A trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without quoting a classic Mary Kate and Ashley movie. This past weekend, Brittany and I met two of our friends from Wisconsin in Paris, where we were the definition of American tourists. No, we didn’t walk around in white sneakers and fanny packs (although my mom suggested it), but we did give in to many tourist tendencies, hitting up many major historical and culinary attractions.
After spending a good portion of Thursday afternoon getting lost, we finally found Avenue des Champs-Élysées, where we headed straight for Ladurée to sample their famous macaroons. I opted for raspberry, chocolate and caramel, which were delicious. Back on Champs-Élysées it was freezing so we took refuge in the Louis Vuitton store, where we played our own little game of The Price is Right. Being suckers for weddings, Brittany and I were in awe of the Louis Vuitton engagement rings but apparently pictures are not allowed in the store. Not only did the French security guard scold Brittany for snapping a photo, but watched over her to ensure the picture was deleted.
The next morning we met up with our friends from Wisconsin for a day of site seeing. Since there is no Starbucks in Florence, we like to start each day with what we miss most about America when traveling to cities lucky enough to have our favorite coffee shop. To our delight, there was a Starbucks located practically inside the Louvre, our first destination of the day.
If you plan on going to the Louvre, which is required when visiting Paris, make sure you bring your passport or some international student card, as students of European countries get free admission. What college student doesn’t love free stuff, especially when traveling abroad? We explored the French sculpture room and then headed to the Mona Lisa, passing paintings by our favorite Florentine, Michelangelo. After snapping a few selfies with the Mona Lisa and various pictures outside the Louvre, we wondered down Rue di Rivoli, to check another item off our list, hot chocolate at Angelina’s.
As we stepped into Angelina’s we were greeted by the mouthwatering smell of chocolate and transported back to the 20th century tearoom where Coco Chanel was known to frequent. The hot chocolate was even more amazing than we had been told. No words can do it any justice; you have to try it for yourself. We finished the day with a trip to the Eiffel Tower where we watched countless couples take cheesy romantic pictures.
On our last day in Paris we visited Notre Dame, which is currently celebrating its 850th anniversary. Over the next year, various parts of the church will be refurbished and restored in celebration. Even after walking past the Duomo every day in Florence, I was still amazed by Notre Dame’s massive structure. Of course, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was our first thought, but we weren’t able to visit the bell tower because it was too cold. From Notre Dame, we walked back down Champs-Élysées to see the Arc de Triomphe. We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling down Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, which was my favorite part of the weekend. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is quieter and less traveled than Champs-Élysées, but is one of the most fashionable and elegant streets in Paris. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is the home of high-end stores like Chanel, Hermes, Longchamp, Prada, Christian Louboutin and many more. If you’re looking to do some serious shopping, this is the place.
After two weekends of traveling, I can’t wait to catch up on some much needed sleep and the TV shows that I have fallen too far behind on. AEPhi Wisconsin invades Florence this weekend and I am looking forward to doing what we do best, blast our favorite recruitment songs (what a feeling…out-in) and eat!
Ciao a tutti!