Paris at Christmastime

It's been nearly a year since we found a thirty euro roundtrip flight to Paris, which also means that it's been nearly a year since I fell in love with the "city of light".I think I may be the only girl in the world who never had a strong desire to visit Paris. I thought it would be very overrated, too touristy, and really expensive. But I'm here to tell you that Paris wooed all of me and I would be more than willing to return tomorrow and the next day and the next day.We used Airbnb and had an experience as lovely as the city itself. Our host, Nina, prepared homemade croissants for us every morning, homemade pastries in the afternoon, and on our final night, a bottle of wine and a cheese platter awaited us. Not to mention the helpful advice, directions and recommendations she provided us!

As it was the beginning of December, the "city of light" proved true to its nickname. Christmas was everywhere. Every street was adorned with lights. Every light pole with wreaths. Every shop with Christmas trees. Every plaza with markets.

We wandered for hours each day, just taking in the views and the charm of the city. I have to admit, I never expected to explode with so much thrill when I met my girl, Eiffy, for the first time.It was kind of like a bucket list moment I never knew I had. I was falling in love with Paris hard and fast.We chose not to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, as we would have wasted the entire weekend waiting in line. Instead, we waited for about two hours to go to the top of Notre Dame. I have no idea what the view is like from the top of Eiffy, but if I'm going to seek out a great panoramic spot in Paris, I want the Eiffel Tower to be a part of the view!And as it turned out, the Notre Dame offered a stellar panoramic--Eiffy included. Added bonus: Gargoyles.

In typical tourist fashion, we fastened an "Esperica" lock on the Pont des Arts bridge over the Seine River. I'm hoping it's still hanging tight after the tragic love-lock bridge collapse! If you find yourself in Paris anytime soon, let me know if you see our lock. It's the silver and red one.And how about the Louvre at nighttime? I can't recommend it enough. We walked through the museum earlier in the day, smiled at Mona Lisa, and stared at some other, less-famous paintings, but none of that compared to the look of the museum in the evening.The only thing I wasn't very keen on were our mealtime decisions. We seemed to continuously pick all the wrong places and that's something I'd like to plan better for on future Paris excursions. However, there was one restaurant that ignited a fire in me, truly satisfied me, and maybe even caused a tear of joy. But this was only because we had been separated for three very long, hard months. Yes, Paris has a Chipotle! I got off the plane and practically ran there. Boy, was it expensive--we're talking about 55 euros for two people--but it was worth every penny.So, after all of my doubts and concerns and eye rolls, Paris managed to knock the socks right off of me and I absolutely cannot wait to return. Thankfully, now I get it. I get why "Paris is always a good idea."