Vive La France: Traveling in Paris Day 1

Waking up in Paris and opening the window in our Airbnb to have a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower was truly breathtaking. It's exactly how I imagined it would be. Isn't that the best thing in life? When you imagine something and then it's better than you expected it? 

After a full 24-hours of traveling, we all got up slowly, showered, and got ready to go explore Paris! If you know me, then you know I get ... what's the nicest word for this?... HANGRY. So we left the Airbnb, headed towards the Eiffel, and we're all in agreement that we needed to get food and espresso. Now, I'm not a coffee person, I don't like the taste, but Rich got a little addicted to espresso during our trip and is now wanting to buy a French press. 

Our first cafe stop was at a place called, Le Pierro Bistrot. I thought it was cute that Rich's espresso cup said, "Cafe Richard' ... though this seems to just be a brand of mugs because it wasn't as unique that I thought it would be. Rich had many more Cafe Richards. 

Now, I'm sure plenty of you are thinking, "What an American looking lunch in France, Maegan. Way to get out of your comfort zone." And you're right. The menu wasn't in English, it was our first day in France, I do not speak a word of French, so this was basically a guessing game. However, this was the best French Club Sandwich I ever had. So there. 

Also, FRENCH FRIES. So, my meal was very French. 

The group was fed, espresso'd, and ready for the start of the day! 

Our first afternoon was spent at the Eiffel Tower. I honestly still can't believe how pretty and big it is in person. I know I sound like a fan girl, but I had been waiting 23 years for this moment so I was going to soak up every bit that I could! 

We hung out and chilled on the grass for a bit before deciding to explore some more. We decided to walk the Seine River to head to Notre Dame. As soon as we took off walking we realized that it was going to take a while because Notre Dame is pretty far on foot from the Eiffel, so instead, we grabbed some of the city bikes to ride. It was SO. MUCH. FUN! I wish I had more photos, but it's hard to bike and snap. 

Riding a bike along the Seine River was probably one of the most fun things that we did! I really wish I had more photos of it or photos but I was living in the moment. 

We rode the bikes close to Notre Dame Cathedral and then parked them. The ride was a lot of fun for me, but Rich took us down a one-way road the wrong way and Amy almost got ran over by a truck because people wouldn't move off the bike lane on the side walk. 

Needless to say, we were ready to be at Notre Dame in once piece. 

Here's what we didn't know about the day we decided to go visit, it was a Catholic holiday! So when we got there, I heard a lot of singing, there was a ton of security and lots and lots of people. Though I am not Catholic, it was beautiful to hear the singing even if I had no idea what they were saying. 

I love symmetry in architecture, and this building is beautiful! The details, the sculptures, just everything was exquisite. After gawking around and watching a choir leave Notre Dame Cathedral while singing it was time for a break. 

It was starting to get a bit rainy, so we left to find a snack ... and some wine. 

Say, "Bonjour!" to our first cheese plate! I can't even tell you what all these cheeses are because I've realized I am a cheese novice, but the only thing left on this plate when we were done was the piece of lettuce on the board. 

We left our cute bar/restaurant and walked a bit more around the Seine River.

 

We actually came out on the backside of the Notre Dame Cathedral. We walked, and walked, and walked some more until it was time for dinner. We already knew that we were going to go to an Italian restaurant called, "Trattoria Di Sapri" that one of our friends had talked and talked about to us before we left. 

I know. A club sandwich for lunch, and Italian for dinner. 

HOWEVER, it was DELISH. I don't even have any pictures except for one because it was sooo good, and I was sooo hungry! 

After dinner, we *tried* to go to Moulin Rouge, but because the guys were wearing shorts we couldn't get tickets. Lesson learned for different places in France, shorts can mean no entry. 

Since we couldn't go see Moulin Rouge, we went to a bar close by instead for a night cap. 

Then, we went back to our AirBNB to sit outside on the patio and look at the Eiffel Tower sparkle. It is the MOST magical thing to watch at night! 

Next! On to day two of Paris which means visiting the Catacombs and a (really hard) French cooking class! 

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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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Thirty-ONEderful Charity Donation: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas

It's the third month of "Thirty-ONEderful Charity Donation" and this month I am donating $31 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas (RMHCA). I can't believe it's already August! That means back to school for many, and much more traffic for me in the mornings to work. However, it also means that there are children and families who are not going back to school yet this year because they are currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. 

About two years ago, I visited and toured what the RMHCA of Arkansas provided here in Little Rock. It was incredibly humbling.  They've really created a 'home-away-from-home' for more than 33,000 families who have traveled here for pediatric care from all over the state. 

Here's how they describe their home: 

"While RMHCA cannot make medicine taste better or take away painful treatments, we can provide a place to stay each night and the little things that are otherwise easily taken for granted: warm meals, a hot shower, play spaces and friendly faces to come home to after a long day. We are not a hotel, but a warm "home-away-from-home" with a sense of community and support."

Each family is given a private bedroom, bed and bath linens, free laundry facilities, access to common areas with tv's, outside play areas, and access to two kitchen areas. It costs the house around $80 per room, per day to operate. 

No family is ever turned away because of inability to pay. 

As August rushes by, and the traffic begins to increase, and school supplies are aplenty, think about the children and families who are not getting ready to take their first day back to school photo this year. Those are the kids that I want to support this month by helping their families find a little comfort wherever they can during their stressful time. 

It doesn't get much sweeter than this. Congratulations to Kendra and Baby Willow for heading home last week after 15 days. We hope they come back to visit! #forrmhc #keepingfamiliesclose

A post shared by RMHCArkansas (@rmhcarkansas) on Jul 25, 2017 at 2:47pm PDT

And I cannot forget to mention one of the most important jobs at RMHCA. The Director of Smiles, Mac. How could you not feel a bit better about life getting a hug from him?

Even though Mac is our Director of Smiles, Jeremiah didn't need any help smiling this morning. He was sharing his own smile with Mac. #directorofsmiles #forrmhc #keepingfamiliesclose

A post shared by RMHCArkansas (@rmhcarkansas) on May 1, 2017 at 7:46am PDT

If you can't give monetarily, but you can give your time, there are LOTS of ways to get involved with volunteering. Or, keep up with them in the news.  You can also buy house necessities off of their Amazon WishList and have the items sent to the house! Shop here. And if you do want to give, go here. 

Thirty-ONEderful Charity Donation:

June - Heifer International 

July - Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance 
August - Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas

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