a day trip to Paris | everything I ate & getting my portrait painted by an artist

As a teenager growing up in Berlin, I always loved the idea of Paris. Whenever I visited my French grandparents, I would pass through the city, but I didn't actually get to properly explore it until September of last year. This time, it was finally time to go back. My boyfriend and I were spending a week with my grandparents in Burgundy, and since Paris is only about an hour and a half away by train, it felt like the perfect opportunity for a day trip. So this is actually the second time I have combined a visit to my grandparents with a day trip to Paris, and honestly, I really like traveling that way, even though it definitely comes with a few trade-offs. I mean, on the one hand, I don't have to pay for a hotel, which is great because Paris isn't exactly the cheapest city, but on the other hand, when you're only there for a day, you have to accept that you're not going to see everything, so you end up being a lot more selective about how you spend your time, and what feels worth fitting into those few hours. But I mean, for now, I'm quite happy with this compromise. Of course, it's different from spending a full week in the city, but as a student, it's a much more realistic and cheaper way of traveling. We arrived just before 11am, with only two goals for the day. Eat as much food as possible, and get a portrait painted in Montmartre. To accomplish the first one, we decided to get a croissant from La Maison du Zabel. I was really curious to see whether it actually lived up to the hype, because honestly, croissants in France are already pretty hard to beat. But even before we tried them, the smell coming from the bakery was absolutely incredible. Before breakfast, my boyfriend grabbed a coffee from this little place nearby, and then we headed to the Seine to find a spot to sit down and enjoy our croissants. In my honest opinion, they're absolutely worth it, especially considering they only cost 1.40. The inside is soft and airy, with a little bit of bounce to it, while the outside is perfectly crisp without being dry. And somehow the outer layers almost taste slightly caramelized. I don't really know how to describe it any better than that, but if you get the chance to try one yourself, I doubt you'll be disappointed. A quick side note, I genuinely don't think I've ever been to a bad bakery in France, at least not so far. And I still don't understand why it's so difficult to find a genuinely good croissant in Germany. The ones in France are just on a completely different level. After buying a jacket because I had completely underestimated how cold it would be, it was already time for lunch. We had a reservation at Brasserie des Prés, because I was in the mood for a classic French restaurant experience. We both ordered the fish of the day, which was salmon with cauliflower puree, asparagus, and carrots glazed with dill. The fish was perfectly cooked and incredibly tender, and I felt like all the different components worked really well together. At first, I thought it might not be enough, but because the dish was fairly rich, it ended up being more filling than I expected. For dessert, we wandered into a creperie just around the corner that had great reviews online, and shared a crepe with Nutella, banana, and whipped cream. I'm usually not the biggest fan of chocolate, but in this combination, it was delicious. I can definitely understand the positive reviews, although we did struggle a little to finish the entire crepe because we were already so full. Which made our next activity even more welcome. As planned, we made our way to Montmartre, Paris' famous artist district, which also happens to sit on top of a hill. So you either pay to go up, or you climb all of these stairs like we did. But honestly, the view from the top was beautiful, and it was actually my first time ever seeing the Eiffel Tower in real life. So why did I want a portrait in the first place? To be honest, I've never really been a souvenir person, like magnets or keychains don't do much for me, but what I do love are things that are connected to a specific memory. It's actually the same with most things I own, like for example, I recently went to a pottery class and made a few mugs and bolts, and I love using them because they remind me of that experience, and because I made them, it has something to do with me personally. And I think that's also why I wanted a portrait, because it felt less like buying a generic souvenir, and more like taking a personal memory home with me. And I guess there was also something about capturing this specific moment in my life, not just my visit to Paris, but also who I was when I visited it. I was genuinely nervous because I wanted to find the right artist for me, while also being slightly afraid of spending money on something I might not end up liking. But I pushed that fear aside and decided to go with this artist here. It was my first time ever sitting for a portrait, and the artist had a very clear vision of how he wanted me to pose. The position felt incredibly unnatural at the time, but after seeing the portrait he had done for the person before me, I decided to trust his vision and skill. And in the end, I really loved the result. I should probably also mention that in a situation like this, you're kind of surrendering yourself to the artist's vision. Like, for example, everyone has a side of their face that they prefer, and in my case, I ended up sitting with the side I like less, facing the artist. And that was something I kept thinking about throughout the process, and I think it probably made me feel a little more self-conscious than I otherwise would have. That being said, I'm really happy with how the portrait turned out. There's something undeniably romantic about getting your portrait painted by an artist in Paris, but I have to admit that I still haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet, because I think that it might feel strange to have a large portrait of yourself hanging on your wall. Since we were only in Paris for less than a day, and didn't have much time left before I train home, my boyfriend and I ended up sitting down at a cafe nearby. I had some sort of lemonade, and my boyfriend ordered an espresso. Both were really good, and it was a nice way to end the day before heading back to my grandparents' home in Burgundy. So, this was my day in Paris. I hope you enjoyed watching, and I'll see you in my next video!