My Eat, Pray, Love experience ❤️: The Paris Edition
When I first saw the movie Eat, Pray, Love I fell in love with Julia Roberts character. She was vulnerable, lost and wanting for so much more. Eventually, she found the courage to leave her comfort zone and explore the world. I myself often think about leaving my comfort zone and exploring the world.
It was in February of 2013 when I decided that I needed my own Eat, Pray, Love experience. I needed to get away (as always). I wanted to explore, to learn another language, to escape. I considered going back to London with a stop in Morocco with my friend Berry and her father, but then I received an email from travelzoo.com that changed my mind. I clicked on the link and was directed to the site gate1.com. As I began my search I found a few hitters. London to Paris to Amsterdam to Spain to Italy. The list of options were mesmerizing.
Once I decided on a destination I had to figure out whether to travel solo, with my guy at the time or my girls. My girls won as they jumped at the chance to go to Europe. My guy was taking too long deciding and I couldn't wait.
Fast forward two months to April 21st, 2013. Everything was going perfectly well. Our driver picked us up on time, we got to the airport 15 minutes before boarding compared to the 2hrs they suggest for international flights and our flight was a smooth one. So what could have happened from the time we boarded the plane to the time we arrived in Paris? Read on.
As Mara and I presented our passports to customs Tel was still searching for hers. Next thing you know we had joined in on the search. After a few minutes it was clear that her passport could only be back on the plane. Mara and I scratched our heads as we couldn't believe this was really happening. We were so close, yet so far.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. It was 45 minutes to an hour before we heard back from Tel. Thinking she was back at the plane all that time Mara noticed her only a few feet away at the customer service counter. With there being a language barrier no one checked the plane for the missing passport until an hour and a half later. By this time the passport had already been compacted into a cube with left over garbage and thrown in the trash. Unbelievable.
One of the custom agents took Tel to the security area where they provided her with a pass to enter the country. They advised us that she would have to go to the Embassy the very next morning to get a temporary Passport. After about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs we finally were able to breath in some French air. Our scheduled pickup had already left so I had to call and request another one. That was an additional 15-30 minutes. At the end of it all we had to laugh. Only Tel. So it turns out that Tel put her passport in a plastic shopping bag that held her sandwich while she took a picture of Mara and I. SMH.
After finally getting picked up and taken to our hotel (The Tim hotel) we freshened up, changed clothes and headed back out to meet Berry (Veronica Vain of Weighting in Vain) and a few of her girls. They had taken the EuroRail from London. Getting around Paris was very similar to New York. There were various metro lines and a bunch of people. I felt at home.
Once Berry and the girls finally arrived we knew it was time to take over Paris. I had my list of must-see attractions and Berry had hers. The first stop was the Sacred Heart Church (Sacre'-Coeur) which was located on the highest peak in Paris. The view was absolutely breathtaking. You could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The area was filled with vendors and tourist from all over. Inside the Cathedral was beautiful, delicate, detailed, realistic looking works of art. Sorry I wasn't able to take pictures inside. We ended the evening at a local restaurant with a tasty spread.
Day 2:
I woke feeling well rested and still over the moon about actually being in Paris. Ooh la la la... Before making our way to the Embassy and meeting up with Berry and the girls we dine the complementary breakfast provided by our hotel. This was the best comp breakfast I've ever had. We stuffed ourselves with freshly baked chocolate chip croissants, silver dollar pancakes, fruit cocktail, apple sauce, tea and the best fresh squeezed blood orange juice we've ever tasted. It was magnificent. There was no protein, just carbs. This is how I gained 16 pounds in a week.
We took a 15 minute cab ride to the Embassy and as punishment (lol), Mara and I left Tel at the office to handle her business while we walked around outside and took pictures. The area was a beautiful open space with fountains, monuments and sculptures. It took about 2 hours total for Tel to get her new passport, which wasn't too bad.
We hopped on the metro and headed back to Gare de Nore station (the Grand Central station of Paris).
With time to spare Tel, Mara and I stopped in McDonald's after noticing they had pastries (yes official pastries). The McDonalds in Europe is more upscaled than here in the States. They sell an assortment of delicious treats. Pistachio, Carmel, Raspberry Macaroons, tarts, cupcakes and much more. I wanted to try them all but settled for two delicious mini macaroons.
We met up with the girls and spent some time admiring the Arc de Triomphe before heading to the Louvre museum. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.
It was mid day when we made it to the Louvre. Walking through the corridor leading up entrance was a sight in itself. The multiple glass pyramids, and the architecture of the building was simply gorgeous.
My main focus was to locate the Mona Lisa. I bypassed every other piece of art work and went straight for the famous painting. She was surround by people from all across the globe. The painting was a lot smaller than I imagined but, just as beautiful. Once I got over the shock of seeing her I ventured off to see the other artworks. Many of the paintings had an iridescent glow to them. Because of me looking for Spartacus I missed out on seeing a very gorgeous golden Sphinx, but I did see The Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus di Milo sculptures.
We regrouped and met up with a friend of Berry's who lives in Paris. We grabbed a quick warm snack then went to the market to pick up a few items for our picnic later that evening. As we walked through the streets of Paris I couldn't help but compare certain areas to New York City and Miami. There were areas reminiscent of Soho and Herald Square in New York as well as, Lincoln Road in Miami.
Our picnic location was a hot spot for the young adult crowd called Bateaux Promenades. It was literally located along the Seine river where party boats traveled and the Eiffel Tower could be seen in the distance. I absolutely loved it. We unpacked our treats and had a wonderful evening full of laughs, singing and fun.
Not too far from where we were was a bridge. I asked Jojo if that was the famous Lovers lock bridge and it was. This was one of the two specific sites I wanted to visit while in Paris. The Eiffel Tower was the other.
The story behind the bridge is that love-struck sweethearts began locking padlocks onto the the chain link fence of the Pont des Arts. Throwing the keys in the river is supposedly a sight of eternal devotion and love. Always prepared, I took out the three locks I designed and began attaching them to the bridge. One lock was for my family, another was for my friends and the final one was for the love that I hope will someday find me. Woo woo woo. One by one I made a wish over the keys and threw them in the Seine river. Before throwing in the keys to my friend lock I called my girls over and we made a wish to remain forever.
We started walking away after we were done and the Eiffel Tower began to twinkle with white and gold lights. It was beautiful.
Day 3:
This was our last full day in Paris. We met Berry and her friend Diana back at the locks bridge. It was an even prettier sight during the day. The locks glistened in the sunlight. After taking a slew of pictures we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.
On our way there we were lured into a bakery by the smell of sweet, freshly baked bread. Now let me explain how captivating the smell was. It was so alluring that we all hovered around the counter trying to find the source and when we did we couldn't contain ourselves. It was fresh out the oven sweet bread. My goodness you just don't understand. They were plump about the size of a football and warm like a summers day. There were two kinds, sugar and chocolate chip. We shared one of each. If we thought the smell was amazing the taste blew our minds. Just picture five beautifully dressed women walking through Paris with surgery, chocolate covered fingers, and smiles that stretched from ear to ear. I had dreams of that sweet bread. Sigh......
Okay let me get back on track. I could see the Eiffel Tower peeking out behind some buildings. The excitement began to build. This was really happening. A few more feet and it was fully revealed. It was a thing of beauty. In honor of where we were the girls thought it was appropriate to play Jay-Z and Kanye's song €%£% in Paris and make a mini music video. Talk about hilarious. People were watching us, but we didn't care one bit. We were having an amazing time. We took a few pictures at the base of the Eiffel Tower before making our way to the top.
In no time at all we were sipping champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We stayed for about an hour before making our way back down. A few hugs and kisses then Mara, Tel and I parted ways with the rest of the girls as they left to catch their train back to London.
On our way back to the hotel we found a delicious Euro Caribbean restaurant and enjoyed one last meal in France.
Next stop Rome, Italy
Tip:
When traveling out of the country make sure to make two copies of your passport. One should be left with someone back in the States, and the other should be tucked away in your luggage away from the original.
It was in February of 2013 when I decided that I needed my own Eat, Pray, Love experience. I needed to get away (as always). I wanted to explore, to learn another language, to escape. I considered going back to London with a stop in Morocco with my friend Berry and her father, but then I received an email from travelzoo.com that changed my mind. I clicked on the link and was directed to the site gate1.com. As I began my search I found a few hitters. London to Paris to Amsterdam to Spain to Italy. The list of options were mesmerizing.
Once I decided on a destination I had to figure out whether to travel solo, with my guy at the time or my girls. My girls won as they jumped at the chance to go to Europe. My guy was taking too long deciding and I couldn't wait.
Fast forward two months to April 21st, 2013. Everything was going perfectly well. Our driver picked us up on time, we got to the airport 15 minutes before boarding compared to the 2hrs they suggest for international flights and our flight was a smooth one. So what could have happened from the time we boarded the plane to the time we arrived in Paris? Read on.
As Mara and I presented our passports to customs Tel was still searching for hers. Next thing you know we had joined in on the search. After a few minutes it was clear that her passport could only be back on the plane. Mara and I scratched our heads as we couldn't believe this was really happening. We were so close, yet so far.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. It was 45 minutes to an hour before we heard back from Tel. Thinking she was back at the plane all that time Mara noticed her only a few feet away at the customer service counter. With there being a language barrier no one checked the plane for the missing passport until an hour and a half later. By this time the passport had already been compacted into a cube with left over garbage and thrown in the trash. Unbelievable.
One of the custom agents took Tel to the security area where they provided her with a pass to enter the country. They advised us that she would have to go to the Embassy the very next morning to get a temporary Passport. After about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs we finally were able to breath in some French air. Our scheduled pickup had already left so I had to call and request another one. That was an additional 15-30 minutes. At the end of it all we had to laugh. Only Tel. So it turns out that Tel put her passport in a plastic shopping bag that held her sandwich while she took a picture of Mara and I. SMH.
After finally getting picked up and taken to our hotel (The Tim hotel) we freshened up, changed clothes and headed back out to meet Berry (Veronica Vain of Weighting in Vain) and a few of her girls. They had taken the EuroRail from London. Getting around Paris was very similar to New York. There were various metro lines and a bunch of people. I felt at home.
Once Berry and the girls finally arrived we knew it was time to take over Paris. I had my list of must-see attractions and Berry had hers. The first stop was the Sacred Heart Church (Sacre'-Coeur) which was located on the highest peak in Paris. The view was absolutely breathtaking. You could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The area was filled with vendors and tourist from all over. Inside the Cathedral was beautiful, delicate, detailed, realistic looking works of art. Sorry I wasn't able to take pictures inside. We ended the evening at a local restaurant with a tasty spread.
I woke feeling well rested and still over the moon about actually being in Paris. Ooh la la la... Before making our way to the Embassy and meeting up with Berry and the girls we dine the complementary breakfast provided by our hotel. This was the best comp breakfast I've ever had. We stuffed ourselves with freshly baked chocolate chip croissants, silver dollar pancakes, fruit cocktail, apple sauce, tea and the best fresh squeezed blood orange juice we've ever tasted. It was magnificent. There was no protein, just carbs. This is how I gained 16 pounds in a week.
We took a 15 minute cab ride to the Embassy and as punishment (lol), Mara and I left Tel at the office to handle her business while we walked around outside and took pictures. The area was a beautiful open space with fountains, monuments and sculptures. It took about 2 hours total for Tel to get her new passport, which wasn't too bad.
With time to spare Tel, Mara and I stopped in McDonald's after noticing they had pastries (yes official pastries). The McDonalds in Europe is more upscaled than here in the States. They sell an assortment of delicious treats. Pistachio, Carmel, Raspberry Macaroons, tarts, cupcakes and much more. I wanted to try them all but settled for two delicious mini macaroons.
We met up with the girls and spent some time admiring the Arc de Triomphe before heading to the Louvre museum. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.
It was mid day when we made it to the Louvre. Walking through the corridor leading up entrance was a sight in itself. The multiple glass pyramids, and the architecture of the building was simply gorgeous.
My main focus was to locate the Mona Lisa. I bypassed every other piece of art work and went straight for the famous painting. She was surround by people from all across the globe. The painting was a lot smaller than I imagined but, just as beautiful. Once I got over the shock of seeing her I ventured off to see the other artworks. Many of the paintings had an iridescent glow to them. Because of me looking for Spartacus I missed out on seeing a very gorgeous golden Sphinx, but I did see The Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus di Milo sculptures.
We regrouped and met up with a friend of Berry's who lives in Paris. We grabbed a quick warm snack then went to the market to pick up a few items for our picnic later that evening. As we walked through the streets of Paris I couldn't help but compare certain areas to New York City and Miami. There were areas reminiscent of Soho and Herald Square in New York as well as, Lincoln Road in Miami.
Our picnic location was a hot spot for the young adult crowd called Bateaux Promenades. It was literally located along the Seine river where party boats traveled and the Eiffel Tower could be seen in the distance. I absolutely loved it. We unpacked our treats and had a wonderful evening full of laughs, singing and fun.
Not too far from where we were was a bridge. I asked Jojo if that was the famous Lovers lock bridge and it was. This was one of the two specific sites I wanted to visit while in Paris. The Eiffel Tower was the other.
The story behind the bridge is that love-struck sweethearts began locking padlocks onto the the chain link fence of the Pont des Arts. Throwing the keys in the river is supposedly a sight of eternal devotion and love. Always prepared, I took out the three locks I designed and began attaching them to the bridge. One lock was for my family, another was for my friends and the final one was for the love that I hope will someday find me. Woo woo woo. One by one I made a wish over the keys and threw them in the Seine river. Before throwing in the keys to my friend lock I called my girls over and we made a wish to remain forever.
We started walking away after we were done and the Eiffel Tower began to twinkle with white and gold lights. It was beautiful.
Day 3:
This was our last full day in Paris. We met Berry and her friend Diana back at the locks bridge. It was an even prettier sight during the day. The locks glistened in the sunlight. After taking a slew of pictures we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.
Okay let me get back on track. I could see the Eiffel Tower peeking out behind some buildings. The excitement began to build. This was really happening. A few more feet and it was fully revealed. It was a thing of beauty. In honor of where we were the girls thought it was appropriate to play Jay-Z and Kanye's song €%£% in Paris and make a mini music video. Talk about hilarious. People were watching us, but we didn't care one bit. We were having an amazing time. We took a few pictures at the base of the Eiffel Tower before making our way to the top.
In no time at all we were sipping champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We stayed for about an hour before making our way back down. A few hugs and kisses then Mara, Tel and I parted ways with the rest of the girls as they left to catch their train back to London.
On our way back to the hotel we found a delicious Euro Caribbean restaurant and enjoyed one last meal in France.
Next stop Rome, Italy
Tip:
When traveling out of the country make sure to make two copies of your passport. One should be left with someone back in the States, and the other should be tucked away in your luggage away from the original.
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