#WanderlustWednesday: Paris

Hey you, how’s quarantine life treatin’ ya? Today is day 26 for me. For the most part, I’ve been pretty happy in my house but some days are tougher. Those tough days are when I’m anxious about things beyond my control or when I crave human interaction. Lately, I’ve been experiencing an intense desire to travel— hence, Wanderlust Wednesday.

A few nights ago, I was going through memories in my camera roll and I favorited a few photos from my trip to Paris before the Coronavirus situation drastically escalated. Since many of us are longing for the day we can wander freely (and safely), I figured I’d share this experience with you in case you also desire to travel. I’d been to France several times but never to Paris, a city I’ve wanted to cross off my bucket list. After spending just nine days there, it might be my new favorite city in the world.

Paris

Two things I loved most about Paris: the diversity and the architecture. I traveled there from Poland where quite frankly the only people I saw that looked like me were other basketball players. It was refreshing to see people of color and to have a break from being stared at. As far as the architecture, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before. It is stunning. The most basic, regular places look beautiful from the outside. I’ve always loved French windows but I especially became obsessed with seeing them all over the city of Paris. Quite a few times, I found myself thinking about what it would be like to live in one of those flats above a cute cafe on a quiet street.

Some other obvious highlights were seeing the major sights — Eiffel Tower, the Louvre (and Mona Lisa), etc. I really enjoyed Disneyland Paris! I’ve been to Disney World in Orlando, FL a couple times but this was my first time at Disneyland. Oh, can’t forget that I found the coolest sports bar where I watched Super Bowl LIV in real time. And the food/restaurants?! Amazing. Those need a separate post of their own. By the way, I tried and loved escargot! Anyway, I could go on-and-on about the captivating city of love but I’ll save that for another post. For now, here’s a short list of things that I suggest.

Things to look for

Hotel: Les Jardins du Marais

Useful Apps: CityRail, Tiqets, Uber (but I primarily walked and/or used the metro to get around), UberEats

Favorite Cafe: Cafe Mericourt

Breakfast spots: Breakfast In America, Benedict

Bars/Nightlife: Belushi’s, Fat, Cafe Oz Rooftop

Until next time…

It sucks that this is the situation we are in but it can’t last forever. I hope you find a sense of renewal in each day and that you acknowledge even your smallest victories. Enjoy these photos while I go celebrate one month in isolation, cheers!

Hang in there,

Jas