48 Hours in Paris, France

If you know me at all then you know Paris is one of my favorite cities to visit in the world. I have been fortunate enough to visit three times and it never gets old. The first time I went was in high school on a school trip and I actually hated it! I think it was because we were on a group tour and rode a giant charter bus around everywhere. The best part about exploring Paris is walking everywhere, because it is away from the tourist spots that you find the true magic!

I always feel weird explaining this, but the reason I was able to visit Paris on short notice (and for such a short time!), is because my mom is a flight attendant. She has been a flight attendant for close to 30 years, and absolutely loves it. I have had the opportunity to travel with her on a few of her short layovers over the years, and when she told me the Paris flight was wide open, I had to tag along! My sister was able to take off school too, so she was able to go, and it made a fun girls getaway that I hope to do more of in the future. 

Being a flight attendant is one of the hardest jobs. I do not understand how she does it! You are up all night,  serving passengers and working the flight, and then when you land you are usually only there for 24 hours or less (for this trip it was a rare two full days!), and then you turn right back around to work the flight back home. I was utterly exhausted, and I didn't even do anything except watch movies!

Speaking of movies, I watched five movies on the plane ride over and back (definitely one of the best parts of international travel, right?!): Midnight in Paris, Cafe Society, The Light Between Oceans, Ex Machina, and Bad Moms. My favorite was Midnight in Paris, obviously, but also I genuinely thought it was so good and entertaining! It also got me fully prepped for Paris. Light Between Oceans was beautiful cinematically and the acting was believable but it was the most depressing movie ever, Cafe Society was pretty and had a good storyline but could have been better (like, change the entire cast please), Bad Moms made me emotional for some weird reason, and Ex Machina was interesting with a good twist, but honestly I just hate any and all robot movies. 

So anyway, we had less than 2 days in Paris, and here is some of what we did!

Arc de Triomphe - we climbed all the way to the top for the most beautiful views of Paris! It was an overcast and cloudy day but the sun came out just as we got to the top. This was something Kyle and I didn't do when we were there in 2015 so it was fun to do for the first time!

Notre Dame - the beauty of this church never ceases to amaze me. I also didn't realize it took nearly 1,000 years to build (!?)

Trocadero/Eiffel Tower - obviously we had to get this one in since it was my sister's first time to Paris! We went here twice; once during the day and once at night to see it lit up.

Musee de Orsay - my all-time favorite museum. I especially love the fourth floor with the clock window over looking the city, and all the impressionist paintings. They make me almost wish I lived in a different time.

Shakespeare and Company - we just popped into this bookstore because it is the cutest! We also warmed up with some hot chocolate/lattes at their nearby cafe.

Walked along the Seine - We spent the better part of an hour just walking along the Seine, right before we went to get dinner at a nearby brasserie. 

We ate croissants, pate, cheese boards, drank red wine, pommes frites and steak, and more. Unfortunately I don't remember any of the places we ate at because I was braindead and exhausted from lack of sleep. But in Paris, it's hard to go wrong when everything is so delicious!

The Louvre and the importance of travel | Paris, France

Sorry for all of the Paris spam, as of late. I just have so many pictures and felt like The Louvre deserved its own separate post, so I left these out of the longest post in history.

While browsing the artwork at the Louvre, I kept thinking back to the importance of travel. How refreshing and insightful and romantic travel is, and how it is so vital to your soul to do it, and often. I was transported back in time looking at the various paintings and, unlike usual, I was particularly drawn to the sculptures this time. I couldn't get over the intricate details carved out of the bodies, the sinewy muscles, the bulging veins of anger or passion, the soft curves of romance or the doe-like eyes of a lover. I felt like I was encompassingly rejuvenated, as if I was able to come back to my true self--the girl who loves art and history and pondering deep thoughts and reading old poems. Paris was a wake-up call, but the Louvre was like shedding some old skin, acquired from working a 9-5, and basking in a reinvention and rediscovery of the old self.

I cannot stress the importance of travel enough, but above all, it allows serious time with whoever it is you are traveling with--family, a loved one, or a group of friends. It allows you to relax and step back for awhile, to refocus on the things that are important, that wow you, that are bigger than the everyday routine.

Even if it's a quick day trip, a weekend trip, or an overnight trip--try to travel and explore more this summer!

Peanut Butter French Madeleines

We had quite a few different pastries while in Paris, but when I tried a true French Madeleine, it was like the heavens had opened up and dropped little angelic cloud puffs into my mouth. They were light, fluffy, buttery--with crispy, defined edges and tasted so so so fresh. I adored their shell shape and how feminine they looked. ALSO--the name?! The French LOVE me. When we were there, we saw a Madeleine subway station, a church, a restaurant, and a hotel. : D

I got my Madeleine pan off amazon for $10 and think it was worth the purchase, especially now that I've seen how easy it is. For this recipe, I wanted to "Americanize" it a bit, by adding one of my all time favorite ingredients, peanut butter. (Apparently, peanut butter is very rare in France.) I think their gooey paste of choice is either Nutella or Speculoos.

This wasn't too hard to put together and just perfect with your morning coffee or afternoon tea. I think it tastes best right out of the oven, or should at least be eaten the day off (not that hard, trust me. I couldn't stop).

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Peanut Butter French Madelines: (makes 12 )

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup Peanut Butter
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• dash of salt

Directions: Melt butter and peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Set aside to let cool at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray the madeleine pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together eggs, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Continuously beating at high speed, gradually add sugar. Keep the mixer beating at high speed for 5-7 minutes. The egg mixture should have tripled in size and be very fluffy, thick and pale.

Add flour to mixture a little bit at a time, using a spatula to gently fold it into the batter. Add the peanut butter/butter mixture into the batter. Gently fold it in gradually.

Spoon batter into molds, and slightly tilt pan so the batter fills up each mold evenly. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until madeleines look golden and crispy on the edges. Flip onto a cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bon appetit!

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