I went to Paris for the first time in the winter of 2015 and had an amazing time exploring the city. I got lost multiple times and had to call my mom across the ocean to translate signs for me. I ate more croissants than I thought was humanly possible and I loved every second of it. I got to go back to Paris again in 2019 and this time I even had a friend in the city and a better head on my shoulders. I still got lost and ate way too many croissants, but at least this time I was more organized about it all. Paris take two was definitely an improvement from baby Jade frolicking around the Eiffel tower, but just for fun, I’ll add a few throwback pics from 2015 to kick off this post.
Baby Jade 
c. 2015 
c. 2015 
c. 2015
I started off trip two to Paris with a morning run to the Eiffel Tower. I love bringing my running shoes with me when I travel because it’s the quickest way to see a new city. Going for a run in the morning has two benefits, 1) the lighting is perfect and 2) it gets your day started bright and early!
I had breakfast at lots of cute Parisian coffee shops!
I visited Musée d’Orsay! Similar to the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, Musée d’Orsay in Paris was also once a railway station. I spent an entire morning walking around the museum with my mom secretly on FaceTime so she could tour the museum with me. FaceTime is truly so amazing. I loved being able to walk my mom through a museum that she used to walk through when she was my age. We spent a long time reading the quotes in the Degas exhibit. A few of my favorites were:
One must have a lofty idea, not of what one is doing, but of what one can do some day in the future; otherwise there is no point working at all
Degas
One sees as one wants to see; this is false; and this falsity constitues art
Degas
I’m so glad my friend introduced me to Hank Burgers. They’re delicious and surprisingly vegan! The saddest part about eating at great places while you travel is that when you are back home and craving one of these meals, you have to realize that it’s on the other side of the world. One day I’ll make it back to Hank Burgers and I’ll get two orders of cheese fries to make up for lost time.
I got to see the Christmas decorations at Galeries Lafayette. The most wonderful time of the year is definitely extra spectacular at the Galeries Lafayette shopping center. Every inch of the mall is covered in Christmas decorations and the center of the complex has a giant, and I mean giant, hanging Christmas tree.
We had a delicious vegan meal at Le Potager de Charlotte. There were too many good options to choose from, so we all got something different off the menu and did a taste testing. I added the menu in my photo recap because you need to decide for yourself on what looks the best!
I went to the Louvre Museum! I didn’t get to visit this museum on my first trip to Paris, so I was super stocked to be able to finally cross it off my list. I signed up for the earliest time slot the museum offered and bee lined it straight to the Mona Lisa, as any responsible tourist would. I also FaceTimed my mom into this museum tour and we spent the whole morning strolling through the iconic museum halls.
I got to see some cool garden sculptures on one of my many afternoon strolls around the city.
I went to Hemingway’s house on Rue de Cardinal Lemoine where he lived from 1922 to 1923 with Hadley. The plaque says that they lived “very poor and very happy.”
The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.
Hemingway
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.
Hemingway
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Hemingway
I unfortunately saw the burnt down Notre Dame.
I did lots of shopping and walked all over the city.
went to Sacré-Cœur, which is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. I went inside and lit a candle for my cousin Molly. I’ve now lit candles for her in Montreal, Paris and Budapest!
I went to the Eiffel Tower! I wrote about it all in more detail here.
