Unexpected magic inside a medieval basement, the Mona Lisa police, and a perfect silhouette

A couple weeks ago, I shared stories of the tiny coffee cup and the star-lit Uber ride to the Eiffel Tower.
This week, I want to take you deeper into the little moments that made Paris unforgettable — not the postcard version, but the real, chaotic, charming one.

I’ll be honest — Paris surprised me.
I knew it was a big city, but I'm not sure why I imagined something else from a massive, global city.

It was loud, busy, a little messy, and full of energy. There were hustlers on the street, crowds flooding the sidewalks, and armed guards patrolling train stations and airports. Weirdly, it reminded me a bit of Los Angeles, actually — structured chaos with a pretty skyline.

But even in all that noise, Paris still offered these perfectly calm, cinematic moments.
On the way to my hotel, I looked up and saw two people on a tiny balcony, smoking and sipping tea, completely unbothered by the madness below them.

That was the Paris I pictured — peaceful, elegant, effortlessly cool.

When I checked into my hotel and realized I also had a balcony, I immediately opened the doors, let the breeze in, and watched the world move beneath me.

My hotel sat right outside Gare du Nord — great for people-watching, not exactly glamorous. But the real surprise was breakfast. Yes, I said breakfast.

We followed signs to another hotel next door (apparently they share facilities), walked past the front desk, and found a door simply labeled: BREAKFAST.

Behind it was a narrow, dim, stone staircase leading downward.
Naturally, we walked in anyway — because why wouldn’t you descend into a mysterious basement in a foreign country for ham and eggs?

At the bottom, I swear it looked like a medieval dungeon:

But honestly? It was awesome.

The food was standard, but the highlight was watching travelers enter behind us, one after another, all wearing the same “Are we supposed to be here?” expression. It sparked instant conversations.
That underground breakfast became one of my favorite memories of Paris.

As someone who studied art and engineering, Paris was a dream.
Naturally, I had to visit the Louvre.

Seeing art pieces I’d only seen from textbooks felt surreal…

Everyone warns you that the Mona Lisa is small.
And yes, she’s shockingly small — just 77 cm by 53 cm — especially when you’re surrounded by paintings the size of garage doors.

But besides the painting there was another show that grabbed my attention. The moment that stuck with me wasn’t a masterpiece — it was the Mona Lisa girls.

Let me explain.

There were a lot of curators around the Mona Lisa, but three of them in particular were cracking me up. Their entire job was to yell at tourists breaking rules. I dubbed them the Mona Lisa Girls.

These girls were having the time of their lives yelling at people.

Every few minutes you'd hear:

Holding up signs, waving people along, laughing with each other after every shout.
They genuinely loved their job — and honestly, I loved watching them love their job.

Low-key, a part of me wanted to join in and yell at the crowd too.

Later, in the French sculpture room of the Louvre, I stopped to photograph a marble bust of Pierre-Narcisse Guérin by Auguste Dumont.
The lighting was perfect — soft, natural light from the window behind carved dramatic shadows across the stone face and the edges were glowing brightly.

I took several shots, weaving between the crowds.

In one photo, someone walked through the frame, blocking the bust.
Expected with the amount of people in any given room… until I looked at the picture later.

The guy’s silhouette — his curls, his nose bridge, his profile — matched the bust perfectly.
It looked like he was posing with a statue of himself!

I wish I had noticed in the moment so I could’ve shown him.
What are the odds? Funny, little coincidence.

Travel isn’t only about seeing the things the world tells you are important.
It’s about noticing the things that matter to you.
The small quirks… the unexpected laughs… the human moments in between the landmarks.

The little things don’t just fill the trip — they’re the reason the trip stays with you.

Until next time,

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