Paris, je t’aime! An American Reminisces on Her Love Affair with France

Story, photos by Jill Beckel

Bonjour! It is hard to say where my obsession with Paris started, but I am honestly not sure. I know that I dreamed about going to Paris as child and something about it always fascinated me.

I took French throughout middle school and three years of high school. However, I am by no means fluent. I can pick up phrases and written words here and there, but definitely could not hold my own in a full-on on conversation in French (I did try to brush up with the Duolingo app before this trip).

Once I was in college, I knew that I wanted to travel abroad. My school (shout out to Elmira College) had a unique three term school year in which the third term was shorter at only six weeks. I was so looking forward to the France study abroad program, but it was not offered my sophomore year when I was planning to do the program. I was so disappointed when I found that out that I started tearing up! My friends were very interested in the UK trip, so I got more information on that and decided to study there for a semester too. It turned out to be a great decision and I had a blast and learned so much. Our weekends were free for ourselves to sightsee and do what we wanted to, so one of the weekends we took the Channel Tunnel (often called the Chunnel for short) to Paris for just a day. We got to see the Eiffel Towel and walk around a bit, but I vowed that I would return.

I finally got that chance when I paired a short 4-day trip in Paris that piggybacked with a trip to London in the late summer/early fall of 2018. Paris in September is very beautiful. It was actually a bit hotter than I expected (similar to a September in Philly!) and most of the days were quite warm. I noticed that most Europeans do not wear shorts at all and it is a quick way to declare yourself a tourist if you do. Luckily, I packed some ankle pants and dresses and was happy and comfortable in both. I still mostly wore comfortable sneakers though because of all the walking!

Day #1: Friday (vendredi)

We arrived in Paris via the Eurostar in the Chunnel and checked into our hotel – Hotel Gabriel Paris. It is located in the 8th arrondissement (or district) in Paris called Republique. They were gracious enough to upgrade us to a room with a balcony! The room was small, but extremely clean and modern with DELICIOUS French chocolates on the pillows (it’s the little things).

After we unloaded our stuff, we opted to take a City Bus Tour to get our bearings of the city. I am not great with directions, so this was a great way to see a lot of Paris in a short time frame. A glimpse of the Eiffel Towel (La tour Eiffel in French) was all I needed to finally realize that we were in PARIS!

We got off at the Louvre Museum stop and got to walk through an amazing garden courtyard. It simply took my breath away just walking up to it. The Louvre is as huge as everyone says and you could easily visit it for multiple days and still not see everything. I especially loved the Egyptian exhibit, the Renaissance paintings and of course, finally seeing the Mona Lisa (although it was much smaller than I had anticipated!). I could have stared at some of the paintings for hours. So intricate and beautiful.

After the Louvre closed, we were exhausted from our first full day and hungry. As much as we wanted to have a great meal, pizza in bed sounded better, so we picked up a pizza on our walk back to the hotel. It was actually pretty good!

Day #2: Saturday (samedi)

On Saturday, we enjoyed espresso on our balcony and then did a lot of walking around the Place de la République, a public square in Paris and did a lot of eating! For a late brunch, we had AMAZING crepes at Chez Imogène Crêperie that was right on the corner of our hotel block. It was definitely an authentic French spot, not a tourist trap, which we really appreciated. The waiter kept apologizing for not speaking English when we were perfectly content with pointing out things on the menu. Needless to say, the crepes were très bien! I went with a ham and egg one and then a Nutella one for dessert!

We finished our afternoon with a magical walk along the Seine River (these views…..pictures cannot do it justice). For dinner, we had a delicious Mediterranean/French fusion meal at Else. I was so happy that the hostess thought that we were French initially! Score. We shared falafel, bread and hummus as an app and then I had a squash ravioli dish followed by a dessert that was similar to bread pudding/French toast (dessert twice in one day – when in Paris!).

We weren’t too far from the Eiffel Tower, so we took a bus to catch it lit up at night. This is truly my favorite thing in the world. Nothing is as magical as seeing it lit up and sparkling in all its glory! It sounds silly, but it just brings me so much joy and makes me feel like a little kid at Christmas.

Day #3: Sunday (dimanche)

I woke up with a bad headache this morning, so we took it easy and had croissants on our balcony. Luckily our tickets to Versailles were not a timed entry and we could arrive anytime that day. We took about an hour train ride which was beautiful and gave us the chance to rest our feet a bit and take in the lovely French countryside.

The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. Versailles Palace is a sight to behold. I honestly am struggling for words on how to describe how seriously breathtaking it was. The gardens are so expansive and lush and well-kept that it almost feels like you’re in a dream. We took a tour of the inside and then got to explore the gardens. I will let the photos do the talking.

After a long day on our feet, we took the train back to Paris and found a nice café back by our hotel.

The charcuterie board was very heavy on the meat! We clearly did not realize how large of a portion we were ordering. I had the Croque Monsier – a delightful toasted sandwich topped with ham and Gruyère cheese (if you’d like a fried egg on top too, opt for the Croque Madame).

Day #4: Monday (lundi) 

Today was our last full day in Paris (insert sad face here) and it was absolutely jam-packed. Thankfully, it was a warm, sunny day since we had our scheduled tickets to ride La Tour Eiffel (the Eiffel Tower).

We started the day off right with brunch at Café République, a delightful café right by our hotel. I had banana crepes and tea. I loved their beautiful china and ambiance.

Next, we had to take the metro to get to the Eiffel Tower for our scheduled tour at 1pm. You are only allowed to go all the way up to the very top (the summit) if it is not too windy that day and we were in luck because it wasn’t! We waited in a short line and then up we went!

The Eiffel Tower was built to be one the main attractions at the Paris World’s Fair in 1889. That year, the World’s Fair covered the entire Champ de Mars in Paris and its focus was the vast constructions in iron and steel that were the great industrial advancement of that time. Today, it is one of the most frequented landmarks in the world.

The views of Paris from the very top were stunning!!! It was cool seeing people enjoying it from all walks of life and from all different countries and cultures too. We heard lots of different languages for sure.

We walked around the whole Eiffel Tower area afterwards and saw some beautiful gardens and fountains. The whole area is an idyllic photo shoot spot and you better believe I took a ton of photos. I really wanted to go shopping on the Champs-Elysees, but we didn’t have time after taking in all the gorgeous views.

Next, we had to make sure to go and see the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l’Étoile—the étoile or “star” of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues (Wikipedia).

To our surprise, there just happened to be a live military parade happening right as we were walking up to it! We got to listen to live music and some speeches that we couldn’t really understand.

Next, we made a quick stop to walk around the Notre Dame Cathedral, but sadly did not have time to go inside. It is so beautiful and the details are so intricate.

We finished the day with an early dinner because of early flight home the next day. Is there anything better than dinner in a café? Besides the smoking, not really! I could have sat and starred at the Parisian men and women forever. Their effortlessly cool attitudes and sense of style is almost hard to put in words. Two young French women at a table by us both had on black leather jackets, ankle booties and T-shirts. A very simple outfit that you would see here too, but yet they looked SO much cooler! The French are known for buying quality over quantity in their clothing, something that I definitely struggle with.

We definitely fulfilled the stereotype of Americas as we proceeded to order two appetizers, two entrees and dessert when they also served a large bread basket as well! We just wanted to sample so much. I also thought it was funny when the server asked if we wanted a little or big beer for the size options. He kept apologizing that his English was not that good, but we felt bad about not speaking more fluent French! It was a great dining experience and was nice to take our time and relax. Many French people spend hours in cafes and are never rushed out as long as you keep the cappuccinos or wine flowing.

Day #5: Tuesday (mardi) 

We had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch a taxi to the airport to travel home. It was such a bittersweet moment, but I was happy to get back home to my cats. I really loved being an American in Paris and it did not disappoint. The sights, the sounds, the rich history – it all makes the city a must-visit at least once in your lifetime. People give the French a bad rap, but everyone we ran into was super nice and accommodating. The servers went above and beyond to make sure we understood the menu and even spoke in English even when we were trying to use some of our French. I hope that one day you will get to become an American in Paris too! Au Revoir!