Today was our last morning in Paris, I woke up at 6am to pack the last of my things and eat a quick breakfast before our bus departure at 7am. As we made our way to the airport, I spent the drive gazing out the window, taking in the last glimpses of the city. It was a bitter sweet feeling- I had spent this week falling in love with Paris’s beauty and part of me did not want to leave. At the same time I was very excited about returning home, knowing my friends and family were waiting for me.

Once we arrived at the airport around 8am we all said our goodbyes then went on navigating through baggage check, customs, and finding our gate- Charles de Gaulle Airport is significantly larger than Boston Logan Airport so trying to find our way around was a bit confusing. Once we located our gate we wandered around to look at all the souvenirs and grab some snacks for the long plane ride.

7 hours later we finally landed back in Boston! It was hard to say goodbye to the beautiful city of Paris. I’m so thankful for the memories I created with my roommates and new friends during this trip, I am so lucky to have experienced such an amazing adventure.

A few of my favorite experiences from our trip to Paris:

After a long flight across the pond, we were all relieved to have landed in one of the biggest airports I have ever seen, the Charles de Gualle. We quickly connected with the other girls in the airport to find our guide, Thomas, who works for WorldStrides in Paris. Soon enough, our bags were thrown into the Coach bus waiting for us and we were off to the city. Riding into the city of Paris for the first time was so unique. Though I have been to Europe before, this was my first time in France and I was already picking up a difference. The effort of the French to incorporate art into the environment was evident. I saw murals on every other building and colorful street art along the sides of the highway. One thing that I also didn’t expect was green grass and even flowers blooming! It was certainly refreshing to see after leaving Boston where there was still two feet of snow on the ground.

Our first stop was the hotel, where our bags were dropped in a safe place so that we could head off to lunch (we weren’t able to get into our rooms yet because we arrived before check-in time). Thomas guided us on our first trip through the famous Metro to get to our destination. We all grew to know and love the Metro very quickly as it, compared to Boston’s subway system, was extremely easy to navigate. Upon arrival to lunch, we were served a delicious meal of French Onion soup, a chicken and rice dish, and a very much needed coffee (which turned out to just be an espresso shot).

After lunch, we walked as a group to the WorldStrides office where AnneMaria led our arrival orientation which turned out to be extremely helpful. She explained to us all how to be safe in and around the city with recommendations on places she thought we would like and places she felt that we should avoid. She also helped us understand the layout of the city as well as how to use public transportation like a local. Most importantly, she taught us how to act. Parisians are famously judgmental and so small tips like the importance of greeting someone with “bonjour” or ”bonsoir” when you enter any place, and of course our pleases (s’il te plait) and thank yous (merci) were essential for our ease with fitting in.

After orientation we were set free to explore the city! Abbie, Sarah, Julia, Lilah, and I chose to stop back at the hotel to get settled and changed then headed out for dinner. We simply couldn’t help ourselves from going straight to the Eiffel Tower to finally see what we had all dreamt of seeing since we were girls. It sounds funny to say, but I was blown away at how big it really is. It is truly a marvel and I would advise everyone I know to see it in person at least once in their life. We chose to take the metro to the Notre Dame where we found some great restaurants for dinner. Considering having a long day of travel, we were starving and could eat practically anything. Being a Sunday night, the town was calmer and we were able to sit and eat right away. Our waiter was extremely friendly and generous to us and the food was like no other. We headed back to the hotel with full stomachs and went to sleep ready for the next day ahead.

On our third day in Paris, we started with a cooking class. This is the first day we have to travel to our activities on our own, without a guide. A few of us gathered in the lobby after breakfast to tackle public transportation together. We arrived at the class early, so we stopped in at a Starbucks and decided to try it and see if it tasted the same as at home. I found that the drink was less sugary as they are at home.

We started the cooking class by washing our hands, tying up our hair, and putting on aprons to protect our clothes! We made Salmon fillet with white wine sauce and braised carrots.  We started with the chef showing us how to cut carrots, green onions, and shallots correctly, then we did it for ourselves. After that, we put the carrots and green onions together in a pan with olive oil and some spices, and occasionally mixed them. For the white wine sauce, we put the shallots in a pan with white wine and sautéed them until there was no liquid left. Once that was accomplished, we added whole cream to the pan with more spices. We then fried the salmon for 5 minutes and then put it in the oven to finish cooking. While waiting, we went back to cutting up the garnish. Once it was finished, we plated our food and then headed to the dining room. The meal was delicious! My favorite part was the white wine sauce. 

Following the cooking class, we had a street art tour of the largest murals in Paris. We met our tour guide, Thom, who started with a quick lesson on how all the murals got onto the buildings. The city commissioned many international artists to create murals throughout the 13th arrondissement of Paris. 

Once the tour was finished, a few of us went back to the hotel to rest for a little while and to work on some of our classwork. Once rested and ready to go, Jessie, Emma, and I went to dinner at Bartolino’s. A gourmet restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine, an Italian bar, and a Neapolitan-style osteria in Saint-Germain! I ordered the Penne all’Arrabbiata, and it was delicious!

After dinner, the three of us took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower to take some pictures and enjoy the view. We even met some very kind locals! We then headed back to the hotel, went to sleep, and prepared for our next day abroad!

Today was our last day in Paris. We started the day by going on a hunt to find delicious foods for our final lunch together. We met at a local Cafe to get coffee at 10am, which was a short walk from our hotel. We were broken up into groups where we would explore a local food market. My group had chosen the option to find different cheeses. The local street market had so many options. We found a cheese shop and decided on a brie. We left and kept walking where we smelt something delicious. A man was actively making a potato and cheese mixture, and we had to get it. As we were walking back to the Cafe we stopped by a honey shop. Inside, they had numerous options. We tested a few flavors and decided to get a raspberry honey to put on top of the brie. 

After we all had gotten our French food for lunch, we walked to the Worldstrides building, where we all enjoyed a delicious meal. The meal included fresh baguettes, strawberries, tomatoes, a variety of meats, juices, the cheeses and honey my group had picked, and a delicious chocolate cake.  

After our meal was done, we headed back to our hotel, where we got ready for my favorite part of the trip. The Moulin Rouge, a cabaret where the most amazing show I have seen is held. We had an amazing time there, and everyone was impressed and entertained for the whole show. The dancers and performers had amazing acts. It was truly an experience you had to be at to grasp. I was sad for the night to end, but extremely happy to have been able to experience such a unique adventure. 

Today we started the day by leaving the hotel with our guide Sylvvie. She brought us through the metro station and visited a church to kill time before the tour. We met Olivia outside of a metro stop, where she gave us a quick background history of Paris and the metro station. We had these delicious pastries, which I unfortunately forgot the name of. It was light and fluffy on the inside, and the top was coated with a sugar that made it deliciously sweet. 

The Chocolate Shop 

We visited Maison Le Roux, a chocolate and caramel shop, one of the first to mix the two together. We tried the original chocolate caramel, and we were also able to choose one flavor. I chose the raspberry, which I loved more than the chocolate. It reminded me of saltwater taffy. I also tried a chocolate on my own, but I was not the biggest fan of it, only because it was dark chocolate and I prefer milk chocolate.

The Macaroon Bakery 

Next on the tour, we stopped at Pierre Hermé. Olivia told us a little about the history of the shop and the chef. When he first opened his shop, many people did not believe in him and thought he would quickly go out of business. Fortunetly he did not, and is now a sucessful buisness man who has dozens of bakeries and delicious pastries! These bakeries are best known for their macarons, which I had never tried before. There were about 10 flavors to try, and a few were seasonal and would be gone in a few weeks! I had the vanilla, and it was absolutely delicious. I decided to go back and buy some for myself!

Dinner

After the Bakery, we stopped at a cheese shop and a bread shop to bring with us to dinner. Here, Olivia served us first with sparkling wine, which we would call champagne, but in France, it is only called champagne when it is made in and with the grapes grown from the Champagne region. I thought it was delicious! This was served with Foie gras and bread. Foie gras is duck liver, and this was served with bread. I was not a huge fan of the texture. Next, we were served with cheese, which was delicious and amazing with the bread. After that, we had a dish served with several pork dishes, which mostly reminded me of pepperoni, and they all paired well with the red wine that was served. After that, we were able to choose between 3 dishes for dinner. There was veal stew, chicken and rice, and stuffed peppers.
I chose the chicken and rice, which was absolutely amazing. The chicken was super moist and had a salty kick to it. Then, for dessert, Olivia brought a cake that she had brought from Pierre Bakery, which was where we stopped for macarons.

On Friday 13th, 2026, the day began at 10 am at the Cafe Daguerre where we met Professor Cadero-Gillette to begin our scavenger hunt. For the scavenger hunt, we were broken up into groups of three. My two groupmates were Abbie and Lily. The purpose of the scavenger hunt was to explore the local vendors and find a snack that we as students thought our peers would enjoy. Each group got assigned thirty euros to buy an important aspect of a French meal. Some got desserts, other bread, however my group got cheese. The first type of cheese we got is similar to brie and is called camembert cheese. It has a slightly hard rind with an extremely creamy inner section. We got it as a restaurant, pictured below, near the cafe called Fromagerie Vacroux.

     The second cheese we got ended up not being completely cheese at all. It is technically a sort of mashed potato like dish called “Pommes Aligot.” It is mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, garlic, cream, pepper, and other spices. It was genuinely delicious and the man who made it used a huge wooden paddle to mix it. It was super cool and definitely a highlight of Paris cuisine. It was super cheap, too. I reasonably sized tub was only euros. Down below is an image of the man making the food with his huge wooden paddle.

     After we acquired the cheese, we still had some extra time before we were supposed to meet up with our professor so we explored the street a little and happened to find a little jam shop called “Famille Mary” where we picked up some raspberry honey jam that we thought would work well with our cheese. After that we headed back and met Professor Cadero-Gillette back at Cafe Daguerre and headed back to the World Strides office to have our lunch.  

     I accidentally forgot to take a picture of our lunch in my excitement to eat, but we had the cheese that my group got. We also had cold cut meats, baguettes, and drinks. In addition, there were fruits such as oranges, strawberries, and red currants. There was also a chocolate cake for dessert! It was such a nice calming way to get a final goodbye discussion to reflect on our time in Paris since in the Moulin Rouge, once the show begins, there is no talking. 

    Speaking of the Moulin Rouge, after the lunch was finished, we cleaned up and then a few of my friends and I headed back to the hotel to have some rest then went to the Moulin Rouge. I had to immediately head back and get ready because I was heading to a restaurant called Bartolino in the 6^th district of Paris with Lilah, Julia, Emma, Olivia, and Jessie before the Moulin Rouge. There I got a delicious pasta dish with yellow egg pasta, spinach noodles, mushrooms, and a rich parmesan sauce as shown below. It is commonly referred to as “Paglia e Fieno” which means “straw and hay.” The yellow noodles represent the straw, and the green pasta represents the hay. 

     After that, we headed straight to the Moulin Rouge. We arrived a little early so me and the ladies that were there headed to their gift shop and waited. We eventually met up with the rest of the group outside Moulin Rouge. We had a few mishaps with the metro closing, but eventually we all got inside and seated. The show itself was magical. It had acrobatics, dancing, and even knife throwing. I could not recommend it enough. The one point that could be seen as disappointing would be the fact that you are not allowed to take pictures of the show to commemorate. Hence, why I do not have any photos of me in the Moulin Rouge or of the show. However, I do feel like people were more directly engaged in the show since they were not on their phones. That aspect of it I enjoyed quite a lot. 

    After the show was over, we all said our goodbyes and headed straight to the hotel for a final rest before our flight home. Overall, my trip in Paris was excellent. It was a completely different cultural experience and truly opened my eyes to diversity from place to place. It helped highlight some changes I would want to see in America, but also accentuates some of the United States better qualities. Overall, Paris’ beautiful scenario, sophisticated culture, and immense historical importance made me both miss America so much and also never want to go back.  

Today was our last day in Paris.

The morning started early, with everyone needing to be ready for the bus by 7 a.m. I woke up around 6 a.m., taking a few quiet moments to pack my bags and double-check that I hadn’t left anything behind. It felt strange knowing we were about to leave the city that had been our home for the past few days

When the bus arrived, we loaded our bags and began the drive to the airport. As we made our way through the city, the sun started to peek through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the streets. It felt like Paris was giving us one last beautiful goodbye.

Once at the airport, we navigated our way through baggage check and customs before finally arriving at our gate. With a little time to spare, I wandered off to grab a Starbucks drink, specifically the Very Berry Refresher, which they don’t offer in the United States. It felt like a small but fun way to savor one last unique moment from the trip.

I also picked up one final souvenir: a Lego set of Paris featuring some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. It felt like the perfect keepsake to remember such an incredible experience.

Before long, it was time to board our flight back to Boston. The plane was completely full, and overhead space quickly ran out, so my bag ended up being checked at the last minute. After getting settled, the long flight home began.

The flight itself went smoothly. The airline served meals, beverages, and snacks throughout the trip, and many people took the opportunity to sleep and prepare for the time change ahead.

Saying goodbye to Paris was bittersweet. While it was sad to leave such a beautiful city, it was also comforting to reflect on the incredible memories we made during our time there. This trip was truly a lovely adventure, one I will never forget.

Monday was our first full day in Paris, France. Despite running on very little sleep after traveling, everyone was excited to begin exploring the city. It ended up being a terrific first day and the perfect introduction to Paris.

We began our morning by taking the metro into the city to meet our wonderful tour guide, Olivia. To welcome us, she greeted us with a classic French pastry: a chouquette. Light, airy, and sprinkled with pearl sugar, it was the perfect little treat to start the day.

Our first stop on the food tour was Maison Le Roux Chocolatier & Caramélier. Inside the shop were rows of beautifully crafted chocolates and caramels. We sampled several delicious treats, including pâtes de fruits, a soft, jelly-like fruit candy, and a variety of flavored caramels. Each one was unique and incredibly flavorful.

Next, we stepped into a local cheese shop filled with countless varieties of cheese. While we didn’t taste any at this stop, it was fascinating to see the wide selection and learn a bit more about French cheese culture.

We then visited a beautiful bread shop that immediately caught everyone’s attention. Fresh loaves lined the walls, and hanging above us was a spectacular chandelier made entirely out of bread. It was both creative and impressive, and it definitely made me excited for the food still to come

Our next stop was the famous Pierre Hermé, known for its incredible macarons. Macarons are delicate almond-based pastries that come in a wide variety of flavors. I chose the Ispahan macaron, which combines rose, lychee, and raspberry. The flavor combination was unique and absolutely delicious. Pierre Hermé also offers seasonal macaron flavors, which makes every visit a little different.