A picture of the Dartmouth Green in the Fall with beautiful fall foliage.
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A picture of the view of Paris from the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

This past weekend, I got to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday in Paris! My longtime friend of 12 years is a junior at another school who is also studying abroad at the same time as me but in London. I joined her and some of her college friends in Paris after catching a train from Bordeaux (check my last blog post!). I arrived just in time to get ready for her birthday dinner which we enjoyed at a gorgeous restaurant. The excitement was palpable as we explored the iconic streets of Paris, the city of love and lights. Stay tuned to hear about our experiencing timing and catching the hourly sparkling of the Eiffel Tower!

A picture of me in front of a café in Paris.
Look at that gorgeous café behind me!

The next day we explored the enchanting Montmartre village where we enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes with sugar and citron while sitting on a traditional French patio. We scaled the steep stairs to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica to get a great birds-eye view of Paris and watch tourists place locked engraved padlocks around the gates. The tradition goes that couples from around the world leave their mark by locking engraved padlocks (Les Cadenas d'amour in French) on Parisian bridge railings and throwing away the key afterwards in order to symbolize and fix their love to the city forever.


A picture of the Eiffel Tower!
The Eiffel Tower!

Paris has long been on my bucket list so it was so exciting to get to check it off. We walked past many landmarks dedicated to influential artists like Picasso and Van Gogh. The lively ambiance, filled with street artists and charming cafes was lovely. When we finally arrived at the Eiffel Tower, it exuded such a timeless beauty. We had to time when it would sparkle since it does so for 5 minutes every hour between sunset and 11 pm. We also looked for some of the best spots and angles to see the tower, which ended up being the Pont de Bir-Hakeim Bridge, the Champ de Mars and next to the River Seine! It was an ethereal experience that I'll always remember. Paris, with its timeless beauty and romantic allure, proved to be the perfect backdrop for my friend's 21st birthday celebration which was fittingly Gossip Girl themed. As I bid adieu to Paris, I can't wait to return!

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