A Summer to Remember..: Paris With the Cousin

This weekend I took the train and went to Paris by myself. I was a bit nervous since I was coming into Gare du Nord, which is notorious for pick pocketing. But everything worked out smoothly enough.
That night, one of my friends from the summer program I'm participating in was in Paris, so we decided to see the nightlife. Unfortunately, the city was pretty empty since all the Parisians were off traveling in order to avoid the tourists. Also, because it isn't a big college area people don't go out on Thursday. Needless to say, we didn't really see much of anything that night.
The next day my cousin had her last day of work so I explored Paris by myself. I started the day off with brunch at a cafe near my cousin's apartment. I realized early, that it would be difficult to communicate in Paris. Even just getting a table was kind of comical. After brunch I took a nap, I think all the cheese and bread made me a little sleepy from my croque de madam (I have a feeling this is spelled incorrectly). Then decided what to do with the rest of the day. Of course I decided to plan a trip in order to find Berthillion Ice Cream. I was told it was the only ice cream worthwhile when in Paris. I used an actual map to plan out how to get there which was new for me. But on my way to ice cream I passed lock bridge and Notre Dame. All in all, it was a pretty successful day.
Once my cousin got home we got ready for dinner and then headed out. That night I had crepes, and they are seriously way better in Paris than anywhere else. I had a savory crepe with egg, cheese and ham and a sweet one with butter and sugar. After dinner we walked around the town and ran into the Louvre. I don't think I've ever seen such a massive museum. It would take weeks in order to see the entire inside. I settled on taking a picture with the glass dome.
The next day my cousin went to pick up her other cousin while I went to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. It was massive, but of course I didn't realize you needed to go underground in order to reach the Arc de Triomphe. I decided to walk into Louis Vuitton. It was

The next day my cousin went to pick up her other cousin while I went to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. It was massive, but of course I didn't realize you needed to go underground in order to reach the Arc de Triomphe. I decided to walk into Louis Vuitton. It was amazing, there were actually bags that weren't the coined brown and gold design, and they were basically beautiful. Just not beautiful enough for over a $1000, sometimes over $2000. I also got Macarons from Laduree which were beyond perfection (as far as a macarons goes). All the flavors were great, I tried rose, pistachio, coconut and raspberry.
Once my cousin and her cousin were back, we all went to see the Palace at Versailles. From seeing it in person, it becomes easier to understand why the French people started a revolution. It was more than opulent. It was unfortunate that we couldn't see the gardens but the room of mirrors was amazing in itself.
After that we went to Montmartre to have dinner. We met some of my cousins friends and one was originally from Paris. They were both lovely and entertaining. And afterwards we saw the Basilica of Sacre- Cour (a large white church on a hill). Then we all went to see the twinkle lights on the Eiffel Tower. It was my favorite experience, and a picture just couldn't capture the beauty. It's crazy to think that they were just going to tear it down after the World's Fair.
It was an amazing intro to Paris and I'm really glad I got to go. It was nice to spend time with my cousin and have her show me the city she loves. Here's to hoping she can just stay there after the year is up.
Time is flying by.

Love,
Nicole