Hot off the train from Amsterdam, Bill and I (and our 12 bags) arrived in Paris to begin a week of wedding events in France.
Though Bill & I arrived in Paris fully adjusted to the time zone, we were joined by a few people who came in on a red-eye from the East Coast so we didn’t want to do anything too crazy for our first night together in Paris. The late morning and early afternoon were spent wandering around the left bank, checking out the sights in the 5th and 6th arrondisements.

Even though I’d been to Paris a few times before, I’d always stayed in the Marais so hadn’t seen a lot of these iconic places.


Later in the afternoon, we checked out of the hotel where had spent the night before on our own, and into our Airbnb.

We had 10 people staying at this Airbnb in the 5th, and it could have been up to 16 total if we had also rented out the first floor apartment in addition to the 2nd and 3rd floors. The apartment overlooked a courtyard with several bars, restaurants and cafes spilling out so it was a great location to meet up casually with the rest of the group for drinks throughout the day. At night, the courtyard would get quiet, the cafe tables and chairs would be put away, and the rats would come out to play. I never saw them myself but everyone else would see them by the hundreds as soon as it was dark. They’d basically take over the courtyard. I feel a little robbed I never saw them!
For dinner, we had a reservation at Refuge des Fondus in Montmartre. A tiny fondue spot that’s great for groups, they serve wine in baby bottles and encourage graffiti on the walls.







