After our magical first night in Paris, I really didn’t think our Contiki trip could get any better. However, Day 5 was just as phenomenal! We started the day with breakfast at our hotel. I ate what I’m pretty sure was the best croissant I’ve ever had, along with some cherry yogurt and hot chocolate. Yum!
Our agenda for the day included a group photo in front of the Eiffel Tower (obviously seeing it at night was not enough!), a tour of the Fragonard Perfume Museum, some free time, and an optional excursion to see a show at the Moulin Rouge.
The group photo was short and sweet. Our trusted bus driver John drove us all from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower. We quickly hopped off the bus, snapped a picture, and hopped back on. In true Contiki fashion, it was extremely efficient.
The Fragonard Museum was a collegiette’s dream come true. Located inside a typical Napoleon-style town house, the museum showcased gorgeous perfume bottles and ancient perfume-making instruments. And the best part? We got to smell six different types of perfume! My favorite was Belle de Nuit, their best-selling floral scent.
After perusing the gift shop a bit (and practically buying it out), we left the museum to make the best use of our free time. Since we’re Her Campus girls, this meant we went shopping! Our first stop was Uniqlo, a new Japanese clothing store that sells wardrobe staples at a reasonable price. Annie and I both purchased scarves for just 3 euros!
Next, we headed to Galeries Lafayette, a high-end French department store. The first floor had a counter for every single cosmetic company in existence, a view of the gorgeous stained glass ceiling, and an incredible display of scarves, bags, and other accessories. Stephanie decided that scarves would make for truly Parisian souvenirs, so she purchased about 6 of them to give away to family and friends. Since we had plans for lunch at 1:00pm, we had to rush through the other levels of the department store. Had we had more time, we easily could have spent the entire day there. The sales were phenomenal!
Coincidentally, my sister and her boyfriend were in Paris for the day so we left Galeries Lafayette to meet them at Angelina, a nearby café. Angelina is famous for its thick hot chocolate with whipped cream and it certainly lived up to its reputation. We all agreed it tasted as if we were drinking a melted chocolate bar. Delicious. Since this was the first time I’d met my sister’s boyfriend, we spent most of the meal grilling him to make sure he lived up to my family’s expectations. He passed our test with flying colors, as he was charming, engaging, and quite witty. I’m pleased to announce to my family that he is definitely Her Campus approved!
The delicious hot chocolate is on the left, and I’m posing with my sister and her boyfriend on the right.
We said goodbye to my sister and her boyfriend and walked toward the Musée D’Orsay, our meeting point for our bus pick-up. Since we had over an hour to spare, we took advantage of touristy photo opportunities in front of the Louvre and walked across the Ponts des Arts, the bridge where Cary and Mr. Big shared a romantic moment in the last episode of Sex and the City. Symbolizing their everlasting love, couples attach locks engraved with their initials to this bridge.
Annie and Stephanie are in font of the Louvre on the left and all 3 of us are on Ponts des Arts on the right.
We arrived at the Musée D’Orsay before the Contiki bus got there, so we browsed the gift shop to kill time. As I purchased postcards of Degas paintings, I realized that we had forgotten to go to the ATM to withdraw cash to pay for our Moulin Rouge excursion! We literally sprinted to the nearest ATM, quickly withdrew the required amount, and sprinted back to our meeting point. Though we got in our exercise for the day, we had unfortunately missed the Contiki bus. C’est la vie. Luckily, my sister and her boyfriend had given us their extra metro tickets so we used those to travel back to our hotel hassle-free.
While I was showering, Petula knocked on our door to inform us of a slight change in plans. Apparently, when she called the Moulin Rouge to confirm our tables they informed her that they had moved our reservations to the following night (yes, without telling us!) to make room for a private event. Since Petula was a scheduling genius, she quickly devised an alternate plan and booked us all for a traditional French dinner in the Latin Quarter, the student district of Paris.
Ready for a spontaneous night out on the town, we all filed onto the Contiki bus and John drove us to an American bar for happy hour. It was very bizarre to see a bar in France advertising the Super Bowl. The only thing French about the place was the “Nutella Zone” section of the menu that featured Nutella-based cocktails. After drinks, we sat down to a delicious three-course meal. Annie, Stephanie and I started with Kir Royals, traditional French cocktails made with blackcurrant liqueur and champagne. To eat, I ordered onion soup, beef bourguignon, and crème caramel. Très français. Annie was adventurous enough to try the escargot! Lathered in a buttery pesto sauce, they hardly tasted like garden creatures!
After dinner, we were full and exhausted from our day of shopping, so Petula walked us to the nearest metro stop and explained to us how to get back to the hotel. Stay tuned for another day of adventure tomorrow…
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