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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Taking it Easy: New Orleans Day 4

Ah! Our last day in New Orleans was Monday, but I wanted to space it out on the blog a little bit. My friend Patrick saw my snapchats of New Orleans and messaged me that I should go to the Ole Coffee Pot. 

Because he knows his stuff, we went! 

This was my omelet. It was delicious.

After brunch, my travel companion had some work to do for a few hours so I took the afternoon to tour a little bit. 

I headed over to the French Market - which is a bit touristy. They have a food court area that looked like it had some great stuff. The shopping was a bit repetitive but it was fun to look around. 

Since there were a few hours to kill, I took a tour of the French Quarter the the Saint Louis Cemetery. 

It's the cemetery where Marie Laveau is! I had seen it when I was a kid, but it's fun to go back to re-hear the stories.

I'm also amazed at how they bury people in New Orleans. Just think those tombs have multiple people in them.

Ah! One of the MOST FUN THINGS we did was go to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. A couple was so nice to let us know when they were leaving so we could grab their seats. Getting a seat on the carousel can be really hard. It's fun to watch people just walk around and sort of stalk their prey to get a seat. 

A lady recommended the Pimm's Cup - a drink I had never had before - and it was delicious!

Also, it's so pretty! 

In case you're curious exactly what is in it - it's really nice. 

I wish we had a better picture, but it really was a fun afternoon. 

For dinner we went to Cochon. It's a new(ish) restaurant in New Orleans I believe and it did not disappoint. This was probably my favorite dinner place that we visited. 

This was their beet salad. I LOVE beets, so anytime I see a salad with them I always order it. 

I know this looks a little like brains (or that's what the BF called it) it was really good. 

For dinner I had the appetizer of the spicy ribs. And they aren't kidding, they were spicy! 

But they were addicting. It's eating something so good that's so hot and you can't stop but you need to at the exact same time. 

Tuesday morning we woke up really early and took FlyGLO back to Little Rock. It's the nonstop flight from Little Rock to New Orleans that just started last fall. 

Now it's back to work, only to think of the memories of how much fun the New Orleans weekend had been. 

Catch up: 

New Orleans Day 1

New Orleans Day 2
New Orleans Day 3

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Taking it Easy: New Orleans Day 3

After a busy day 1 and day 2 in New Orleans, a rested day 3 was needed. After sleeping in, we got up, got around and decided to go to Palace Cafe for a jazz brunch. It's such a lovely place! 

I was looking for something filling to soak up day 2 and Palace Cafe had just the answer. 

After I devoured the inside of the loaf of bread with homemade butter (I only like the inside of bread, not interested in the crust)... 

It was time for a big burger and fries! I know it's not the typical brunch food but it's what my body and soul needed. The jazz band went from table to table to play songs, luckily we got skipped. 

Jazz brunches are so much fun, but I have a hard time knowing where to look when someone is playing music when I'm trying to stuff in French fries! 

A view of the festive bar area

Next on the day agenda was to head to the horse track! 

I love going to the horse track and betting $2 on a horse, so it was fun to do this for a few hours. Though I lost! Luckily my boyfriend won over $100 and I lost around $20. I'm not big into betting so losing more than $20 hurts my feelings. 

I also enjoyed how they showed the horses. 

After the horse track we went back to Bourbon to a bar called, Erin Rose. It's one that a Twitter friend of mine had recommended. If you're looking for a fun, hole-in-the-wall bar, go there. 

Neither of us had been to a John Besh restaurant, and New Orleans has like NINE of them. We decided to go to Besh Steak at HARRAH's casino. 

This is probably the biggest disappointment to me of the trip. For the price of them meal it really wasn't worth it. I think that's why I'm so disappointed, for a $50 meal per person, I just expect more. The service was just OK, the food wasn't anything to be impressed by, and the lady who sat us was really rude. 

I'd like a refund on that experience. I'll also probably never go to a restaurant in a casino hotel again. 

But that's traveling - you can have great moments and times, and then ones you learn from, right? Day 4 coming soon!

Catch up: 

New Orleans Day 1

New Orleans Day 2

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Taking it Easy: New Orleans Day 2

After a successful day one, it was time to make day two even better. After sleeping in, we finally got up and around and decided to get some lunch. 

So we made our way down to Felix's for some oysters.

The line was long, but we had it covered. Grabbed a couple of drinks to cheers to the day. 

Cheers! I'm really loving this city!

Everything on the menu looked delicious. It was hard not to want to pick one of each.

We started with a dozen oysters on the had shell, then decided to get a half dozen that were char grilled. 

The oyster, the bread, the butter... It was all delicious. I'd go on some more but I would just make you hungry. 

Because the first 18 oysters didn't satisfy me, I ordered six more with a salad and side of jambalaya. 

After lunch we strolled around where we found the Pardi Gras mini-concert. It was actually really fun.

Then. This happened.

The hand grenade. 

One is all you need. 

 Hand grenades in hand, we strolled around Jackson Square until we found a Davie Bowie parade.

Yesterday was full of surprises. 

It was about to storm, so we went back to the hotel early. 

On to day 3!

Catch up here: 

New Orleans Day 1

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Taking it Easy: New Orleans Day 1

Instead of Christmas presents, the boyfriend and I decided to use whatever we would have spent on each other and go on a trip. Since he's been to New Orleans a lot, and I've never been as an adult, we thought this could be an easy, fun time. 

So we planned to come to New Orleans in January for a long weekend. Thanks to FlyGLO, there is a new direct flight from Little Rock to New Orleans now that's $99 one way and takes around an hour and a half. Booked. 

How can you beat that price with the time it saves you?

Thanks, FlyGLO! The plane was small but mighty.

They even passes out some king cake and snacks! Should have grabbed some of those Zapps chips! 

After a smooth and safe landing, we grabbed a cab and headed to our hotel. Next on the agenda was to drop off our luggage and go find lunch.

The boyfriend had heard about Willie Mae's Scotch house that is suppose to have some of the best fried chicken in the US. 

Since we are a fried chicken loving couple, we decided we had to be the judge. 

Here's a little bit of information about the restaurant - the menu is simple, Cajun and mouth-watering.

We both went for the fried chicken. He got mashed potatoes, I got Mac and cheese. 

The macaroni and cheese was so different and delicious because of it's Cajun spices and crunch. The chicken was crazy good. The skin was flavored and crispy, while the inside was so juicy.

After lunch, we took a stroll around Bourbon Street and Jackson Square then sit at the park area by the Mississippi while sipping on hurricanes. 

We decided since it was such a long morning, and we had three more days left that today should be easy. So we headed back to the hotel for showers and rest before dinner. 

Once rested and ready, we had a pre-dinner cocktail. 

Champagne, please! 

For dinner we headed to Dick and Jenny's that on the west side of New Orleans. I loved the interior and decor of this place.

Quick preview of the menu! 

All the reviews I had read said to get the fried green tomatoes with crab. It was so good! 

For my dinner, I got the short ribs. I absolutely LOVE short ribs. The meat was cooked to perfection, and the polenta cake under neath was the best I've ever had of polenta cakes. The greens were not for me. 

After dinner we headed to a local grocery store to grab some wine and head back to the hotel. It's been a long, but easy and relaxing day. 

I am drinking wine out of a solo cup while watching movies in bed at the hotel. These are the things you enjoy when you get older! 

Let's see where day 2 takes us! 

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