So after those long months of booking those flight tickets and confirming your hotel room, you’re finally in Paris, France. Oh la la! Now it’s time to show that boyfriend or husband who you dragged along why Paris really is the city of love. This is a guide on where to go courting in the city. Each date suggestion was taken from personal experience.
Spurred by the words of the president of my University, “The best way to learn the French language is to take a French lover†I snagged a French boyfriend within the first month of my arrival. At first, I thought “go meâ€! He was cute, he cooked for me and was from St. Tropez, which according to Wikipedia “has been dubbed the ‘playground for jet setters, fashion models, and millionaires’..†But that whirlwind romance ended almost as quickly as it stated. After a few weeks I broke it off because I realized that I wasn’t that into him as I thought I was. Just saying , having your ex in one of your classes is just really awkward. Especially when he is still calling and messaging you and you’re ignoring everything. However, the dates were far from bad..
– Mini golfing at Bois d Vincennex
– Splitting a box of macaroons from le patisserie Pail
– Perusing the stores along rue Cler in the 7eme
– A picnic at the Esplanade des Invalides
During the first semester, the University offered free Salsa lessons for students. Despite me having two left feet , my instructor (who was a fellow student I’d like to add) took an interest in me and invited me on a night out. He took me to an expensive Brazilian restaurant where I ate steak for the first time in months. As a poor college student living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, real meat is a luxury. I had to resist such carnal urges to devour that delicious piece of meat like the animal inside me. And yes, I’m still talking about the steak. I remembered that over dinner, he asked me if I knew about Malibu Rum. What self-respecting teenage alcoholic doesn’t know of any sweet tonic? His response which to this day still makes me giggle “Well.. my family owns 5% of the Dominican Republic, and so every time you drink Malibu Rum you’re contributing to my wealthâ€. As you can imagine, because of this the dates were magnificent;)
-Splurging on a dinner at Cueva del Diablo in the Latin Quarter
-A moonlight stroll along the riverbanks of the Seine.
The Nuit Blanche experience was truly like the movie “Midnight in Paris†because just like the protagonist, I was the lone American wandering late at night found by a merry band of French revelers who encouraged me to join them during their exploration of the city. I eventually lost interest even after the following dates:
-The pont des artes
-The funky and eclectic display if art at 59 rue de Rivoli
-Sharing a jug of freshly brewed sangria at Le 10 Bar in the Odeon
-Watching IMAX films at le cite des sciences et de l‘ industrie
Some couples have a song, we had a club. He was tall, intelligent, athletic, well-off, older and just everything you could dream about a French lover. Except it wasn’t a dream because he was mine and I was his crazy American girl. ‘C’ etait un coup de poudre’ It means ‘bolt of lightning’ and that is the magnetic force I felt during the exact moment when we cast our eyes upon each other at the club. Despite the large rambunctious crowd between us, we had found each other. Like a carefully orchestrated dance, we slowly made our way towards each other without breaking eye contact. I did realise though that there was the language barrier. We were lost in translation. After months of hopeless romance, I realized that relationships are sometimes mysterious entities that enter your life through a magical flash of lightning called ‘chemistry’. That folks, has nothing to do with the ability to form an enduring bond. So, despite the intense feelings that I had for him, I chose to give up. What I did learn though is that there are some romantic dates that are to be enjoyed whether young or a little bit older.
– The sophisticated Mix Club in Montparnasse
– The romantic ride on the Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde
– The Christmas market down the Champs- Elysees.
If you haven’t noticed there is on pattern here, I left all of these guys because I was too afraid of getting close or having my heart broken but then… along he came.
We met whilst ice skating at the top of the Eiffel tower. As cliché as it sounds, this is not stolen from a movie plot of book. Ice skating, I caught his eye but literally skated off embarrassed that he caught me looking. But then, he skated after me (even if to this day he says his time on the rink was up). From there , it was history. Who would have known that I , a typical Californian girl would have found a Russian boyfriend whilst studying in pairs. I am pleased to announce that I am with him now today which has led to an extensive list of dates:
– Ice skating at the top of the Eiffel Tower
– Salsa dancing at la Pachanga in the 14eme
РLunch at Caf̩ Cambronne in the 15eme
– Cyling through Paris with rented bikes from a Velibe station
– Exploration the China of aris at Place d’Italie
– Sharing a kiss while watching the suncset at the Sacre Coeur (this date has remained my favourite ever since).
Bisous!