July 24 - France: The Finale

As a former theatre kid, I know that a final show should end on a high note. For this reason, Morgan and I booked fancy tickets to the Moulin Rouge months in advance. Today was finally that day for one last hoorah in Paris.

My day began much later than planned. Disney drained me and so I spent a much-needed morning in bed. It was about 11 when I got up to be productive. I got dressed and ready and went out for some adulting. I went to a laundromat outside of the hotel and learned how to use the machines despite the instructions being in French. I was able to scrounge around my bag and find enough Euros to wash my clothes but not enough to dry it. To resolve this issue, I went to a nearby restaurant and got myself a poke bowl and some change. I ate my lunch while watching my clothes as they ran through the machines. Once that was over, I packed up my laundry and headed toward the hotel.

Back at the hotel, I packed up my belongings as much as possible since I knew it would be a long night. I packed for a while and then went out with my roommate, Aubrey, for one last stroll during the daytime. We found a cute little bakery and grabbed some snacks for our train ride the next day. We walked around the Louvre and ended up at Angelina again for one last delicious hot chocolate. We strolled around for an hour or so until it was time to go back and finish up on the things we needed to do.

We came back to our hotel and found our other roommates on the floor working on their blogs. We joined them and worked for nearly three hours. It felt amazing to be productive while still having fun. We bounced around ideas and helped each other out with questions and formatting for their blogs too. All of these little moments may not seem important but it was truly an incredible time. It was starting to get late into the evening and that meant it was time to get ready for the night.

I bought a silky black dress earlier in the week specifically for this day. I got dressed, put on some makeup, and got ready for a fun night on the town. My roommates Morgan and Audra were both joining me at the Moulin Rouge that night. Once we were all dolled up for the night, we went out for some drinks and dinner before the show.

Along our route, we saw stares from so many different people. We got compliments from the men and the waitress at the restaurant we stopped in. We sat down and enjoyed a plate of fancy local cheeses while recapping our time in France. It was an incredible way to start a fun night.

We sat around enjoying ourselves and the cheese before taking the metro over to a suburb called Montmartre. We rushed over to the Moulin Rouge for the 11 pm show and got in line. Morgan and I splurged on the expensive tickets and had the chance to walk on the red carpet up to our box seats. The seats were well worth the price. Up in our box, we were greeted with playbills, macarons, champagne, and a keychain in the shape of a dancer. It was already incredible before our performance even began.

Morgan and I shared champagne and deep conversation until the house lights started to flash. The curtain rose and I was already in awe. The dancers came out in feathers and jewels and put on an incredible performance. Many times, the women were topless and wore very little over the rest of their bodies. In between the song and dance, different performers would come on stage with an array of sideshows. Incredible balancing acts, acts of strength, and incredible roller skating performances all graced the stage. The two-hour show was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. The costumes, the sets, the music, and the dancing were all top-notch and so fun.

After the show ended, we took the bus back as close as we could to our hotel and then Ubered the rest of the way to avoid the rain and stay safe. It was nearly 2 in the morning at this point. We were exhausted and our feet were hurting from running around in heels but it was genuinely one of the best nights of my life. We truly ended Paris with a bang. As sad as I am to end my Paris journey, I can’t wait to see what Barcelona has in store.

♡ Katie