We Let Instagram Decide: Our Last-Minute Trip to Paris
On the 22nd of February, I posted something on Instagram, half joking. I said: my husband told me if this post gets 500 likes, we’re going to Paris.
I shared it on the JSYT page, quietly hoping that a bit of girlpower still exists on the internet. It turns out it does.
Within a couple of hours, the post passed 500 likes. Not slowly, not over days, but almost instantly. So a promise is a promise. The next week, we booked our trip. Less than a month later, we were on an Air France flight, landing in the city of lights.
First impressions (and a very French welcome)
Our first 10 minutes in Paris were… memorable. We got into a taxi, still a bit overwhelmed that this spontaneous idea actually turned into a real trip. And then, within minutes, our driver had an interaction with another driver that ended in a very clear, very expressive middle finger. That was our first experience with a French local. It didn’t bother us at all. If anything, it made the whole thing feel real. We were too excited to care.
Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur, and slow evenings
Our first stop was Sacré-Cœur. We arrived in the late afternoon, when the light is softer and everything feels slightly slower. It was one of those moments where you don’t really talk, you just look around and take it in. We had booked our hotel nearby, which turned out to be the best decision. Over the next four days, we kept coming back. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to.
That first evening, we walked around the neighborhood, stopped by the Moulin Rouge (only from the outside—honestly, it’s much more expensive than you’d expect), and ended the day with dinner at Clichy’s Tavern. It was simple, relaxed, and exactly what we needed after the trip.
Walking Paris (a bit too much, maybe)
The next day turned into a long walk. A very long walk. We ended up walking almost 16 kilometers, starting around the Champs-Élysées and making our way all the way to Notre-Dame. We didn’t go inside. That’s just not how we travel. We prefer walking, stopping for coffee, picking up croissants, sitting in parks, and just observing the city. No pressure to “see everything.” We sat down for a coffee at Shakespeare and Company Café and visited the bookstore next to it.
We spent part of the afternoon in the park next to the Louvre, which quickly became one of our favorite spots. Open, calm, and easy to return to, which we did, more than once.That day happened to be March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, so in the evening, we found an Irish bar and celebrated there. Ireland has always had a special place in our hearts, and probably always will.
Not rushing, not ticking boxes
It says a lot about how we travel that we only visited the Eiffel Tower on the third day of a four-day trip. And even then, we didn’t go up. Instead, we got on the metro and went to Librairie Galignani, the first English-language bookstore on the continent. That felt more like us. I picked up a book called The French Art of Not Trying Too Hard by Ollivier Pourriol. It turned out to be one of those rare finds, the kind of book you know you’ll keep coming back to. Simple, thoughtful, and quietly grounding.
The last day, the right way
On our last day, we slowed things down even more. We spent a few hours again at Sacré-Cœur, then visited one of my favorite shops, Sézane. After that, we returned (again) to the park near the Louvre, this time with tabouleh and madeleines. Nothing planned, nothing rushed. Just sitting, eating, and letting the last hours pass in a way that felt right.
For a proper goodbye, we went back to Clichy’s Tavern for dinner. Ending the trip where it began felt complete.
This trip wasn’t about checking landmarks off a list. It was about walking without a plan, returning to the same places, and noticing small things - the light, the streets, the feeling of being somewhere different.
It also reminded me how little it sometimes takes to make something happen. A simple idea, a post, a bit of support, and suddenly you’re on a plane. We came back with inspiration, motivation, and, of course a few new Instagram challenge ideas.
Paris might have been spontaneous, but it stayed with us in a very real way.
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