Fin.

On my flight to Paris I was both super excited and slightly bummed. Super excited because I had been really looking forward to seeing Delphine after parting ways in Vietnam. Bummed because this was my last few days before heading back home. Don’t get me wrong, I had been excited to go home for a while because I missed my friends and family. Actually, really excited to get home. But I was still sad to end my time exploring.

My time with Delphine and the rest of the gang in Vietnam was one of the most fun experiences of my whole trip, so I literally felt giddy that I would be able to hang out with her for a few days in her hometown of Paris. I originally was only going to be in Paris for a day because it was a cheaper flight home, but Delphine, being the generous person that she is, said I could crash at her place and that she’d show me around, so one day turned into three and a pit stop turned into one last destination. (On (yet another) side note, I still am amazed when I think back to my very first encounter with Delphine when we met while waiting for a boat to take us island hopping in Nha Trang and thinking that in a couple of months, I would be hanging out with her in her home city. Let the self-pinching continue).

Delphine picked me up from the airport and what was my first request? Croissants, of course. We stopped by a local bakery and I was in heaven. Honestly, every pastry I had in Paris was like the best pastry I had ever had (until the next pastry I had). After snacking, Delphine decided to show me around a few smaller neighborhoods, places I would never have even known to check out. We wandered for a few hours before ending at the Champs Elysees. We bought some fixings for my very first home made French dinner, then went to the famous Laduree for some macaroons. The line was insane, but after tasting the macaroons, the wait was definitely worth it.

First meal!

Notre Dame.

Macaroons at Laduree.

I’d say I’m a relatively effusive person, but especially so with Delphine because she was the best host anyone could ask for. After taking me around and not letting me pay for anything (trust me, I tried to fight her), we headed back to her place where she cooked an amazing dinner. The main course was a dish called “chicken with no head” which was basically chicken wrapped in ham, pan fried, topped with cheese sauce and served with mashed potatoes. In addition to that, we had some foie gras with fig jam and a fresh baguette. Like I mentioned back in my Singapore post, having a home cooked meal after backpacking for such a long time was the best thing I could imagine.

 

Enjoying a home-cooked meal.

The next day, we met up with one of Delphine’s friends for lunch where I had my first ever Croque Madame! So tasty. After lunch, we walked past Notre Dame, headed to Arc de Triomphe, then finished our sight-seeing walking up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. After saying no to buying a miniature Eiffel Tower for the 100^th time, we headed to one of Delphine’s favorite little bistros where I order steak and fries, or as the French say (and the reason I ordered it) steak frites. A great way to end the night. (Side note number two: If you remember one of my posts in Vietnam, I wrote about how Phong had a way with the locals there. Really smooth and friendly and everyone loved being around him. Delphine had the same air about her. She interacted with anybody and everybody and you could tell they warmed to here immediately. A great trait to have.)

Croque Madame.

Arc de Triomphe.

Steak frites.

My third and final day in Paris, we decided to head to Versailles to check out Louis XIV’s castle. What stood out to me the most was the beautiful and immaculately kempt garden. After a couple hours roaming the grounds, we took a train back to Paris to see the last thing on my list: the Louvre!

Versailles.

Inside the palace.

We saw the famous pieces of art such as the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory, but I was there for one thing: the Gummy de Milo, something I had wanted to see since my middle school days of watching the Simpsons. All joking aside, the Louvre was amazing. We walked around for three hours and probably only saw a third of it, but it was a great experience and I probably could’ve stayed a lot longer if my legs only held up.

"Give me that sweet can..."

Mona Lisa.

For our last meal, we headed to a little brasserie where I ordered some long overdue duck with honey. And for dessert, I had to order crème brulee, which was a great way to end my eating adventures.

Final meal in Paris. Duck!

I was super lucky to be able to fit in a few days in Paris before I headed home and could not have asked for a better host. Delphine being Delphine, she sent me home with some foreign currency from all over the world and a bunch of old stamps because I told her my dad collected them (dad, you’ll get them one day). Again, how awesome is she?. Paris with Delphine: no better way to end my three month adventure. Next stop: home (and clean underwear!).