A trip to Paris came up for discussion when Kyle and I were trying to make our travel plans for the year. One big benefit when we moved so far Northeast was the access to so many new cities and states. During our first year here (2014!), we tried to take advantage of our new surroundings as often as we could. Our weekend trips included a trip to Cape Cod, a couple of trips to Connecticut, some road trips upstate, and Washington, D.C. When January came around, we discussed possibly taking one big trip instead of a few mini vacations. Going to Europe was our first pick. And...the fact that it is (somewhat) so close to NYC is amazing. There are great deals out of NY and we found very cheap fare through Expedia for a smaller airline. Our flight to Paris was 7 hours. No layovers, no transfers. We went to sleep, woke up, and we were there! It was definitely one of the BEST trips I've ever taken in my life (maybe second to just our honeymoon obvs). I felt like we both really enjoyed the much-needed time off together, and we somewhat knew how to navigate the city having lived in NYC for over a year (Kyle navigated the metro like a true champ.) Plus, we didn't have cell phone service (just occasional wifi), so we literally had to unplug from everything and enjoy the sights and each other without distractions. Goodness, it's so hard to find a place to start--the food, the museums, the art, the buildings, the gardens, it was all so perfect and beautiful in the springtime. The entire time we kept comparing it to NYC, and at the end, we definitely thought we could live there. If only!
I will have to make several posts on our trip because we saw so much. (Think of this as part one of many parts.) These pictures are taken in the neighborhood we stayed in (Montmartre). It was our first time renting through Airbnb and I highly recommend it!! The process was so much smoother than we both expected, and it was SO much cheaper than staying at a hotel. It kind of felt like we actually lived there for a week since we would come home to our apartment everyday! It was also very convenient having a kitchen and fridge and living room area.
Of all the neighborhoods I saw, I think this one was my favorite. Although a bit touristy, I just ADORED the winding cobblestone streets, the slant of all of the buildings, the many cafes, bakeries, and floral shops right outside our apartment. It was so surreal and dreamlike. (literally dreamlike, because I was so jet lagged.)