The recent craze surrounding the slightly comical Louvre heist has me reflecting on my short-lived time in Paris.Thankfully, I went in 2024, and therefore cannot be implicated in said heist.

Going to Paris had always been a huge bucket list item, and when I was studying abroad in Winchester, England, I had no choice but to take advantage of being just an hour-and-a-half flight away. 

After my friends and I planned our reading week and spring break trips, I realized I hadn’t factored in France in any capacity, leading me to book a spur-of-the-moment trip when a friend visited from America. 

We left England in the early afternoon on Friday and returned late at night on Saturday. It was one of the most jam-packed trips I have ever had. 

The moment we got into the city, we dropped our bags at one of the most gorgeous hotels I have ever stayed at. We were in the perfect location for sightseeing, as the hotel resided only a block away from Notre-Dame.

The first thing we did was find our way to the Eiffel Tower.

If the trip was going to be short, it was going to be a trip of highlights. Getting out of a car and walking up to a monument never got old throughout my travels, and this was no expectation. 

Watching the Eiffel Tower light up, glimmering and outshining the stars it stood against, was breathtaking. It was one of those “is this really my life?” moments. 

The only issue was that the tickets to ride the elevator were wildly out of two college students’ budgets. To the stairs we went. 

Walking up those stairs is still one of my favorite memories. 

Our admiration carried us to the top. We stopped on every landing to see the view from one more flight up. I could never regret taking the long way when looking at that view. 

After just one short mandatory elevator, we reached the top. Naturally, we indulged in the champagne they had to celebrate our efforts. 

After the excitement of the Eiffel Tower, we were too excited to go back to the hotel. We knew our time was short, and we wanted to make the most of it. 

I was excited to find a jazz bar just around the corner from our hotel, so we made our way to Le Caveau De La Huchette. 

This was the best possible thing to stumble upon —  a place I walked into and suddenly believed in magic again. It was absolutely gorgeous, adorned with stained glass chandeliers and filled with laughter. 

We got our drinks and headed towards the sound of music. Walking into the basement felt like coming upon gold. It was filled with people watching, listening and dancing to the best jazz music I have had the pleasure of hearing. 

We luckily stumbled upon a table full of college students from New York, also in the area for a study abroad experience, and had the best time swing dancing the night away.

The next morning was the first and final morning of the trip, but it was perfect. 

We had tickets to tour the Louvre, and let me say, no one has more fun at the Louvre than a mythology nerd and an art student. 

 I promise, all the crown jewels stayed in their place during my visit. There’s no need to get Inspector Clouseau knocking on my door. 

As a museum enthusiast, the Louvre was almost over stimulatingly exciting. My favorite gallery was the statue garden. The statues all around the Louvre were iconic and beautiful, but the natural lighting painting the white marble of these significant statues was an experience I will always carry with me. 

I have been to a lot of gorgeous museums throughout my travels, and nothing can compare to the sheer mass of the Louvre. Everywhere I turned was a new historic artifact or acclaimed masterpiece. I can never forget walking up the stairs to see the Winged Victory looming over me or turning a corner and seeing the Mona Lisa. 

After soaking up all the history and beauty we could, of course we had to stop for some crepes. As cliché as it should have felt, I can honestly say they were the best I have ever had. 

We took a final walk around Notre-Dame and sat by the Seine River for a while before grabbing our bags and waiting for a taxi to take us to the airport. 

Paris wasn’t done with us just yet. As we waited for the car, we stumbled upon a serene little park tucked away behind a few buildings. It felt like the perfect goodbye from the city. 

I would love to go back to France one day and see more than just tourist hotspots, but I will never regret falling for everything Paris had to offer. Almost two years later, it still doesn’t feel real to have seen all I did in such a short amount of time.

Cramming into the Ryan Air seats was so worth it. 

Freeman can be reached at [email protected]