Traveling to Paris was an adventure in its own right but once there, it was as if we had teleported to a place that was simply unfathomable. Words don’t do it justice, and pictures barely scratch the surface.
We had taken the train from London, dozing in and out of an awakened state as we slowly let our guard down. The humming tracks and steady pace was enough to relax after the culture shift in London and struggling through a near all-nighter. Once the train came to a stop in Paris, we scooped our belongings, shoved our suitcases off the train and headed for another unknown place. You see, I had tried to find us a hostel, on the river with only a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel tower. We walked in, feeling a little like the Twilight Zone had just swallowed us. We dropped our things and got ready for a run on the river. The jog led us to the Eiffel Tower in the daylight, around it, and then we took off back to the hostel. The place turned out to be a zoo of commotion with brightly painted rooms and musty smells. Not quite the vibe you think of in Paris. Ha! As I sat on the edge of the bed feeling defeated, I turned to Drew and asked him if he’d be opposed to finding a hotel online and switching gears then and there. In his incredibly patient voice, he said he didn’t mind and set up on our laptop.
Minutes later, we were cabbing back across the river, away from the Eiffel Tower and into the most beautiful modern and perfect boutique hotel I have ever seen, for only $20 more each night. I mean, duh! It was the ONE place I didn’t end up taking photos of the hotel and I just can’t believe myself.
The Louvre
A five-minute stroll to the Louvre, he had put us in a perfect location and it was time to get out and absorb the sites. This was the start of our trip where I got to see a side of resilience in Drew that I will never forget. I mean, ever. But more on that later.
After we cleaned up and grabbed a bite to eat, we decided to head for a drink. Drew had found his way to a speak-easy that we were going to check out and my, did it live up to its expectation. The sun was just setting and it got dark fast. We had walked for about 15 minutes and suddenly Drew took a turn. We were facing an open doorway that led only to a tiny, cast-iron spiral staircase. It had a few candlelights trickling down the stair rail and no signs anywhere. Thinking we probably wouldn’t go in without knowing for sure, I turned to look down the street and when I looked back, he was almost gone, disappearing down the stairs. I got so excited that I ran in the door and then delicately approached my decline down the stairs. A room dimly lit, and a bar directly ahead greeted us at the bottom of the staircase. A Spanish influence embraced the place as a set of songs that might have been directly off the Narcos Netflix show slowly took over the mood. We ordered these incredible cocktails that had me a little tingly after just the first one. Then we decided to walk by the Louvre at night.
Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and Rock Bars
Over the next few nights, we scaled the city, finding the most fun rock bars and eclectic places to enjoy a bev. We found our way to Notre Dame and stood in awe at the things humanity has created with what seems like so little resource at the time. One night, we decided to take a bottle of champagne to the Eiffel Tower and sit on the lawn in the back. Every hour the Eiffel Tower would sparkle and shine as the breeze blew through and people chattered on around us.
Jordans
One of the afternoons, we made our way to the only Jordan’s shoe store in the city. Drew’s passion for Jordan’s shoes is like mine for photography. It’s incredibly commendable, and by all means, we indulge them both. Ha! He’s so perfect!
