Travel Blog: Bruges, Brussels, Paris

You know you have a great friend when they buy a plane ticket to visit you in Paris before you’ve even bought your own flight! My friend Kacy flew all the way to Paris for her spring break and we had such a fun week together! 

Before she arrived, I gave Kacy very specific instructions on how to get from the huge Charles de Gaulle airport, to my apartment on the other side of the city. Little did she know that I was actually planning on surprising her at the airport! I learned though that surprising people at the airport isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when you don’t have phone service! I initially found Kacy quite easily. While staying hidden, I saw her through a glass wall at the baggage claim and was planning on bumping into her on the other side of the final security doors. But once she retrieved her luggage, I lost track of her! After searching all over the airport for my long lost friend, I decided to give up and just head back to my apartment so he wouldn’t get stuck outside waiting for me. Luckily, Kacy followed my initial directions to a T,  so on the way back to the metro, I found her buying a train ticket! She was definitely surprised to see me and it was so great to be reunited after months apart <3

We dropped off her luggage at my apartment and then headed straight away for a bus to BELGIUM! Neither one of us had ever been before, and I had an extra day off from class, so we thought why not go for a quick weekend trip?!

The highlight of our weekend in Belgium was definitely our day trip to Bruges! Bruges is known as the “Venice of the North” with its narrow canals and windy roads. It was such a quaint town and we spent the entire afternoon exploring, sampling the cuisine, and of course, taking pictures! 

BRUGES

183A1972.jpg 183A2027.jpg 183A2043.jpg burges2.jpg 183A2068.jpg bruges.jpg 183A2131.jpg 183A2114.jpg 183A2175.jpg 183A2167.jpg

BRUSSELS

We spent a majority of our weekend in Brussels where we did lots of shopping and ate too many waffles and fries (if that’s even possible?!). We enjoyed a nice stew dinner at Le Fin de Siècle and before taking our midday bus back to Paris, we got brunch at Peck 47. Super yummy!

183A2199.jpg 183A2191.jpg 183A2193.jpg 183A2202.jpg 183A2203.jpg 183A2215.jpg

DISNEYLAND PARIS

The highlight of the week was definitely visiting DISNEYLAND PARIS!!! Kacy is a huge Disney fan, which made going with her, out of all people, so much more fun! I, on the other hand, had only been to Disneyland California when I was younger. So I was really excited to relive a piece of my childhood!

At Disneyland, we got to meet Minnie Mouse (see iPhone pics at the end!), ride the Hotel Tower of Terror twice, and see the Star Wars show! I’m a huge Star Wars nerd, thanks to my dad and brother, so just imagine me freaking out when the stormtroopers paraded right past me and Chewbacca roared out of nowhere. Kacy said she had never seen me so excited before!

We were also fortunate enough to have the most beautiful weather, which just added to magnificence of the day! Our visit ended with the incredible firework show at Cinderella’s castle where I decided that Disneyland just might be the happiest place on Earth. <3

disney1.jpg 183A2245.jpg 183A2237.jpg disney2.jpg 183A2299.jpg 183A2240.jpg 1.jpg 183A2331.jpg 183A2340.jpg 183A2351.jpg 183A2356.jpg 183A2419.jpg

My favorite part of the firework show was when they transformed the castle into Notre Dame cathedral and showed an animation of Quasimodo climbing up the tower! It was a fun little reminder that we were in Paris!

183A2406.jpg 183A2427.jpg

PARIS

The rest of the week included going to the top of the Montparnasse Tower, a Fat Tire bike tour with a sunset cruise on the Seine, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with my fellow international students, and eating lots of French food (like steak & frites at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte and hot chocolate at Angelina!). The weather was so perfect in Paris that week; Kacy visited during the perfect time because all of the cherry blossom trees had just started blooming!

Kacy knows how much I’ve been missing doing shoots, so she let me take lots of pictures of her in the Petit Palais courtyard, which made my photographers’ heart so very happy 🙂 Springtime is my favorite season, so she even snapped some shots of me with the fluffy pink trees!

183A2435.jpg 183A2440.jpg cassie1.jpg 183A2475.jpg kacy1.jpg 183A2535.jpg 183A2489.jpg 183A2564.jpg cassie3.jpg 183A2627.jpg kacy2.jpg 183A2684.jpg cassie2.jpg

Thanks for visiting best friend and I can’t wait to be reunited soon!

iPhone Pictures

IMG_6618.JPG IMG_6545.JPG IMG_8026.JPG IMG_6640.JPG IMG_6631.JPG IMG_8031.JPG IMG_6558.JPG IMG_8029.JPG IMG_8028.JPG IMG_6713.JPG FullSizeRender 18.jpg FullSizeRender 19.jpg IMG_8027.JPG IMG_8034.JPG IMG_6432.JPG #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1492697162143_221149 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid { margin-right: -10px; } #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1492697162143_221149 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid-slide .margin-wrapper { margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; }

Thoughts of the Week:

What I’m loving right now: Parisian cafés. I’m actually sitting at a cute little café in my neighborhood right now as I’m writing this blog post 😛 They’re just such an essential part of Parisian culture!

What I’m not loving right now:  The fact that peanut butter here costs $6 for a tiny tub of Skippy. I finally just caved and bought one; sometimes you just need a pb&j! 

What I’m surprised about: That Belgian waffles in Belgium aren’t that good! The brunch waffle from Peck 47 was really yummy, but the street waffles were just okay! Hmmmm.

Favorite moment: Watching the Disneyland firework show with my best friend

Favorite travel item: Adidas Superstar sneakers! They are so comfy for walking around all day and you don’t even have to take them off when going thru security at airports. I have the all-white ones and wear them all. the. time. 

 

if you enjoyed this post, check out these! Skyline Sailboat Engagement Pictures | Alyeesha + Joe | Chicago Jan 14, 2021 Skyline Sailboat Engagement Pictures | Alyeesha + Joe | Chicago Jan 14, 2021 Jan 14, 2021 A Timeless Purdue November Wedding | Danielle + Nik | West Lafayette, IN Jun 18, 2020 A Timeless Purdue November Wedding | Danielle + Nik | West Lafayette, IN Jun 18, 2020 Jun 18, 2020 A Boilermaker Love Story | Nicole + Stuart May 22, 2020 A Boilermaker Love Story | Nicole + Stuart May 22, 2020 May 22, 2020

SHARE THIS STORY