Time flew by on the Eurostar, and before we knew it we were already in Paris! Making our way through the mad dash of people, we managed to find the right metro and set off for our AirBnB.

We arrived to a classic big-city apartment: a small kitchen, bathroom and manually lofting bed all stuffed into a room smaller than most American bathrooms.

We were pretty wiped, and spent most of the day planning our time in Paris and doing some basic grocery shopping. In the evening we mustered our energy and ventured out to sit in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

On the second day we set out into the city – we started our day off walking through the Marais, browsing shops and stopping for lunch at the famous L’as Du Falafel for some delicious shwarma!

We wandered through the city, stopping to view the many beautiful churches, the Louvre, and the Tuileries Garden. Tired and a little sunburnt, we grabbed some sandwiches for dinner and made a little picnic at the Eiffel Tower to finish off our day.

For day three, we made it our goal to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe before the crowds got there. Arriving just after 10, we managed to be one of the first groups to the top, taking in the beautiful panoramic views of the city.

After we had our fill of the views, we headed to Saint Germain to see Becca’s parent’s old apartment. We walked through Luxembourg Gardens, debating what to do for lunch, as our initial choice was closed. It took us nearly an hour of wandering around the streets before we finally settled on something fitting our financial needs and because nearly everything in Paris seems to be closed on some combination of Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays (the same days we happened to be in Paris).

Weary from all the walking, we headed home and tried to figure out an easier way to find food – opting to have another “home-cooked meal”, Chinese take-out style from Marks and Spencer.

Running into Speed Bumps

No trip is complete without a few mishaps. On our last day in Paris we spent the morning in Montmartre, exploring and eating. As we set out for the afternoon, planning to spend more time in the Marais and getting Ryan a haircut, Ryan stepped off the metro only to realize that he didn’t have his wallet. Just as he figured out it must have fallen onto the seat, the metro doors buzzed and closed.

After a few minutes of panic and strategizing, we decided we had to find someone who worked at the station to ask for help. Unfortunately, there was no one to be found, and we knew we couldn’t leave the metro because without money or tickets there was no way to return.

We settled on a slightly crazy, “we just have to do something” plan of following the train with the wallet for a few stops before getting off, switching directions, and then riding each train in the car that we’d lost the wallet in before getting off at the next stop to catch the next train.

We realize this plan was absolutely insane. There was next to no chance that the wallet was still on the train. More likely that someone grabbed it, took the items, and tossed it in the trash. Our next plan was to search trash cans at a few of the stops (ew).

After riding eight different trains we realized that the numbers on the front of the trains had started repeating (or we thought they had) so we rode to the end of the line (where our AirBnB was).

Our plan was to go to the other side of the tracks to ride a few more trains to check trash cans. What we didn’t realize was that there was no way to get to the other side of the tracks without leaving the station (and re-paying for tickets).

On top of this, we realized that the trains had been turning fully around, instead of just reaching the end of the line and coming straight back. So the entire time we’d been looking in trains, we’d been checking the wrong side!

We felt hopeless. We were about to leave the station when Becca said that we should check to make sure the exit on the other end of the platform didn’t have a route to the other side. Becca wanted to feel like we’d done all we could before giving up.

As we were walking to the other exit, a new train had pulled up and emptied because we were at the end of the line. Ryan started walking quickly towards the end of the train, and as he got closer he broke into a run. He emerged from the train holding the wallet! (albeit a little lighter). Our IDs and credit card were still in the wallet, although we were missing some cash and train tickets.

We still feel so lucky. The off chance that we found the wallet was so slim, and our plan was so foolish, but somehow we did find it. Becca broke into tears after putting on a brave face for so long. We went back to the AirBnB, called our parents who had been helping us to figure out what to do, and laughed and cried about the whole thing. We were mentally drained.

After all this what do you think we did next? We went to Starbucks so that Ryan could complete a phone interview for a job of course! Then we met up with Becca’s friend from high school, Tammy, and had a really nice dinner and relaxed and unwound.

Paris has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences and although we had a really fun time I think we’re both ready to be in a new city! Next stop Brussels!

Bye Paris! See ya soon!