The day I ran into Baylor friends in Paris!

Last week I found out that a group from Baylor was coming to visit Paris for the weekend. I had been emailing my friend Kristen so we could make plans to meet up once she got here. But Kristen's phone wasn't working and she didn't have an internet connection, so once she got to Paris on Thursday night I wasn't able to get in touch with her. I was disappointed not to be able to see her on Friday, but it was a beautiful day so I set out for a walk. I was enjoying the sunny, 55 degree weather when I reached the Champs-Elysees, and as I was walking along I all of a sudden saw Kristen, Hannah, Marley and a few other of the girls from Baylor! In the middle of Paris, we just happened to be in the same place at the same time, it was the best surprise! We spent the rest of the day seeing as much as we could. We stopped at a cafe first for crepes and coffees and had the best time chatting about our experiences so far. They are studying through a Baylor program in Maastricht and told me all about their time in Europe so far.  After we finished at the cafe, we walked across the Seine to the Notre-Dame and then to Place St Michel.

Hannah and I outside the cafe 

Kristen and I crossing the Seine

We met up with the rest of the group from Maastricht for dinner. After dinner, a few of us walked to the Louvre to see the lights at nighttime. It was such a pretty night so we sat and enjoyed our time talking and of course taking a few pictures. From there, we walked down the side of the Tuileries Garden to Place de la Concorde, where we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. 

Kristen, Michael and I at the Louvre

On Saturday, the group went out to Versailles so I met up with Marley, Kristen, Rebecca, Hannah and Carissa later that night for dinner. I had read about a little restaurant near the Eiffel Tower that was supposed to be a fun and authentic Parisian restaurant. We had about an hour wait before we could be seated, so we walked to the Parc de Champs-Mars just down the street and enjoyed the view of the Eiffel Tower from a park bench. We were back at the restaurant an hour later, and were taken up a small spiral staircase to the little dining room upstairs filled with Paris locals. It was a a true French restaurant with so much personality and delicious food! It was the perfect place for us to enjoy a wonderful dinner together after a long day. 

Marley, Kristen and I outside the restaurant after dinner

We went back to the Eiffel tower after dinner, and three of the girls went to the top while the other three of us walked around to enjoy the view from the ground. We ran into three other Baylor students again! They had come to see the Eiffel Tower and almost walked right past us. 

Marley and I under the Eiffel Tower

Rebecca, my new friend!

After spending a while enjoying the Eiffel Tower, we went to check out the Latin Quartier. Definitely a busy spot on a Saturday night! We walked down a few streets and took in as much as we could. It was a fun place to see and a good way to end the night. We walked back to the metro just in time so they could catch the last line back home. It was such a fun weekend for me to see friends from back home!