Prolouge:

We had been planning this trip for our 4 Year Anniversary for months.  We were originally torn where we would go – but when your husband asks if you want to go to Paris – YOU SAY YES!  I said yes before he could change his mind, to be honest.  We both have been dying to go back to Europe, and so we made the arrangements and have been prepping for it ever since we booked our airfare.

We flew the direct Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Paris – not first class, not even comfort economy.  My boss told me, “You two are crazy for flying to Europe in coach.  It’s not even worth traveling to Paris if you can’t fly first class.”  Trust me, you can fly to Europe in coach – with the help of a neck pillow and a sleeping aid, of course.

We arrived in the city on Saturday morning.  We decided to try something new with the lodging this time.  We rented a small studio apartment near the Eiffel Tower.  It had a tiny office space, a kitchenette, a dining room, and a very clean bathroom.  It also was located near Laser Quest Paris, in case you were wondering.  The view was awesome, even with the fog that had settled in.

We checked out our digs, brushed our teeth, and set out.  We walked around our old stomping grounds.  We got a Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Light at our market on rue Viala, spotted our old hotel [where we stayed on our Study abroad trip in 2008] and walked along the Seine.

Paris in the late fall is a dream.  It was over 50 degrees our first day.  There were tiny French children everywhere bundled up in the most adorable and expensive clothing you ever seen.  There were still colorful leaves on the trees.  There were not as many tourists crowding the streets.  It’s by far my favorite time to go.

Zach thinks it is hilarious when people ask me for directions.  They are always disappointed when the gibberish that comes out of my mouth is English.  Either way, we love making friends, haha!

We made our way to the Eiffel Tower, where Zach got some “french fries”, and we walked through the streets to one of my favorite boulangeries – Lemoine to get some macarons.

On the way back we noticed that a Saturday market was still open and we walked through the tents.  There was vintage Mies van der Rohe furniture, piles of candy, china, books, and tons of vintage clothing.  We stayed there until dusk – it felt like Christmas shopping with the Christmas light banners strung across the alley!

On our walk to dinner we passed the tower again, right on the hour while it was illuminated with all the glittering lights.

Then we ate dinner at Pizza Amalfi – I have eaten here every single time I have visited Paris.  They have the most amazing Margherita pizza and pesto pasta.  I also have a crush on the old Italian man that owns the restaurant – he’s always there!

We stuffed our faces, drank some more soda, and ate our macarons for dessert.  Nutella flavor was my favorite – Zach had vanilla.  But are you suprised?

We decided to make it an early night, considering we were dealing with an 8 hour time change.  We cozied up in our tiny apartment, excited for the next morning.