Today was a lovely, mellow, and exciting day with friends. I headed out of the hotel in the early afternoon after getting ready with Deysi (my lovely roommate). We met up with Daniel, Lesli, and Bryn, and our little adventure began. The day was a mix of cold, occasional wind, sporadic rain, and mostly cloudy skies. It kept us guessing, but thankfully, we had our umbrellas ready at all times.
We headed to the Jardin des Plantes and strolled around the gardens and its many attractions. There were fewer flowers than expected, likely due to the unpredictable weather. Many flowers were wilted or blown away by the wind, but some, like the roses in the beautiful rose garden, were thriving. We visited the free mineralogy exhibition, where we admired giant, magical crystals. The crystals came from various origins, showcasing a great variety of colors, sizes, and brightness; some even glowed in the dark.
Afterward, once the rain had stopped, we explored the streets of Paris. We wandered around looking for shops and discovering what the 5th arrondissement had to offer. I visited a cute store called “The Bleu,” a small shop with original Japanese-made clothing, ceramics, and more. I bought a beautiful moonstone ring, and the store clerk was very sweet, even though we communicated with minimal words.
After some shopping, we went to Folie Crab for my first seafood boil! The service wasn’t great, as it was very slow and they seemed to actively ignore us. However, once the food arrived, everything was fine. It was spicy and juicy and taught me quite a bit of patience.
After dinner, we wanted to kill some time before our cruise tour on the Bateaux. We walked around the 2nd arrondissement and stumbled upon a cozy restaurant called Pisco Bar. It was a lovely Peruvian place that offered really good empanadas and Latin American dishes served tapas-style.
Finally, it was time for the amazing boat ride across the Seine River. The tour highlighted many famous sites, such as Notre-Dame, the Palais du Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and more. However, the most memorable part of the evening was watching the beautiful Eiffel Tower light up. As the sun set, we stood there in awe and silence, fully absorbing the moment. It was when it really sank in that we had made it to Paris, and we knew this experience would stay with us forever.
