Spring Break in Paris

 There’s always a reason why college students decide to take a semester and study abroad. For me, one of the aspects that intrigued me to study abroad was to learn and explore a different part of the world. This week I did just that. Unlike a large majority of my peers I decided to stay in France and explore Paris during my spring break trip. Before starting my study abroad adventure, I had created a bucket-list of places I wanted to visit in Paris. It’s been more than a month here and somehow the study part of study-abroad has taken over. Fortunately, this week off of school has helped me accomplish some of my activities on my bucket list of places to see and things to do while I’m in Paris. It’s odd breaking out of the daily routine that I have created for myself in Paris. Recently, I’ve noticed that with school I find myself staying in one section/area in Paris for the majority of the week. I shouldn’t complain, it’s Paris after all, but a part of me has been getting tired of seeing the same thing day-after-day and being confined in a classroom for a couple of hours. I love my classes, but I feel as if a part of me is missing out on the hustle and bustle of Paris while I’m sitting reading or watching movies about this grand city rather than going out and seeing it for myself. So naturally, I found myself staying in Paris for the break trying to accomplish some of my bucket-list items on my list. I admit that a few of the places that I have decided to see during my spring break are very touristy. Judge me all you want. But what matters most is that I am having fun and created memories at these places 

Here’s a list of some of the places that I’ve visited so far on my Spring Break

1)Disneyland Paris (tip: if you are a Disney fanatic like myself invest in the student passport- you can visit Disneyland as much as you want during your stay- and it cost only a bit more than your pass navigo).

2) Le Petit Palais

3)Ladurée: I started tearing up eating a macaroon here. I recommend going to the one in St.Germain because it’s less crowded and is quaint. I truly felt like a Princess eating here

4)Exploring everywhere around the Eiffel tower: So far I’ve walked in the park of the Eiffel tower three times (day and night) with my friends and was introduced by a friend to a great restaurant in the neighborhood.

5)Belleville: My friend and I went here twice this week. We’re officially obsessed with this place and celebrated the Chinese New Year this weekend there. The quest to find cheesy, cheap, delicious pizza can be found in Belleville. And yes, both times I went this week we ate at the same restaurant. It was five euros for a whole pizza, there is nothing that could be better than that

6)Thrift store shopping- I’ve been on the search for a black fur coat for the longest time. My friend and I went exploring in the Marais and I finally found one for ten euros! I finally feel like the true sassy Parisian that I was meant to become.

7)The Catacombs: You know that you have found your place in French society when you can joke about death with the French. It was very Descartes

8)Getting lost in Paris: This has happened with my friends a few times. Yes, I have been hangry for half of them-but at the end of the day it was a great adventure seeing and exploring a different part of Paris that I didn’t expect to see. I love how all of a sudden the Eiffel tower will just pop up out of nowhere; or even better when you find an alley with a hidden gem. Paris is definitely a place where one can get lost, and with ease might I add,but there always seems to be a positive experience or memory that comes out of it.

I haven't completed everything off of my bucket list, but I'm glad that this week has given me the opportunity to explore and see parts of Paris that I had never thought (or intended for that matter) to see. I used to see Paris as this big, humongous city. Now, after walking on the cobblestone streets of Paris, it's becoming more familiar and smaller than I have ever imagined. I am truly beginning to understand how interconnected this city is, and am falling in love with it more and more every day. Hopefully, I can take this sense of adventure and apply it to my studies as well. But I have a couple more days until I need to worry about textbooks again :)