Over the span of a week, I was very fortunate to have had two friends come
through Paris: Tory and Dennis. Tory, a very dear friend from high school,
is a Watson Fellow recipient and has spent the last year traveling the world,
working with refugees and helping bring their stories to life through theater. Dennis
is a friend from college who had spent the previously two weeks traveling throughout
Europe before starting med school this August. Both are very impressive, smart, and kind
people in their own ways, and their visits will remain high highlights during my summer in Paris!
TORY'S VISIT: FRIDAY
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| Waiting for Tory at Gare du Nord and then running into her arms once her train arrived. It had been a year since I had last seen her, and I couldn't stop smiling afterwards nor during the entire weekend! |
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| While we waited for Tory's friend, Ana , to arrive, we walked along the Seine and through Ile de Saint-Louis and Ile de la Cité. |
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| A Tory candid |
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| Place Dauphine |
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| We joked all throughout the weekend that Tory brought beautiful sunsets and good weather with her from Myanmar, her last place of residency. (The Louvre is pictured on your right) |
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| #love |
Once Ana arrived, we met back up with her and her and
Tory's Airbnb near Bastille and proceeded to have
a nice dinner at a Lebanese restaurant before calling it a night!
TORY'S VISIT: SATURDAY
On Saturday, I decided to show Tory and Anna sites along the
Left Bank, specifically the lesser known and less touristy parts
of the Latin Quarter.
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| I first met up with Tory and Ana at the Marché Aligre, a lively open-air market in the 11e. From there, we walked from there, past the Bastille (pictured in the foreground), along the Bassin de l'Arsenal (pictured here), across the Pont d'Austerlitz and to the Jardin des Plantes. As you can see by just what we did in the morning, we spent a good part of the day (and weekend) walking, but did so at a leisurely pace! |
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| The Jardin des Plantes (The Natural History Museum of Paris is pictured in the foreground) |
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| Directly across from the Jardin des Plantes is the Grand Mosque of Paris. We decided to peak our heads into the café and ended up splitting a rose-water baklava dessert and some mint tea! |
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| The Mosque from a distance |
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| From there, we walked down Rue Monge to Square Saint-Médard |
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| Ana and Tory before the Church Saint Métard |
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| The square at the end of Rue Mouffetard |
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| Lunch: Goat cheese, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and olive oil |
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| The ever quaint and cute Rue Mouffetard |
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| Remnants of the medieval wall that used to surround Paris. This can be found in the 6e arrondissement near the Pantheon to give you an idea of how small medieval Paris used to be! |
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| Walking along Boulevard Saint Germain |
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| Because Ana is preparing for a 6 month trip to Guinea, we decided to stop in an Africa literature book store so that she could find a book on that country! |
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| Walking along Rue de la Huchette, one of the more touristy and commercial streets in the Latin Quarter |
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| Flipping through the beautiful and interesting books at one of Paris' most famous book stores, Shakespeare and Company |
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| Since we had a late lunch, we decided to have a light dinner of cheese, bread, and wine along the Seine. From the different cheesed we had and the wine (in Starbucks cups) to the atmosphere along the Seine and the magnificent sunset, it was a great evening. (And all of us could see why this is a popular thing to do among Parisians!) |
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| Pont du Carroussel |
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| The Tuileries at sunset, meaning 10:00 at night |
From the Tuileries, we went back to their Airbnb to freshen up and go to a bar. What ended up happening is that we just hung out in their room and called it a night since we were so tired from all of our walking!
TORY'S VISIT: SUNDAY (LAST DAY)
On Sunday, I decided to show Tory and Ana sites along the Right
Bank and started off with the area around my work, which has now
become one of my favorite places in Paris: the 9e arrondissement.
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| From the metro stop, Richelieu Drouot, we walked up Rue Laffitte, walked around Notre Dame de Lorette, and up Rue des Martyrs, which is a street that is often featured in my blogs! Pictureb above is the street from its highest point and below is the carousel found at the little square at the top. |
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| From there, we walked along Rue Victor Masse and up Rue Pierre Fontaine (which are quaint, charming streets that hardly have any pedestrians) to Boulevard de Clichy and the Moulin Rouge! |
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| We also stopped at the little park just behind the scooter because by doing so, I have now visited every green space in the 9e arrondissement! |
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| From the Moulin Rouge, we launched on a self-guided walking tour of Montmartre Pictured above is Rue Lépic |
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| Ciné 13 |
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| Rue de l'Abreuvoir |
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| Musée de Montmartre |
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| Love! |
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| Montmartre from behind |
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| Given how hot it was and how much uphill walking we had just done, we decided to take a break, and I ordered Diabolo menthes (club soda with mint syrup) for both Tory and Ana to try! |
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| A small garden in Montmartre that has a wall on which you can find "I love you" written in 316 languages! |
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| From there, we took the metro and walked along the Canal Saint Martin |
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| But made sure to take a break and drink some grapefruit rosé along the way |
At that point, it was 7:30, and we decided to get an early dinner along the Canal.
After dinner, we said our final goodbyes as Tory left tomorrow for London
and I had work early tomorrow morning.
It was such a lovely weekend spent with Tory and her friend, Ana,
and I hope to see Tory soon whether it be in CA or in D.C.!
This weekend (like many experiences before this one)
confirmed that Tory is such a courageous, amazing, and
inspiring individual. I am so lucky to have her as a friend and
just can't wait to see what she does next or where she ends up in the world!
Regardless, she'll continue to make inspirational pieces of art
and bring light into many more people's lives.
Two days after Tory left, Dennis arrived to Paris from Mykonos, which
was one of the many cool places he had visited during his trek through Europe.
Even though he was setting off to med school the following Monday, he still
(and generously) decided to make a quick pit stop in Paris before heading
home to the east coast. Thus, we made the most of his 45 hour visit to Paris
and truly had a wonderful time together!
Fun aside: Since Dennis was staying with me at my host family's apartment,
I had ordered him a cab from the airport to my apartment. Little did he know that
I had gotten off from work early to surprise him at the airport, and we took the cab
back together to Boulogne-Billancourt!
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| After Dennis got settled at my apartment, we set off to Paris and had bagel sandwiches in the lovely Palais Royale. |
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| From there, we walked to the Louvre and through the Tuileries gardens. |
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| On the day that Dennis arrived, the U.S. Ambassador opened up her home to the embassy personnel for a movie night at her residence. Fortunately, Dennis was able to go, and we took a stroll through the gardens with wine glasses in our hands before the movie! |
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| You may be wondering: what movie did we see? Elvis and Nixon starring Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as Nixon! |
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| Crossing the Champs Elysées at sunset after the movie ended |
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| Passing the Petit Palais |
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| Crossing the Pont Alexandre III |
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| Beautiful, isn't it? |
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| Mignon! |
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| Les Invalides, the military hospital and Napoleon Bonaparte's burial site |
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| Dinner at a typical French outdoor café near La Motte Piquet Grenelle (Pictured above is Dennis' escaragots, my foie gras, our Bordeaux wine and Kir... Let's just say he and I have sophisticated, French palettes) |
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| A movie poster showcasing the movie we just saw at the Ambassador's residence |
After dinner, it was already 11:00 so we decided to go back
to my host family's apartment and call it a night.
From our walks around Paris and the movie at the Ambassador's residence
to the conversation at dinner and the delicious food and wine, this visit
was already off to a great start, and I was very excited to show
Dennis more of Paris!
DENNIS: THURSDAY
We woke up around 9:00, and I treated Dennis to a breakfast
of "ratatouille eggs" (scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants),
and some croissants from a local bakery. Around 11:30, we set out for the day,
and I decided to replicate the "tour" I did with Tory and Ana on Sunday: beginning
with the 9e, making our way up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, and drinking a bottle
of rosé along the Canal Saint Martin afterwards. From there, we also did some early Christmas
shopping for Dennis' mother and sisters (whom are very lucky ladies given what Dennis bought
them) and finished the day with a stroll along Ile de la Cité and dinner on Ile de Saint Louis.
As you can probably guess from the description, it was another marvelous day,
yet a bit bittersweet since I just don't know when I'll see him next. Regardless,
Dennis is off on his way to become a doctor/surgeon, and I (among many people
in his life) are so excited for what the next years hold for him
as his future truly is bright!
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| Passing Le Moulin de la Galette, which was once the happening night club for Impressionist painters living in the area, such as Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh |
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| Le Passe-Muraille: The statue pays hommage to a story by Marcel Aymé about a man named Dutilleul who discovers that he can (you guessed it) walk through walls |
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| Rubbing the breast of French singer, Dalida, for good luck! |
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| Walking up to Sacre Coeur from behind for a picturesque view (void of tourists) |
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| Touring the interior of Sacre Coeur (Cameras weren't allowed, but Dennis sneakily took a shot of it!) |
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| After exploring some more of the cute, cobblestone streets of Montmartre, we decided to take a break and ordered some water and Diabolo Menthes |
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| From there, we went to the Canal Saint Martin (I caught Dennis mid-bite as he was eating his Croque Monsieur!) |
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| While we were there, a ferry boat happen to pass by us, which is a rare occurrence along the Canal Saint Martin |
After the Canal, we did some early Christmas shopping
for the ladies in Dennis' family along Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré and
at Printemps. Needless to say, Dennis is a very generous brother and
gift giver!
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| Dennis showcasing his purchases before Notre Dame |
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| The last photo we took before getting dinner on the Ile de Saint Louis |
Bottom line: I am so grateful and appreciative of the fact that
Tory and Dennis both visited me in Paris, and encourage anyone else to come by
Paris too!
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