The Paris Memoirs: Magical Moments

The memories that remain with you the longest aren't the landmarks you saw or the things you bought - they're the experiences you have with people and the feelings you get. I could go on for hours about all the amazing meals, nights out, nights in, and inside jokes I had during my five months in Paris, but no amount of storytelling skill would convey the reality of each personal experience.

So instead, in order to make this way more accessible, I've decided to share my top four memories of Paris, that is, the images I get in my head when I think of this city. These were the magical moments.


Autumn Leaves and Springtime Gardens


One reason, among millions, why Paris is so charming, is because of its green spaces. There are so many parks and trees that provide a nice relief from the gray stone color of the buildings.

And the floral design in the major parks are so beautiful! Whoever the landscape designer is should be applauded, because the wild bunches of flowers bring such life to the parks! These were both taken at the Tuileries, you just HAVE to come here during spring or summer.



Le Musée D'Orsay


My absolute favorite time period in Art History resides here, at this magical palace of beauty. The museum is housed in a renovated train station - a fancy one, bedecked in gold, with a massive, arched, coffered ceiling.

You're not allowed to take pictures of the art, but they have one of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings, as well as lesser known artwork from the time period, including a small room dedicated to the Nabis. There's also some Van Goghs and a fantastic miniature cut-away model of Opera Garnier.




MONTMARTRE - all day, err'day


If you asked me the place I visited most, it would be Montmartre, by far. I can't even remember how many times I spent an afternoon ambling about there. Although I lived in the south of Paris, and Montmartre was at the very opposite end, I still made the trek out there because it's just THAT good. I was lucky enough to live on Metro line 12, which had stops at both the Musée D'Orsay and the base of the Montmartre hill, so it wasn't too much of a hassle to get there.

My favorite route up to the butte was from Metro Abbesses. Less tourists, and zero obnoxious salesmen forcing you to look at their eiffel tower keychains or string bracelets (don't even get me started on how damn annoying they are). Using this route, there are a number of small boutiques and cute restaurants to check out. I particularly enjoyed the vintage shop Vintage Desir for it's cheap prices, and Chîne Machine for its higher end inventory. Be sure to head downstairs into the stone basement at Chine Machine! Lots of amusing things to try on, including giant fur coats, wacky 80s prom dresses, and the like.

One of my favorite sections of Montmartre was near the vineyard, near La Maison Rose and, further down the hill, Au Lapin Agile. That Bohemian charm still remains here, even if it is usually swarmed with tourists. Just avoid the sales men that lurk at the bottom of the hill near the carousel… they are bad news. And another piece of advice, if you see a stand selling sausages on baguettes with grilled onion, buy one. You won't regret it.

{Basement of Chîne Machine}


Île-de-la-Cité and Île-Saint-Louis


Saving the best for last! The two islands that sit in the middle of the Seine river are perhaps the most quintessentially Parisian. You have Notre Dame here, St. Chapelle there, a famous ice cream shop over yonder, little booksellers lining the river banks, a charming park, Shakespeare and Co. across the river (technically not on the islands, but close enough!), AND MORE.

My preferred plan of attack: visit St Chappel with it's amazing stained glass windows, pop into Notre Dame, then make your way down side streets, over a bridge to the quieter Île-Saint-Louis, stop at any vendor to get a fix of Berthillon ice cream (my favorite flavor is caramel beurre salé, aka salted caramel), then amble across another bridge and down to the river bank as you savor the ice cream snack. You could even be ambitious and bring bottle of wine to drink by the water's edge. CAN YOU GET ANY MORE CHARMING?!

I find the back of Notre Dame much more beautiful than the front. Theres even a little garden in the back with plenty of benches.


There's still so much to share about my Paris study abroad experience! I have a few more planned before I depart for a new new life in Versailles in one month! On the planner - "Le Musée," "Marché aux Puces," and "Restaurants." After that, I'll be able to share my new experiences settling into French life. <3




*Top image made with A Beautiful Mess app

*Places Mentioned:

Vintage Desir - 28 rue Yvonne le Tac, Metro Abbesses (also one in the Marais)

Chîne Machine - 100 Rue des Martyrs, Metro Abbesses

Berthillon Ice Cream - 31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, Metro Cité + walk

Shakespeare & Co - 37 Rue de la Bucherie, Metro Saint Michel



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Cathedral Light

Since I simply can't keep my blog posts caught up with my crazy schedule, I've decided to organize my posts by place or theme!

Today I want to share with you the beauty of light in Gothic cathedrals. The majority of these pictures are from Sainte Chapelle, but a few are from Notre Dame. If you happen to visit a Gothic cathedral at the correct time of day, when the sun is low enough in the sky to create golden light with long shadows, you're in for a treat. I tried my best to capture the glow of it, but nothing substitutes actually being there.

The past two weeks I was lucky enough to have two visitors: My mom and my grandma! I showed them around the city, and pretty much checked everything off their Paris To-See lists. I felt like a pretty adept mock-tour-guide!

I have to admit though, it was so hard leaving my mom at the airport bus stop. It was like I reverted back to being 4 years old. That moment when you're left at kindergarten for the first time, and you feel absolutely hopeless and heartbroken. But thankfully, after a few days of rest (which included copious amounts of sleep and medicine), I was able to get over not only my residual cough, but also the feeling of loneliness I had been battling since my very first day in Paris.

I realized during this time, thanks to some pokes and prods from my dear friends here and back home, that happiness doesn't just happen. Rather, it's a choice that you have to make everyday. If I allowed myself, I could have been depressed and scared for the entirety of my stay, but that simply isn't an option for me.

It's time for me to embrace being here, to fall in love with Paris, to see all that I can see in the next four months, to remember that my hometown, family, and friends will ALWAYS be there for me. I'm never alone with all the love I'm being sent through prayer and good wishes. Big life changes are extremely difficult for most people, but if you are determined enough, all it takes is a choice to be happy.

On my wall, I have written: I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose determination, bravery, strength, and happiness. (or insert whichever type of abstract nouns you have need of)

If you're reading this right now, you are studying abroad, and you are experiencing culture shock, loneliness, homesickness, regret, or fear, take comfort in the fact that probably 98% of people who study abroad feel the exact same things. There was even a point where I almost came back home, only three weeks in. Take it one day at a time, and find a way to become happy, even if it takes time, a whole month even. You can do it!

And if you're not studying abroad, just enjoy my photos and live vicariously! :)

Inside Notre Dame

Daniela and I finally had a free day this Saturday, so one of the things we decided to do was explore the two islands of the Seine. We started by seeing the interior of Notre Dame.

I love seeing inside Gothic Cathedrals - they're so full of mystery and beautiful light. I love the pointed shapes and heavy stone. Being inside a place like this makes me feel safe and calm. Although, it's really hard to keep hoards of tourists silent inside such a large space that is prone to extreme echoing. The church has a track they play every hour or so that says "sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - silence please."


{Some photos are a bit blurry because it was really dark inside}
{Notre Dame's rose windows are famous. Unfortunately, I don't remember why they're famous.}
{This chapel had some good light} {More stained glass!} {And more!}
{I love the layered look of Gothic arches}

Seeing the stained glass made me want to visit Ste. Chapelle even more!! I'm irritated that I haven't gone yet!

Notre Dame

I'm back with some more pictures!

This was my second excursion of the semester. This trip particularly will remain in my mind because it was the first moment of authentic enjoyment I felt in Paris after the dismal loneliness of the first few days. It was the first time I felt myself relax and thoroughly enjoy being in Paris. I didn't think I'd enjoy seeing Notre Dame as much as I did, but it was beautiful! I was able to leisurely stroll through the streets taking pictures. The entirety of Ile-de-la-Cité had such a charming ambiance. One of these days I'm gonna go back and see St. Chapelle and wait in line to go inside Notre Dame.

{Me in front of Notre Dame} {It's so big!} {Look at that detail!} {Side view} {Garden at the back} {More of the garden} {A band playing Parisian Jazz} {The Seine} {The Seine again} {Petite Rue}
This is only part one of that day - pictures of the flower market to come soon!

Also, today I start my babysitting/tutoring job! And I'm now three days into my Intensive French course - today in class we watched Paris Je T'aime!