End of Chapter 2

I think Chapter 1 began back in college, when I studied abroad in Paris for a spring semester (or even the first ever trip at age 12). Some of the roots of this trip began there, but unfortunately we don't have a detailed record of those, so we're here at the end of Chapter 2: Lillie Learns to Cook.

With only a couple days left, I had a lot of things to squeeze in. Mostly visiting people!

I got breakfast with my chef classmate. We saw a mouse.

I took the RER train outside of Paris to visit another friend for lunch in his tiny little town. We had pizza and he showed me where the St. Jaques de Compostelle trail runs through the village.

My girlfriends and I had a girl-dinner of shakshuka and champagne (I popped open the bottle my sisters had brought me back from their champagne day-trip).

Look at the view my friend has from her apartment!

We had a birthday to celebrate in the local wine shop (not the dog, her owner).

We brought a cake to celebrate, and they showed us their storage which was actually located in a nearby cave* below ground, because the basement of the shop is set up for wine tastings and classes.

*the French word cave is kind of like a basement, but "basement" doesn't give the same impression when you actually look at the space we were in.

It was super cool to see such an old yet still functional underground piece of Paris. It was also very cold down there (perfect for wine, but we didn't stick around too long).

The night before I left, my musical band was playing for a retirement party, so I got to tag along and eat cheese and play my trumpet.

And then my last day in Paris I walked everywhere.

I had one more lunch with my friends. We tried to go to a cute tea shop but the prices were exorbitant and it looked more like an instagram opportunity than anything, so we opted for the nearest cafe with outdoor seating.

And then I went home to keep packing and pet the dog. The guy I'd been seeing came to say goodbye and waved me off along with my host family, which made me cry in the taxi, but I also saw this black cat which had to be an omen because GUESS WHAT!

My flight was cancelled. Yippee!

Now, I know what you're thinking, what a pain in the butt. BUT. I was already checked in, bags checked, and sitting in the Air France lounge (because remember I'd bought myself a business class ticket as a treat in anticipation of being sad when I left) when they told me, so all I had to do was confirm my new flight for the next morning with the very stressed guy at the desk and then wheel my little suitcase back downstairs and onto the metro into Paris. I had a working Navigo Pass (girl math = free metro ride) AND a boy waiting to eat dinner with me.

We bought McDonald's and I introduced him to The Princess Bride. It was the perfect bonus night in Paris.

So by the time I actually got on my flight the next day, I was just a little bit less sad because who can be sad after borrowed time in their favorite city?

And guess what? If you ever needed a sign that God exists, I think He had a hand in cancelling that flight because it is now July 2025 and (spoiler alert!) that boy proposed to me two weeks ago.

:)