Paris was full of crepes (9, to be exact, amongst the 3 of us) – because Paris is expensive and crepes are generally affordable! We found that lunch options tended to be either sit-down fancy restaurants or, evidently, crepe stands. So with that in mind, we mixed crepe toppings with nutella and banana, ham and cheese, apples and ice cream, egg and cheese – providing for a variety of semi-nutritious meals. (As soon as we were back in Freiburg, I was actually craving vegetables and fruits and ate them for the next two days straight.)

Besides the crepes, we visited all of the tourist destinations we researched prior to our trip. Notre-Dame Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte- Chapelle, Musee d’Orsay, and Versailles.We trammed and walked the city entering all of the destinations (for free with our EU passports/residency permits!!). Otherwise, we found Paris to be overall posh, compact, and classy. (The Parisians sure know how to use a small restaurant space as we found ourselves in restaurants’ close quarters of creaky chairs, coffee tables, and crevices.)

Sainte-Chapelle

Front of Versailles

View of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

But my favorite part of Paris wasn’t the pre-planned aspects of our trip. It was actually when one of the girls I was travelling with said she knew of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, one tram stop away from our hostel. Situated at the highest point in Paris, the majestic chapel overlooks the entire city of Paris and provides for a magnificent view of the sunset. With a baguette, cheese, and wine bottles; we three climbed to the chapel surrounded by the couples that Valentine’s Day and relished in the view. Right after sunset a guitarist came to the bottom of the steps we were all sitting on and started singing and inviting people from the audience to come down and sing with him. We sang along and watched our Valentine’s Day-to-remember unfold into the evening sky!

View from Sacre-Coeur on Valentine’s Day

View from the Sacre-Coeur on Valentine’s Day Night.

Location: Sacré-Cœur, Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, Paris, France