Traveling From Little Rock to Paris

It FINALLY happened in life, I finally made it to Paris!  If you remember, a few months ago I announced that I was headed to France for the first time with a group of friends and asked for a few recommendations. After lots of researching, reading and recommendations we had the best time! 

I'm going to be recapping a lot of the trip on the blog, so let's start out with the beginning! 

Packing has never been a strong suit of mine because I always over pack. But, my friend Amy told me about packing cubes and how they helped keep things organized. I found this really cute set on Amazon for around $23 and I love them. I was able to put tops in one, pants in one, and dresses in another. It also came with a bathroom toiletry bag that is a perfect size for the trip. (These are NOT affiliate links, I just LOVE these cubes!!) 

Packing with these cubes also made it easier while on the trip. Nothing got lost like it usually does and I was able to rearrange and pack when I souvenirs to bring back (and just wait, I brought back a doozy of one). 

Five of us traveled from Little Rock to New Orleans to fly on Condor to head to France. Amy and Bobby (the married couple), Rich and me (the dating couple) and our friend Marcus. 

The drive to New Orleans can take around 7 hours or so, give or take how many times we have to stop for snacks. (My favorite car snack are pickle chips. Also, the smelliest snack.)

After we got to New Orleans, we settled into our hotel room and then headed out for dinner. Rich and I had visited New Orleans about a year and a half ago and eaten at a restaurant called, Cochon. They also have a more casual restaurant called Cochon Butcher that doesn't require any reservation and is a little friendlier on the wallet when you're about to take a 10-day trip to Europe.  

I LOVED Cochon, and I LOVED Cochon Butcher. I had the pork belly with lima beans and then split the Mc and Cheese with Rich. Everything was INCREDIBLE. I can't wait to go back to New Orleans just to eat at one of these restaurants again. 

Because it was Saturday night and we weren't leaving til late Sunday night, we did what any group of friends would do in New Orleans, we went to visit Bourbon Street. 

It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends on Bourbon and just watch people. I'm pretty sure we counted like 20 bachelorette/bachelor parties, a lot of people in red dresses, and a few men carrying around snakes. There were also a few other things that we saw that I'll just keep off the blog. ;) 

After a delicious dinner, a fun night but a long day of driving, I was ready to call it a night. Sunday morning we all got up late, took showers before the long 24-hour journey, and had a casual afternoon. We went to a fun arcade bar for some snacks then headed to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets! I love a good beignet, but I will say, in 100-degree weather eating a hot donut makes you sweat more. 

What's the best bar to go to in New Orleans to have fun and stay cool? The carousel bar! 

Rich first brought me here on our trip and it was one of my favorite places that we visited. I'd like to make The Carousel Bar and Cochon a regular on any visit I have to New Orleans now. 

Look at these sweet, five faces ready for France! 

Our flight to France didn't leave until around 11 p.m. Sunday night because there was a bit of a delay. So, the five of us each bought a bottle of wine in the airport, a bunch of snacks, and just sat around waiting for takeoff. 

We were all flying Condor for the first time because they had such great deals flying from New Orleans to Paris. I mean, REALLY good deals! I had actually never heard of this airline before this trip. Rich's dad had told us that they had been around for a long time. We paid less than $500 roundtrip flight per person from New Orleans to Paris! 

My first time flying Condor was actually fun. Who says that about an airline? I watched the movie Gone Girl because I like to call it a romantic comedy. 

I basically felt like I was at home but with MUCH better and fancier snacks. 

This was the food... this is better than I eat on a daily basis. The starter on the left was sliced Char Siu duck, honey poached mushrooms, scallop and shrimp, and a fresh salad. The main course (if you think there wasn't more) was beef tenderloin with a red wine jus and grilled vegetables. And then, of course, dessert was a dark chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries. 

Honestly, this meal was DELICIOUS. I have never had such good airplane food but it really made me forget that I was traveling across the world over an ocean. Would I fly Condor again? Absolutely. 

When we arrived in Paris it was pretty late so we took an Uber from the airport to our Airbnb. We went around the corner to find a small market store still open and grabbed a couple dozen frozen pizzas. After a little confusion on how to actually start the oven, we had a little midnight dinner and then went to bed... the Airbnb was PERFECT and we woke up to this view: 

Next, our first day in Paris! 

To be continued... 

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Labels: 2017 , France , friends , New Orleans , nice , Paris , travel