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How to see Paris in four days (complete with exhaustion).

It was so refreshing to be able to travel overseas again, to Europe, after almost three years since my last trip in 2019 to Hungary and Scotland. Who would have thought that would be the last New Years before the world shut down and the last few months before airports and flights were shuttered around the globe. 

The most difficult thing for someone who is motivated by travel and truly lives for booking flights is the world shutting down.  Mentioning the world shuttering is not to discount the lives lost and so many who fell ill to the virus that shuttered travel and changed the world.

 I personally was ill for six weeks and still have the occasional foggy brain moments, so I know that this time was a serious time in world history. Hopefully we can all look back at it and come out stronger and kinder especially when traveling.

Reflecting on the last twelve days, while I sit in JFK It was so refreshing to be around others from all around Europe and it was music to my ears to hear French, Spanish, German and so many other beautiful languages even if they aren’t the smoothest when spoken by the human tongue. Having lived overseas three times and worked abroad it was so difficult to be told your flights cancelled and you cannot leave the USA. Granted I know how fortunate I am and lucky that I am able to see the world.

Just returning from Paris, France which I had visited 20 years prior, when in college.

I don’t remember much about my first time to France, but it truly was a sight to see and a true blessing to experience one of the most bustling, romantic and picturesque cities in the world but for a longer period of time. I don’t think anything compares to strolling down the avenues to see fresh Boulangeries (bread and pastry shops), fromageries (cheese shops), and the multitude of fantastic people watching from the Brasseries and restaurants.

This brings me to the point of this article, how to do Paris in less than a week.  After arriving in Paris on an overnight flight I powered through the next day. I slept about four hours on the flight, but was a bit delirious so didn’t even feel tired. Made it to my airbnb with my friend and we got ready to go out for the day. Started off with a meal and then to see the Eiffel Tower, by day and then return the following evening to see her sparkle at night. I tried convincing my friend we should see the tower in the same day, but she was too tired so we returned the second day.

We spent a few hours in Musee du Orsee which is a must see when visiting Paris. Since I had already seen the Lourve I skipped going inside, as one can only see Mona Lisa so many times. I never took a photo and don’t anticipate it anytime soon. Call me non-traditional for not following the crowds, but hey that’s why I say dare to be different and do what works for you, not what social media suggests.

After the museum we grabbed food at the Marche which was a delight. I got a fresh duck salad and some pomme frites which basically is French fries, very French I know and a glass of rose wine.

After that lovely lunch we strolled along the street to the nearby shops. We later headed back over to the Eiffel Tower to see her sparkling lights, which happens for five minutes past the hour every hour once dark. The next morning we boarded the train for the South of France to go visit Bandol, Cassis and another fantastic city that I highly recommend. 

After Paris I headed over to Reims, France where bubbly champagne originates from. If you are into champagne and want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris I highly recommend heading out of the city to Reims or even Versailles. Both are within one hour by train and the train is so easy and lovely. You can depart from either Nord or Est station pending the train schedules and the train line to take is TGV or OUI. 

Once completing an amazing visit two champagne cellars and tasting the most amazing food and delightful macarons and croissants I headed back to Paris for my last two days.

The last two days I was on my own and explored Champ Elysees which translates to Elysian Fields in greek. I headed over to one of my favorite areas of Paris, known as Montmartre.  I watched artists paint the most incredible art all in one city center, where you can actually purchase their art and there are some very reasonable artists work too. 

I went into the Sacre Coeur Basilica, which was truly a sight to see, and the view from the top of the hill where the Basilica stands was lovely as well. I loved this area for the many reasons, not only the view. There were fantastic shops, so if shopping is something you enjoy, this is a great area to do so. Also, the myriad of Restaurants in this neighborhood makes this area of Paris a foodies dream coming true. 

I fortunately had a local Parisian connection and they recommended I visit a local Restaurant that their friends owned. I made a reservation at Chez Toinette. I got the escargot to start, which if you don’t know what that is, basically it’s snails soaked in butter with spices. It may not be for everyone, but I truly enjoyed it. I then followed my appetizer with the lamb shank and wow is the only word I could describe it. The flavor was incredible and the meat fell right off the bone. Not only was the flavor fantastic, but the size of the lamb shank was incredible so I had plenty of food to fill me up, essentially not leaving enough room for dessert. The beauty of this Restaurant was it was quaint and I felt like I was in a Pariian home. I happened to be visiting on the weekend of a soccer championship final, the French open and a holiday weekend so reservations were hard to come by in most places. 

I am grateful for being able to dine at this establishment and I highly recommend it on a visit to Paris. Lastly, I made sure I went to the Arc Du Triomphe prior to visiting either of these places. One last piece of advice prior to leaving Paris is to ensure you give yourself four hours at the airport, or like me you may miss your flight and have to eat more stinky chèvre, goat cheese, macarons and croissants. 

Would that be such a bad thing, having to stay in Paris and eat all the amazing food, attend all the amazing markets and see the sparkling lights of Ms. Eiffel Tower herself? I would have to agree that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I guess you may have to return home if you didn’t pack up the house to move abroad before you left.