room and the creepy old guy next to us had himself outnumbered. (This seems less comforting now that I write it on paper but oh well. We got out safely).

My bedroom window shows off the buildings; all different hues of tan...So Paris! 

We got an early start on Sunday morning with baguettes for breakfast:

Our hostel was close to Boulevard St. Germain, so there were signs everywhere.  Of course I had to take a picture to send to a certain someone :)

(I talked to Noah later that evening. "You didn't tell me you were French!" He said, "With a name like mine I figured you knew."  Fair enough...)

Apparently this is my go-to pose. Here's me at Jardin du Luxembourg.

Olivia knows Paris like the back of her hand. So the best thing about this trip was how relaxed we were (well I was, anyway! I just let her lead the way). We didn't see all the top tourist attractions and that was okay; we didn't feel like we needed to. We just spent time reflecting about the semester and  how much our lives had changed in such a short time. (As well as some good old people-watching  in Luxembourg Garden!)

Especially intriguing to watch: French family dynamics and sailing toy boats.

Our next stop was this AMAZING historic bookstore. 

Store's motto: "Be Not Inhospitable to Strangers Lest They Be Angels in Disguise."

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but I highly recommend visiting this place, especially if you love library vibes :) 

I don't have many pictures of our touristy things; I knew Paris was notorious for pick-pockets so I didn't take my phone out much and I wanted to enjoy wandering around. Here a few random scenic pictures though of the city:

Cour du Commerce de Saint-Andrė

Taken on our walk to Notre Dame..notice the street vendors. 

Isn't she just the cutest??

And a few typical Notre Dame pictures (they don't do its vastness justice!):

Fun fact: these bible stories were created visually to teach French people who didn't know how to read. 

 And because it was December, a little Christmas Village was on display. (By 'little' I mean the figurines...not the display itself. That was huge!) 

We continued our journey with a stop for ice cream:

Just two girls dreaming by the Seine...

:)

And then we headed to Sainte-Chapelle, one of the few buildings we paid to see. (But seeing the stained glass was totally worth it!)

How insane is the detail on these windows??

With daylight dwindling, we left for our final destination of the evening...

It wouldn't be a trip to Paris without this sight!

We read somewhere that the best "secret" spot to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower is right near Trocadero Metro stop. It certainly was! We were nowhere near the tower, but for me, that made it all the more impressive... it is absolutely massive. (And makes for a fun photo shoot background!) 

The best thing about this spot was the (relative) lack of tourists. 

And one last picture because this happens to be my favorite: 

Eiffel Tower + Metro = The City of Love

It was a perfect day <3