Paris with Lilly

I spent last weekend back in Paris with my lovely friend Lilly. It was Lilly's first time in the City of Light, and we certainly made it memorable.

Despite rain, hail, and sketchy accommodations, we managed to have the best of luck. The whole trip seemed charmed, and I entirely attribute the magic to Lilly's fantastic spirit of adventure. I was supposed to be the guide, but Lilly usually took the lead, whether we were crossing streets or choosing a place for dinner.

Examples of our luck:

• While standing in line for the Louvre, a middle-aged couple approached us and handed us their extra tickets. Since students can enter for free, we passed it forward and gave our tickets to another couple. What a great feeling!
• It was 1:30am, and the metro stops running at 2am. We were all alone in the station, trying frantically to buy tickets from a machine that refused both our credit cards and our bills. The lady at the ticket booth, probably afraid we would break the machine, let us through for free. Score!
• Lilly's guide book led us to a secret Club de Poesie, where a small group was gathered to eat home-made quiche, drink wine, and recite poetry. I felt like I was back in Renaissance Paris.
• We couch-surfed twice and have only good things to say about our experiences. The first night, we had dinner cooked for us by a vegetarian Parisian, and the second night, we had an entire flat just to ourselves. The trust and generosity of these people gives me hope for humanity!
• We weren't sure where to eat for dinner, so we walked up the street. Our (slightly strange) requirements included French onion soup for Lilly, and mussels for me. Lo and behold, just a few blocks from our flat, we found the perfect place. 

Drinking chocolat chaud in a Parisian cafe.

Perhaps the best part of all this was our parting line. How many people get to say this in real life?

"See you in Rome!"