Hunting through Paris! ... Day 9 (picnic in a park, raclettes, and Hunter goes home)

For Hunter's last day in Paris (boo), I wanted to take him to see one of my favorite parks during the day, and out to a French dinner at night!

We rode our bikes to this park called Buttes-Chaumont in the north of Paris. It's one of my favorite parks because it's huge and there's a ton of green space and there's even a waterfall there! It's pretty romantic too. :)

Unfortunately, riding there was difficult for me since it was an uphill journey the whole time.
I had to take a break and open my jacket since I started sweating a bit. :P

By the way, we found a boulanger-patissier on the way, which is a store that sells bread and pastries, and I bought us a pistachio macaroon for Hunter to try. He said he liked it!

We also bought some french bread and some cheese for a little picnic in the park too!
Here's Hunter with his French bread, French cheese, French scarf, French hair... I think he's turning French!

Here we are in the park getting ready to eat!

Hunter had to show off his strong jawline, and I just like being agreeable.

Picnic food.

Hunter enjoying his French bread.

Here's some on-the-spot commentary about the cheese!

Couple picture!

Hunter's white socks, a.k.a. proof that he's still an American! :D

After our mini-lunch, we went to the lookout in the middle of the park, where there is a beautiful gazebo and a gorgeous view of the rest of the park.

Me and Hunter by the gazebo!

View of the park!

Here's some of the scenery as we walked back toward the entrance to leave. I thought it was absolutely stunning!

Walking back to the bikes! (Is there something on my face?)

Three old men on a park bench!

Blossoming tree!

Thumbs up for finding the bikes.

Next, we had to return the bikes, and since the bike office is by the Eiffel Tower, we saw some pretty views on the way there.

Crossing the Seine with the Tower in the background!

When we returned the bikes, we got another pleasant surprise concerning our bill because again, the people working at the office either can't add, or we were really lucky. Either way, we were supposed to pay 15eur per bike x 2 days = 60eur total. We actually paid 20eur. Nice.

Here we are resting on a bench outside the bike office. As you can see, I was still so happy he was there.




Then he gave me a piggy back ride to the Tower!

Aaahh!! The ride was a little bumpy. :D

Hunter took a picture as we were directly under the Eiffel Tower. I guess I wasn't ready.




After we passed the Tower, I decided to take a few more fun pictures including this famous symbol of France!

Here's Hunter waving at himself.

And here's excited Samantha, curious Samantha, and cute Samantha!

Here's some commentary about what Hunter was thinking at the moment:

Don't mind me, I just like the way my boyfriend looks! I think I embarrassed him a little though.


And here is probably my favorite picture from the whole trip:

So romantic!

One more picture by the Eiffel Tower right after it was lit.

For dinner, I took Hunter out to eat raclettes! We both got dressed up and celebrated a wonderful week spent together in Paris.
Our dinner was really interesting! I've tried raclettes before, but never like this. Raclettes are basically a dish where you melt cheese and eat it with potatoes and deli meats. It's similar to fondue, but the way you melt the cheese is completely different than stirring it in a pot. As you can see from the picture, we got a huge wedge of cheese, and there were 2 metal heated plates on both sides that you can lower down towards the cheese to make it melt faster. As the cheese melts, it drips onto the potatoes you cut up beforehand. You get 2 plates to work with, so as you eat your potatoes from one plate, you can go ahead and melt cheese onto more potatoes, and keep the plates rotating.

I think Hunter really liked it! He looks so nice with his collar shirt and tie!

The next day, we had to get up early to go to Charles de Gaulle. I was really sad to see Hunter leave, but I was ok for the train ride there and up to the security checkpoint. I started crying as he went through the line and passed through to go to his flight gate. I think what made me so upset was knowing that I wouldn't be able to hug him again for another few months. Honestly, I was pretty depressed on the train ride back to Paris, too, but I also knew that these next few months will pass by so quickly (it's already been 7 months!), and that I should really enjoy Paris and my study abroad experience while I still can.

I had a blast the whole time Hunter was here. I always love spending time with him, but I think it was extra special this week since we were in Paris of all places, and I had the amazing opportunity to experience the city's more romantic side. I see this side of Paris almost every day, but actually participating in it is completely different. It's like smelling fresh-baked bread versus eating it, or taking a stroll by the Seine on a regular day versus taking that stroll on a warm sunny day. Each is good, but the second option is always better, and this whole week for me was filled with those second options. I fell in love all over again with Hunter, but also with Paris, and fortunately I'll have my second love to keep me company until I can go back home to my first love in July.

So to Hunter: thank you thank you so much for coming, my darling. Je t'adore.

Until next time,
Bisous XOXO