Bonjour!

Hello from Paris!

That’s right, after only a week of being back on the East coast, we left again for Europe. Are we nuts? Maybe, but at least we’re in Paris.

Steve has a conference starting tomorrow, and on Saturday we will be traveling to the Netherlands to check out lots of different places. But for now, we get to enjoy Paris and all of its beauty.

Yesterday we basically arrived at our stay, grabbed dinner, and fell asleep at 7:30pm. And yes, if you were wondering, we did in fact sleep all night (10 hours total) – thank goodness. We were exhausted, to put it lightly, and what sleep we did get on the plane was not good sleep. But we made it, and that’s what matters!

This is my second time to Paris. My first visit was when I was 17. I remember arriving early one morning, doing touristy stuff ALL day, and then seeing the Eiffel Tower the next morning before we left. Pro tip: Do not try to do Paris in one day, and especially not the first day you arrive with a tour guide and 10 of your classmates from high school. I loved it, naturally, how can you not? But all I wanted was to sit under one of the green or red canopies with the wicker chairs and drink a cup of coffee at a cafe with a book in my hand. That is precisely what we’ve done today, minus the book part, although I plan to add that in later this week when Steve is at his conference.

Steve, however, has never been to Paris, or even France for that matter. It is one of my favorite places to travel, so getting to experience him seeing it for the first time is so fun. The language, the history, the buildings, the views, the croissants… What’s not to love? We’re two days in, and I think he gets why I love it so much. 

Today we made good use of our public transit passes and traveled to the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine and through the Tuileries garden, peaked at the Louvre, and saw the rebuilding process of the incredible Notre-Dame.

We got fresh baked goods from the local boulangerie and ate our treats as we walked home. We’ve seen lovers kissing in gardens, people having a glass of something at every cafe with outdoor seating, children walking home from school, and so many cute dogs. We’ve made it around well enough to not need maps to get home from our tram stop, so I’d say we’re navigating quite well.

Honestly, it’s been a dream so far. To be in a place that I used to dream of, went to as a teenager, and now I’m back as an adult with my husband in the city of love. It’s beautiful and dreamy and so many wonderful things.

Sometimes it feels like I manifested this life. I always knew I wanted to travel and explore and see the world. I knew I wanted someone to share it with. I mean, how lucky am I to get to be with my best friend/husband in this beautiful place?

I think having somewhere that feels, in your gut, like it’s a place you love to be, somewhere you truly feel happy, is so important. I’ve felt that way many times before, including when I moved to Chapel Hill, in my first apartment in Virginia, and with Steve. France is one of those places that I just love. No question.

I think everyone should have somewhere that feels that good, that much like home.

Most people know that “home” to me can mean a lot of things, especially since our home is normally wherever we are at that moment. But I’m talking about “home” to you. A person, a place, a pet, a thing. Whatever it is, finding something that feels enough like home that you can relax a bit, that’s a something to hold on to.

I hope everyone in the world can have that feeling, because there truly is nothing like it.

Anyway, I’ll be sitting in a cafe with coffee and a book for the next few days. See you next week!

Au revoir,

Skye