If you read the first part about our getaway to Paris, you’ll remember that I left it at the moment I was about to get on Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland. To be honest, it didn’t go down too well; I spent the entire time screaming and panicking. Ironically, I realised afterwards that I was in my own head about it, made worse by the pressure I was putting on myself. Part of me wishes I went on it again to prove I was capable. Maybe if I come again…
After I’d calmed down, I discovered that the ride was actually the biggest in the park. This made me want to try some of the other big rides since none of them would have been as bad as that one. Lewis was dubious about this, which is understandable, but I guess I can be confounding at times. We went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was dark and wet more than anything, and Lewis wasn’t a fan since he doesn’t like animatronics. The last ride we tried was Big Thunder Mountain, which I did genuinely enjoy. I felt good that I’d partially redeemed myself as a scaredy cat on rides.
At this point, we were very tired and wanted to go home. Since it is Disneyland, the park doesn’t have many big rides anyway, and we didn’t think that any would be much better than what we’d already tried. As we were leaving, we typically got caught up in watching one of the parades. We’d definitely had enough of Disney after that, so we got our train back and chilled at our accommodation again. I am grateful that I got to see Disneyland in spite of what happened. Lewis said that he thinks he’s too old for theme parks, but I found it nice to unleash my inner child. Each to their own.
Day 4
Lewis had a voucher for an AirBnB experience which he used for a coffee roasting workshop; we both love our coffee so it’s something we’d both enjoy. On the way, we found an Aladdin’s cave of a kilo shop, chock-full of pretty vintage clothes priced by weight. We could have spent hours in there, but I limited myself to buying one skirt and one dress. I don’t often wear skirts or dresses, but I’ll be more inclined to wear them if they look this nice.
Our coffee-roasting guide started by telling us about the history of passages couverts – narrow pedestrianised passageways covered by glass – since his workshop was nestled in one of the oldest ones in Paris. We were then taken into his workshop, where he showed us his roasting machine and explained the history of coffee. Next, it was our job to roast our own beans! Witnessing the process was very interesting and we were given our self-roasted beans to take home. It was a unique experience and one of our favourite parts of the trip.
Post-roast, we took the Métro to the Trocadéro, which boasts the city’s best view of the Eiffel Tower. We each bought a crepe from a nearby stand, with which we peacefully sat and ate, marvelling in the amazing view. I cast my mind back to when I came here with my family in 2018 and I concluded that we didn’t visit many of the sites I saw on this trip. This explains why I didn’t like Paris so much the first time, and why I’ve now changed my tune.
We took a long walk towards Les Champs-Élysées: somewhere I do remember going last time. It was extremely busy, discouraging us from wanting to stay for long. We looked in a few shops but realised we couldn’t really afford anything, so we sat in Starbucks for a while until it was time for our réservation.
As it was our last night, we booked a table at Qasti Green, a vegetarian middle-Eastern restaurant. Typically, it was very close to where we’d been for coffee roasting a few hours before, so we did a U-turn back to the 2nd arrondissement. The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere and even lovelier food: I ordered spinach fatayehs to start and tofu ‘chicken’ shawarmas for my main. Lewis said that he’s going to try and make the shawarmas himself, which my stomach shall patiently await.
We were stuffed once we’d finished, so we waddled back to the Métro station and lay down at our apartment until we drifted into a food coma.
Day 5
We checked out early to make the most of our last few hours in Paris. However, this meant that we had to wander the city with our suitcase and two very heavy rucksacks, slowing us down. Our first stop was St. Chapelle cathedral with its gorgeous stained-glass windows. I’d highly recommend anyone visit this beautiful place, and it’s small enough to not eat up too much of your stay.
I’d read everywhere online that Montmartre is a must-visit area of Paris thanks to its rich history, so that was next on our itinerary. We’d been very lucky with the weather during our trip as it was a large contrast to the unusually cold Spring back home, but it finally caught up to us; the heavens opened the very moment we arrived! I’d chosen to wear the dress I bought yesterday, which felt like a sign not to wear dresses but I’m not dissuaded that easily.
We had planned to go to the Sacré-Coeur but we were no longer in the mood for it after being turned into drowned rats. Instead, we went to a café, got changed in the toilets, and sat with coffees until the rain had gone off. I’m sure that Montmartre is lovely when the sun’s out, but this day sadly didn’t sell it to us.
Our flight wasn’t until 9:30pm, which we foolishly thought was a good idea at the time. However, we’d frankly had enough at this point and just wanted to go home. We took the train to the airport early and asked about catching an earlier flight. There was one going to Manchester about two hours before for an extra £50 per person, which we declined. For far from the first time on the trip, we killed time in a café until it was time to fly.
I wasn’t in the best mood after the day we’d had, but an opportunity presented itself that left me feeling a little more positive. A woman had asked the barista in Starbucks whether her jacket had been handed in as she’d lost it, but the barista didn’t speak English. I asked the woman if she needed help and I thus became her interpreter. The barista said that the lost-and-found was at the train station, so her problem was sadly left unresolved, but I was happy that I was of some help.
We were absolutely shattered by the time our flight rolled around, and even more so after landing and going through passport control. Fortunately, my dad picked us up and took us on what felt like the world’s longest drive, but we were eventually tucked back into our Lancastrian bed. Although there were parts of the trip that didn’t go to plan, they were all learning experiences for next time. I’m looking forward to the many more holidays that Lewis and I have yet to go on.
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