Italy Day 0: Norfolk, Oslo, and Paris

Starting in New York, we had to hit a lot of stops before we got to Italy. We went to Norfolk, DC, back to NYC, then made stops in Oslo Norway, and Paris, France, before we were able to start our road trip.

We took this trip back in 2017, when Norwegian airlines was still offering flights affordable enough for two college students to take international trips.

Norfolk

We first drove down the east coast to hit Norfolk, where Masa’s brother lives. I’d say that it’s one of my top 5 favorite cities in the USA, and I wouldn’t have minded staying there for a few more months. We stayed with him for a few days and dropped off our cats before driving back up to New York for our flight to Europe. He’d be taking care of them for the few weeks we were going to spend in Italy.

Oslo

We had booked a flight to Paris, and we had a layover in Oslo, Norway. This was my first time in Europe EVER, so I was pretty psyched. The airport was so beautiful, clean, and civilized on a different level, compared to New York’s airport. We had a few hours, so we thought it would be nice to get lunch outside the airport and see a brief overview of Oslo before we headed to Paris. We were traveling light: one bag each, so we wouldn’t have to drag any big luggage around.

We took the train to the main tourist area that seemed to be centered around Oslo Domkirke, a preserved historical church. We walked around for a bit, and saw that the streets were really empty. It was sunny, but cold, and the streets had a lot of greenery for a city. We saw some salmon bagels and stopped for lunch at Prince Lunchbar. We were able to people-watch out the window, and we saw a military group pass by, marching!

We walked to the water’s edge nearby, to a place called the Akershus Fortress. We met the politest young soldier, who told us in perfect English that we were free to roam around the castle grounds, but we had to be out of there by 9 PM.

This area was still being used for military training, and we saw many museums and statues commemorating the victims and heroes of WWII scattered around the gardens near the castle. After an hour or two of exploring, we got back on the bullet train to the airport. I was so impressed by how automated everything was: sliding doors, scanners that actually worked, and futuristic self-checkout kiosk stands in the airport. It does require a level of trust in the users, which is why it would make sense in a place like Oslo.

Paris

Day 1 in Paris

Our next stop was Paris. It was raining during the taxi ride to our hotel in the outskirts of the city. After checking in, we ventured out into the streets and it was so, so dark despite the streetlamps. We finally took shelter in this small, cozy restaurant serving French tapas called Les pieds sous la table. The owner’s dog was running around under the tables, socializing and looking for scraps and love. The fireplace crackled periodically and cast a beautiful orange glow inside the restaurant, and it was the kind of place where the waiters knelt down to take your orders face-to-face.

The next day was our first real day in Paris. I woke up itchy. I had chosen to stay in a mediocre hotel, the kind that American expats living in Paris in the 50s stay in and write about. It was the kind that may or may not have bedbugs, but it doesn’t matter, because just looking at the bedsheets and water-damaged bedframe makes you itchy.

It was so cold outside! We walked from our hotel to the main part of Paris, and then along the banks of the Seine until we were in the mood for breakfast. We went to Le Carousel near the golden statue of Napoleon for crepes and omelettes. Walking through Paris, I was shocked at the number of pharmacies there were. They seemed to be everywhere.

Then we continued walking and saw the outside of the Louvre. We were only here for a few days, so we didn’t want to go inside just yet.

We continued our walk to the Eiffel tower! We went through the security measures at the base, in these portable trailers where they checked our pockets and bags. The view from popular tourist attractions is never as good as the view from a few blocks away, though.

Then we sat for a while in the grass in the park by the Eiffel tower. Even though it was quite windy, it was a comfortable temperature. We saw people walking dogs, having picnics, and reading books in ther park.

Then we made our way over to the red light district. It was so strange to me, how overt they were being about sex, but I guess that’s just how it goes!

We must have walked over ten miles that day. Our next destination was waiting in line for a steak place that Masa had been previously and loved: Le Relais de L’Entrecôte. We were here to eat their most famous dish, steak and fries with their special green sauce.

The fries were crunchy, but the ones at the bottom were soaked with the delicious green sauce. The meat was soft and juicy, and we also had salad, wine, and creme brulee for dessert afterward. I all but licked my plate clean.

Then we walked for 2 miles to get back to our hotel after that. At night, I worked on my EE52 documentation homework while Masa got ready for bed.

Day 2 in France

The next morning, we woke up early and got a cappuccino and an escargot raisin croissant for breakfast. We walked toward the Notre Dame along the Seine, eating as we walked.

This was my first time inside a church older than 200 years. The amount of space in there was incredible! The columns were so tall, straight, and perfect.

There were many gated partitions on the sides of the church that we weren’t supposed to enter. I think these held the coffins and the bodies of some of the saints.

After our trip to the church, we decided to go to the famous catacombs of Paris. We descended the staircase with the tour group, and we were in a small, narrow corridor we could almost touch with our heads.

I think the story of this place is that there were so many bodies that they started running out of space in the city to bury them. Their solution was to take all these bones, sort them by part, and stack them in neat arrangements in the catacombs.

It creeped me out a little, but for the most part it was cool. Some alcoves in the catacombs were decorated in patterns that resembled tombstones.

There were also stone slabs engraved with names and years, inset into the stacks of femurs and skulls. After about an hour or two, we resurfaced in the middle of the city.

Our next stop was Galleries Lafayette, the biggest shopping destination in Paris. I was interested in buying a Longchamp Le Pliage. In my opinion, it’s the perfect bag for traveling light, since you can easily pack it up, clean it, and it’s durable enough to stuff it full of souvenirs I didn’t plan on buying.

I went to the Longchamp section of the department store and there was a line outside each brand’s little nook. Every sales associate spoke Chinese, probably because the only customers I saw were all Chinese. When I got into the boutique, I tried on a small size Le Pliage and looked at myself in the mirror. The ladies swarmed behind me, talking about how it looked on me. One lady even grabbed the bag while it was on my shoulder and turned it to show her friends (lol). Some people tried to haggle, but the sales associates, armed with calculators, told them that you can’t haggle for these goods. I bought my bag quickly and left the boutique before it got more crowded. The lady before me bought $1000 (!!!) worth of goods.

We wandered through the makeup and jewelry section of the mall, and it felt like we were in an opera house.

It was so gorgeous. We also checked out the food section, which was a beautifully arranged, high-end baked goods and decorated pastry section. When we got to the macaron section, they were flying off the shelves with people crowding around the display case. They also had a ton of spices for sale by weight. This market really impressed me because everything seemed so handmade and fresh. You don’t get that much in America, unless you go to those weekend farmer’s markets.

These activities took us to dinner time. We chose Chez Janou, a nice sidewalk bistro with indoor and outdoor seating. Even though it was super cold, we chose to sit outside. The heat lamps and building lights made everything glow a warm yellow.

I ordered steak and potatoes with their special steak sauce, and it was so juicy and delicious. Sadly, I think this restaurant is permanently closed now.

For dessert, we went to a small crepes place on a small, dark street called Chez Imogène. I ordered the flambeed banana and rum crepe.

Day 3 in Paris

We grabbed a quick breakfast in a small cafe and headed to the airport early. We had time to kill so we went to the airport lounge, courtesy of Priority Pass. We were the only ones in the lounge, and we spent an hour or two here, refilling our wine a few times and eating as many croissants as we could. They were delicious.

Then we boarded our plane headed to Venice.