A Bite of Paris: First Steps & Flaky Croissants
Two years ago, I was tied to a monochromatic life; one that I had quietly accepted. Travelling to Europe was only a distant dream that I struggled to fulfill.
As I began to reclaim myself over the last two years, I took a baby step towards satisfying my appetite for Europe through language lessons. My goal before I traveled to my first European country was to learn enough of a language and culture to immerse myself once I arrive. I’ve always had a low-key obsession with Paris, so I easily opted for French.
Although my French speaking skills were novice, I continuously checked airfare prices to Paris for a year straight. Halfway through 2017, I reassessed my year (and subsequently, my life) thus far. I was reaching the last of my roaring 20s, and the desire to “live my best life” echoed deeper than ever. With much heart and little hesitation, my boyfriend and I booked our first major trip together…to Paris, France.
Months passed between my French sessions and Paris, that I had unfortunately forgotten a majority of the grammar I learned. But, I retained the most important phrases – polite mannerisms and, obviously, how to order food. Our flight took us into Paris earlier than our Airbnb host could get us our keys, but he recommended his corner bakery, or boulangerie if you will. I ordered two chocolate croissants in broken French, which in confusion became four that we happily devoured. I’ve had many croissants in the past, but people weren’t kidding when they said pastries in France are simply magic. It was flaky, fluffy, and decadent. Maison Privat quickly became our go-to breakfast place. Fun fact is that they surprisingly served one of my favorite cups of cafe au lait during our entire trip.
After our Airbnb host’s mother came to greet us, we quickly settled in and headed out to get a SIM card. The best deal we encountered was from Orange, about 40€ for 16GB of data, including minutes and text too, but we didn’t need the latter. The setup was easy as well, so we definitely recommend that brand for your phone. In addition, they have locations everywhere.
It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and we just had to visit the infamous Eiffel Tower before the supposed week-long pouring of rain began. Our apartment was conveniently located about 10 minutes walking distance from Champ de Mars (which we definitely took advantage of), and made our way to visit one of the most beautiful architectural structures in history.
As if all the rom-coms in the world didn’t hype it enough, whatever cliche you’ve heard about the Eiffel Tower is most definitely true, and can’t be fathomed until you’re standing in its presence. Its beauty is akin to the Parisian woman – effortless, charming, and most definitely intriguing. I can’t help but see it as made from steel lace.
Slowly we walked through Champ de Mars and took numerous selfies throughout. Jet lag caught onto us, so we went back to our apartment for a quick nap, which turned into a slumber that we didn’t awake from until dinner time. Our first full meal in Paris wasn’t as thoroughly researched as the rest of them, but it may have been the most comforting meal we had in France.
The boyfriend chose Firmine, an Italian-French restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, so we could catch one of the light shows after dinner. Our server was wonderfully attentive, and almost every diner was a tourist (which made sense since we were so close to the biggest tourist attraction in the city). To be honest, part of me was skeptical when my boyfriend suggested Firmine. I was questioning whether it was a tourist trap, being on Avenue de Suffren, but I definitely need to just trust his food decisions more (after all, he did choose the restaurant with the best dish I had during the whole trip…but I’ll get to that another time). 🙂
I ordered a pasta carbonara with heaps of lardon. The sauce was so creamy and rich, yet I found myself cleaning off the entire plate.
My boyfriend ordered their hearty bolognese, and a French onion soup. We were really excited to try French onion soup while in France, but it wasn’t what I came to expect. I personally like mine with a lot of cheese broiled and bubbling on the top of my soup bowl. This soup only had shreds of cheese on top of the broth. It was still very flavorful, naturally sweetened by the onions and savory from the beef stock, but I usually like the extra depth of texture from the thick, chewy cheese. One thing I did really enjoy with the soup that was different from American-French onion soups though, is that the bread soaking in the soup is made from fresh baguette. Soggy bread usually turns me off in French onion soups, but the baguette was still intact. And you already know how I feel about the baked goods in Paris.
As the first of many bottles of wine that we consumed on our trip, the lambrusco we chose that night perfectly accompanied our first meal; sweet and effervescent. We’re huge lambrusco fans, and the Medici Ermete Lambrusco Dolce I Quercioli did not disappoint. A little drier than the usual lambruscos we drink, which was actually a pleasant surprise because they can undoubtedly be too sweet at times.
This meal proved that carb-y comfort food makes a wonderful home away from home meal. Even though Paris is a large city and not extremely foreign by any means, it’s always nice to feel warm and connected through food.
After dinner, we walked across the street to witness the light show, which comes on at the hour, every hour. I thought the Eiffel Tower couldn’t get more beautiful, but the light show was awe-inspiring. Tourists are normally loud at Champ de Mars, but it noticeably quieted as the lights came on.
When it ended, we headed back to the apartment, but not without stopping at a Monoprix to pick up provisions. We entered with the intention of purchasing water and a few snacks; we left with water, bottles of cheap wine, and chips. FRENCH CHIPS. I love fun chip flavors, so I was ecstatic when we came across Lays roasted chicken chips and paprika chips. We hurried home with our full bellies to pop open another bottle of wine and the chips, while Netflix and chillin’.
To our dismay, the roasted chicken chips tasted so much like roasted chicken that it was actually unsettling. But the paprika chips had a good kick and sweetness to them. We opened the bottle of bordeaux our Airbnb host graciously gifted us, and thus ended our first night in the City of Light.
