Thanksgiving in Paris

My original plan for Thanksgiving was to spend my weekend in a cabin in Zermatt- drink coffee (…wine…) and eat pastries while watching the sunrise over the Matterhorn (so majestic). Logistically, Switzerland was a bit more complicated so I decided to book Paris instead! Rough life.

I traveled to Paris in Spring of 2012 and was lucky enough to go with an amazing group of girls. We hit all the touristy sites and were typical college students who got caught trying to sneak in extra people to our hostel room to save a few bucks (sorry, Lauren). We checked off the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, the windy climb up the Eiffel Tower, and most importantly eating an entire 25 cent baguette and a banana-nutella crêpe on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur . This time however, I was looking forward to a much more relaxing visit (still inclusive of all the baguettes and crêpes, of course)!

Thanksgiving morning started off with an early train ride from Kaiserslautern to Paris; roughly about 2 1/2 hours and only two stops along the way. It’s still hard to believe I live THAT close to Paris and I waited this long to go! We arrived around 9:30am and immediately hopped on the subway to get to our Airbnb. This was my first time trying one out and I was really excited for something a little different. We stayed on a busy pedestrian street (Rue Montorgueil) lined with restaurants, cafés, cheese shops, wine shops, flower stands- you name it! It’s centrally located between two subway stops that could get us anywhere in the city; couldn’t have been more perfect.

Our host requested we pick up the key at one of the local cafés, but just to my luck my phone died just as I got off the subway and I had no idea where this café was. Stubborn me decided I’d try and find it on my own, but quickly failed at doing so. My level-headed friend asked for some directions and much to our luck I didn’t get us (too) lost.

After picking up the key, we headed to the apartment where we struggled at figuring out how it worked. We entered the building with a door code, but the key itself didn’t fit in the apartment door. We tried for a couple minutes (how many different ways can you put a key in a door idk…), made sure we were on the right floor, and still after no luck, texted a picture of the door to our host who quickly responded telling us we were in the wrong building! But then how did the door code to the building work?! Sketchy.

After climbing six flights of stairs in the correct building, we dropped the bags in our adorable Parisian room and took off on our day of sightseeing! We spent the day galavanting around the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, and a wonderful Christmas market we coincidentally stumbled upon. The weather was perfect and I had my first taste of gluhwein- hot mulled wine made with plenty of spices and christmas love! But then again, maybe that’s why the weather seemed perfect 🙂

That evening, I had a great Thanksgiving celebration with my cousin and some friends, complete with all of my favorite dishes. At the end of the night, my cousin was walking me home and we were given an up-down by part of a film crew as we were about to walk through their scene. Didn’t think that’s something we’d stumble across at 2:30 in the morning… but luckily we were dressed “nice enough” for their film and were walking in a straight(ish) line on the cobblestone. So lucky for us she let us walk through and we didn’t need to take a detour (thank goodness because I was actually wearing heels and definitely struggling on that cobblestone). So hey, if you’re into French films maybe you’ll see the back of my head at a theater near you!

The next day we got off to a late start but still made time for a delicious brunch at Claus; a chic, bakery-style café just a short walk from our apartment. We ended up waiting in line for about twenty minutes, but reviews made this place sound like a must so we braved the cold to give it a try. I ordered the “super bowl” which I assumed to be more or less similar to an açaí bowl- which it was! Very delicious, but it unfortunately wasn’t “American size” and I had to fill up on an assortment of breads. Always worth the carbs.

Following brunch we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Louvre and Notre Dame- not as rushed as the last time I went so it was nice to avoid the crowds. When we made it to Notre Dame, it was already dusk so we decided to spend more time inside the Cathedral- it was amazing compared to my first experience! Not as many people, dimly lit by candlelight and honestly a little of spooky. I was just waiting for Frollo or Quasimodo to emerge from the dark corner behind the moving Nativity scene. Unfortunately, the candle I lit for the ND football game didn’t make it to God in time because, well…yea….
We spent the rest of the evening walking around the city and ended the night with some decaf and pastries.

I’m noticing this blog is getting long, so really the only important thing about our third day was CHIPOTLE! Yes, Paris has a Chipotle. Portions are half and the prices are double, but I had no choice. Chipotle withdrawals are a real thing.

As I end my weekend in Paris, I am so thankful for the opportunities I have been given and smile when I reflect on the last year of my life (thirteen new countries later, like what?!). This was my third year away from my family for Thanksgiving and as wonderful as Paris is, it’s still not home. So I hope you kissed your parents, cuddled with your dogs, and didn’t take watching football games at normal hours for granted ♥