Week 3: Last Tango, now Paris 🤍

Nothing beats a birthday abroad.

Cobblestones and Café de Flore ☕🥐 – where M's Parisian 21st birthday tale begins. Boarding the Eurostar, M set off for Paris, the quintessential backdrop for such a significant celebration – a city of romance, art, and charm. 🚄❤️🇫🇷

Day 1

M reunited with Y upon landing in Paris, embarking on an exploration of the 8th arrondissement. Their adventure led them to the Jardin des Tuileries🌳💐, where the sight of the Eiffel Tower moved M to tears. The arrival of A meant it was time for shopping at Galeries Lafayette, blending fashion with friendship. L arrived in the evening from Florence.

A yummy dinner at Bambini left the girls feeling satisfied🍝. They went out to the terrace to view the tower sparkling for the first time: what a magical sight.🗼✨

The girls walked closer to the tower to see its beauty….

Club - Pachamama!🪩

M + her girls decided to hit the town to Paris’s most famous club spot: Pachamama. The night turned into an unexpected reunion when M + A bumped into old pals from both college and high school – talk about a small world! 🌍👯‍♀️

 🪩 🪩🕺🏾

Left: ran into Laura from Holton; right: ran into Victoria from Penn (Annika's former roommate sophomore year and in Huntsman program)

Day 2 - M’s bday

Cobblestones + Café de flore☕🥐:

After getting their beauty rest, M + her girls went to Paris’s iconic cafe: cafe de flore☕🌸. But the real question: who was hotter, the girls or their chocolat chauds?

Louvre Love🏺🏛️ 🔍💎⚱️

Ensuite, M + her clan headed to the louvre, immersing themselves in the splendor of the Crown Jewels, the Richelieu Wing, and, naturally, the renowned Mona Lisa. Although, between me and you, M was the real masterpiece.

The celebration continued with a sweet touch as they indulged in macarons from Ladurée 🎉🍬. However, M had to admire the treats from afar due to her almond allergy.🚫🥜💖

Next, the girls dined at the luxurious Hotel Costes, a hotspot for celebrities 🌟🍽️. They savored the cheesecake that even Kim K traveled to Paris for! 🍰✈️ C'était très délicieux!

⭐⭐

M: the belle of the ball🎀

Although M + her gals planned to have a chill night in, they found themselves returning to the beautiful club: Pachamama. Let’s be real, those designer bags under M’s eyes weren’t from excessive shopping at Galleries Lafayette. This time they partied too hard, only returning home at 6:30am.

Day 3 - Monmartre Day 🥐🍷🎞️🕯️☕🚬 

Foodie highlights: une crepe citron et sucre de Au Petit Comptoir.

M lived out her Amélie Poulain dreams as she got off the metro station to the charming streets of Monmartre. There, she and her girls explored Sacré-Cœur, marveling at the panoramic city views, wandered past the charming La Maison Rose, and delved into vintage treasures and a painter’s square. 🇫🇷🎨👗

Apres ca, elles sont allées to the famous photobooth: fotoautomat📸

With L, A, and Y gone, the adventure didn't slow down for M + A. Childhood dreams from their days in Swahili were coming to life as they embarked on this long-awaited journey. A hadn't yet witnessed the Eiffel Tower's nightly sparkle, prompting an enchanting walking tour of the city. Back at the hotel, they slipped into robes, cozying up to watch Gossip Girl: the iconic show that inspired M’s entire celebration!

from the car

Day 4 - Au revoir!

M waved goodbye to her hotel in the morning, stepping onto the Eurostar and leaving behind the magic of her Paris birthday. What an unforgettable celebration it had been! 🚄✨🇫🇷

❤️❤️

M’s thoughts: I loved being in Paris, and it’s a city I have always wanted to visit ever since I started French in third grade. Living in London, such a metropolitan, you get to hear a lot of different languages. While sitting on the tube, I would always hear people talking in French and was excited I could still understand them. I was nervous about speaking in French when going to Paris, but I was able to talk with locals and fool them into thinking I was Parisian. I 1000% plan to go back this semester. I will definitely continue French at school. My favorite parts of the trip were walking around the city with Andrea on the last day (while successfully having a full convo in French with our uber driver), the lemon and sugar crepes in Monmartre, and seeing the Jardin de Tuileries/eiffel tower for the first time. Thank you all who made this possible (mom & dad)

XOXO,

M💋