Europe Trip 2019: Paris + Barcelona
Flight: Norwegian Air: OAK to CDG - We always get the lowfare tickets. We can select to sit in the exit row (extra leg room) for no extra cost. We can check a bag, have a carry-on, personal item, and meal with this ticket. I especially like that they offer a large selection of meals (veggie, halal, etc.) Plus, have you noticed their stellar price? $569.80/ 2 tickets
Dinner at Le Bistrot des Augustins: This was the best dinner in Paris we had. It was a cheesy potato dish and you can have meats added in (Fermier). We got the one with chicken. They also have a good and cheaper wine selection. They give you table bread so you can really scoop up the potato, cheese, meat. SOOOO GOOOD. My mouth is watering as I’m thinking of the place. MUST GO TO! $35.31
After Dinner Walk: Since we were staying in Paris we opted to walk to a lot of places and this was a great way to site see. We were staying close to the Notre Dame Cathedral and were able to see it all times of the day. This particular night we walked along the Seine and imagined what it would have been like to be Parisians.
Our Parisian Apartment: Did we mention how much we loved it? We watched sex in the city (the movie) as we fell asleep.
*Brunch at Bancaire Au Pere Tranquille: Started our day at 11am - Jet lag sucks! And therefore we slept in but we still accomplished a lot. Parisians don’t really brunch or eat eggs for breakfast. So you should plan on just doing a café au lait (coffee with milk) and pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant). We sat close to the heater and the cafe’s cat was perched close by. $16
TurboPass Paris: We had purchased the 3-day TurboPass Paris €240/ 2 passes. I got this particular one because it includes 3 days of public transit (which we used every day, their transit is a labyrinth so I only recommend this for people who use public transit systems regularly), a 2 day Museum/Attraction Pass (which we used on Tue/Wed and completely worth it), and a Seine Boat Ride (Kev’s Fave thing). Since we only had the museum pass for 2 days and a good amount of stuff is closed Monday (things close one day a week so make sure you check), I used this day to do the free stuff.
Historic Paris Walk (free) Rick Steves walking tour: I love Rick Steves. We download his free tours on our phone and listen to them at our own pace. It’s free to go into the Notre Dame and Rick Steves does a great job giving you a rundown of the place. His tour continues to the surrounding blocks, Latin quarter, St. Michel and we paused it at St. Chapelle to be continued on Tuesday. NOTE: You have to pay to use the restroom at the mall, so get cash before coming to France, or when you land...
Grocery Shopped at the Monoprix: Our favorite purchase was the bottle of wine I happened to pick up. I chose it because it had the image of something Parisian on it but it also happened to be delicious (wine’s name is Arbois and the image was the execution room… but I didn’t know that at the time). We got regular items too, like bread, eggs, butter, pasta, etc. $50
Eiffel Tower: We didn’t go up but took photos around it and listened to Rick Steve’s short talk on it. I’ve been up so many times that it just wouldn’t have been worth it but we happened to get here around sunset and it was magical.
Dinner & Drinks at Bateaux Parisien, Le Brebant, Cafe Etienne: So when we got off the cruise, we really needed to pee and ended up at this swanky restaurant off of the seine. We were looking for a dancy bar and our night took us to bars all over the city… somehow we never made it to any of the clubs that were actually recommended to us… They were Lido, VIP Room, and Conte. If we go back, we will attempt this again. However, the bars we stumbled into were such a treat. I am pretty sure we closed down two of the places and the cook came out to hang out with us at the second bar… He thought I was Indian and he was Indian so you know. At the third place, we did shots with the bartender and we talked about Australia (he had just gotten back from living abroad). We were loving Paris. $140
** And I kept trying to make my way over to L’As du Fallafel but something always seemed to get in my way. If you redo this trip, I recommend making these changes.
Tuesday, Mar 26 - Museum/Attraction Day 1
Finish the Historic Walking Tour: We picked it up early the next day, super hungover, at Sainte Chapelle. This was my first time and our museum pass got us past the long line of waiting people and into this magical church in no time. I was blown away when I stepped onto the second floor. I actually gasped it was so beautiful. I let Rick walk me through the church and explain the stained glass. We saw the building next door, Conciergerie, and ended on a bridge. (€ 15)
Lunch at the very famous fancy mall, Galeries Lafayette, at Angélina: The hot chocolate is melted chocolate and I don’t recommend it. It’s too thick to drink. The dining room is beautiful. K wanted the Risotto but they were out so we settled for Ravioli and Burgers. After Lunch, we went up to the roof to take in the neighboring views. They usually have a pretty great lounge setup up there. $79
Wednesday, Mar 27 - Museum/Attraction Day 2
Palace of Versailles Walking Tour: Rick Steve’s offers another fantastic free overview of the palace. We didn’t make it into the palace because the line was soooo long and I wasn’t willing to wait. It was like 10 am. But we could walk along the grounds and in the garden.
Orsay Museum: We finished the Rick Steves Tour that we had started the day before. (€ 14 )
Dancing at some Irish Pub (O’ Sullivans): We packed, facetimed my mom, finished another bottle of wine, and set out on the town. We came home around 4…. showered, napped and left for our train to Barcelona around 6 am.
Travel: $570
Accommodations: $670
Food & Drinks: about $500
Attractions: € 240 (spent € 188 for attractions + € 54 in transit = € 242) - so the turbo pass was worth it [barely] but it would have been amazing if it had actually gotten us into the palace of Versailles.
TOTAL: $2,016 - About $250 per person per night
Thursday, Mar 28 - Train to Barcelona
Eurorail from Paris to Barcelona: Long story but basically we bought these tickets last minute... Flying is faster and cheaper but the train is so much more scenic and kinda romantic. I highly recommend it. Also, I would like to note that when we got on the train there were two men sitting across from us and when I awoke (4 hours later) they had both moved…. So I think this speaks miles on my attractiveness when asleep. K, I applaud you for loving me no matter what. On another note, the views from the train were amazing! And you do have to transfer trains in Perpignan, which was easily done by walking across the platform. $320
Checked-in to Hostal Central Barcelona: We stayed in this hostel close to La Sagrada Familia (newer Barcelona) and it was tiny but cute. And the two concierge girls are the sweetest humans on the planet. They have a tiny elevator and the hostel is located on the 2nd/3rd floor. They provide a simple breakfast of pastries and coffee/tea. I would recommend and stay here again. $290/3 nights
SIESTA! We took maybe a two-hour nap after we checked in. Then headed to my favorite dinner in Spain.
Dinner at NOGAL: The concierge at the hostel recommended this place and it was only 3 blocks away. This was the best Paella I have ever had EVER! We got the white sangria, seafood paella, and the cheese & Iberian ham plate (this was the big thing that K wanted to try in Spain). We got there a bit early and the bartender was joking with us that it’s too early for the Spaniards to be having dinner, it was like 6 or 7 pm. Honestly, everyone was so delightful. We went home with take away (leftovers). $76.24
After Dinner Walk: We were pretty pooped from the journey but I still wanted to get acquainted with the new city so we walked to Las Ramblas, where we were harassed by all the men trying to sell us stuff or invite us into their bars/clubs. It quieted down as we got closer to the Mediterranean. We walked along it for some time before we turned back up to the Gothic Quarter.
Coffee & Dessert at Milk: At this point, it was pretty late and bars were the only thing open so it was by chance that we stumbled onto this little cafe. The owners are from San Francisco and the decor is a must see. It was a cute little spot. $11.25
Friday, Mar 29 - Getting Acquainted with Barcelona
La Sagrada Familia: I woke up with a cold, probably because I’m not as sprightly as I once was. But I wasn’t going to let it slow me down. We grabbed some pastries from the lobby on our way out to see this majestic structure. Our ticket to La Sagrada Familia included the audio tour. € 50
Leftover Lunch of Paella: It was the best. And our concierge girls were the sweetest for keeping it in their fridge for us and heating it up.
Walk Home: We stopped in the small shops, I bought a painting of cheese by a French painter. And we stopped for dessert in a little bakery. I got the chocolate danish thing. I dream about this thing, I wish I knew what it was called…. Once we got home, I slept hard. K watched a movie in Spanish. It was a chill night.
Saturday, March 30 - Shopping, Las Ramblas, & the Mediterranean Sea
We went shopping: Zara started in Spain. What I found impressive was the H&M. It was like 6 stories, they had a foyer, home department, and a food court. When did H&M become a Nordstroms or Macy's?!? We did find some goodies. $(I’m choosing not to disclose how much we spent on clothes and accessories...)
La Boqueria Market: Off of Las Ramblas is a market that’s where K and I picked up lunch. We got a burrito (strange and delicious), Iberian ham, cheese, bread, sangria, and a few other goodies and headed to the beach via bus (The concierge girls told us to get a 10 trip pass and use the one pass for the two of us, I highly recommend this). It was a little chilly but we had come prepared with our towels/blankets. K went in for a few minutes as the sun was setting. We went home to shower and get warm as soon as he came out. $ 30
Saturday, March 31 - Leaving Europe
Our concierge girl called a taxi for us early the next day, like 7 am. Our flight was at 10:30. This taxi is the whole reason K will not drive in Europe. There was no one on the road and he was still all over the place. We made it to the airport with time to spare. I really liked that we took a taxi to the airport because it gave us the opportunity to see everything one last time and really get to say goodbye. We did a little shopping at the airport, there is no way not to, you go from security through the shops to get to any of the gates. And I got my last cafe con leche. It was my turn to sit in the middle since K had done it on the way to Paris. He lucked out, the views were unreal. Everything about this trip was magical. My only complaints being the palace of Versailles being somewhat of a let down both times we attempted it and the special needs child that screamed the whole 12-hour plane ride. What were his parents thinking?!?!? Oh, and K was sad that US customs took away his vacuum-sealed Iberian ham. The Spaniard behind us commented, “They took the good stuff, huh?” as we walked out of the airport. ALL IN ALL, GREAT TRIP. $609.80 - 2 plane tickets home
If you are thinking of doing this trip, I recommend giving yourself 2 extra days in each place. We would have liked to explore a bit more.
Spain Breakdown
Travel: $930 ($609.80 + $320)
Accomodations: $290
Food & Drinks: about $230
Attractions: $ 80
TOTAL: $1,530 - About $255 per person per night
France + Spain TOTAL: $3,546 ($2,016 + $1,530) - About $253/pp per night