Weekend in Paris

Notre Dame in Paris

While I may be living in Europe, I am still very much a tourist in that everything is new to me -- and I take a lot of photos of things people who have been living there all their lives take for granted.

But I'm adjusting...slowly. And one of the things that I'm adjusting to is taking the time to see only a few things with every visit.

Photo bombing a couple getting their wedding photos done outside the Notre Dame.

What I mean is that in the past when I went to Paris or London or any city, I was on a mission to see everything in one day and I mean everything.

I would see all the tourist attractions, visit the galleries, eat the local food the guide books say you "must" eat and take a couple hundred photos.  I may have seen everything, but I never really "experienced" it.

Rose window inside the Notre Dame in Paris

In the last 9 months, I've been to Paris four times.  Each time just for a weekend to meet a friend as I can often find return flights from Geneva on Easy Jet for less than $140.  

These little trips are different from how I used to see a city. First of all, because now I've been often and am starting to know the neighborhoods, my friend and I usually book an apartment on AirBnB rather than stay in a hotel.  This makes it a lot cheaper.  And secondly, the things I do there are different.

Enjoying a glass of wine at midnight in a Paris cafe in the Marais neighborhood 

Last month, I met a friend there to do the Defi Run  - a 5km obstacle course (see Defi-Run website here).  We booked an Air BnB place by the Picasso Museum that was $100 a night and walking distance to a lot of little cafes, coffee shops, a great shopping area (where we found an art gallery showing a Star Wars exhibit) and the Notre Dame.

The listing for the apartment can be found here, and it was located on Rue Sainte-Anatase. And if you are interested, the Star Wars themed exhibit was at Galerie Sakura located on rue du Bourg (visit their website - http://www.galerie-sakura.com/). It was pretty cool.

Chocolate bread -It's not a trip to Paris without it.

The perks of staying in a neighborhood rather than a hotel is that in many European cities, you'll find a local bakery close by. Plus,  when staying in someone's flat, you'll have access to a fridge and eating area.

This doesn't sound like a big deal, but knowing that you can have fresh chocolate bread in the morning (I like this bread more than croissants), and have a place to store your baquettes and cheese when in Paris, is a perk.

You not only save money on breakfast, but sometimes it's nice to relax and watch people from the patio of your own place rather than going out all the time.

Star Wars art exhibit

Because we were so close to the Notre Dame on this trip, we decided to drop in and see it in the evening when the organ was playing.  I hadn't been inside the cathedral in nearly 10 years and had forgotten how amazing the architecture and the stained glass window is.

I had been there a couple times over the years, but it always seemed I was in a rush -- or exhausted after a day of running around the city.  It was also nice to just wander in rather than scheduling it.

Column inside the Notre Dame in Paris

Next time who knows what I'll see when I go to Paris. It will all depend on which little AirBnB apartment I end up renting and which neighborhood it's located in.