Paris, FR

Feb 18 - 23

Where do I even start with Paris? I feel like I had heard so many negative and positive things about the city in the past that I really had no idea what to expect. I ended up loving this city, it's so vast that I don't think 4 days was nearly enough for it, but I made the most of my time here for sure. 

Seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time at night was a truly magical experience and probably something I will never forget, it's one of those buildings that photos will never do justice. I feel like it was so much taller and majestic than I expected, I remember walking out of the metro station and being awestruck at what I was looking at. 

Some other highlights of Paris included the Musée d'Orsay, a beautiful gallery built in an old train station; the food, which was amazing; and getting lost in all of the beautiful neighbourhoods in Paris. The 11th, the 4th, Le Marais, Montmartre, each area had its own little charm that made me fall in love with this city.

Paris has a way of getting under your skin that's hard to explain until you've experienced it yourself. Maybe it's the way the city reveals itself slowly. a hidden courtyard here, a perfect croissant there, a view down a cobblestoned street that stops you in your tracks. I came in not knowing what to expect, half-braced for disappointment, and left already mourning the version of me that gets to discover it for the first time. Four days was nothing. It barely scratched the surface. But that's the thing about Paris, it doesn't need to give you everything at once. It knows you'll come back.