Wine, Cheese, Gossip & Paris— The Perfect Blogger Meetup

A couple months ago, I set out to do something that I never thought I would do in a THOUSAND years. . .

Meet up with four complete strangers for a weekend flat-share in Paris.

Well, complete strangers is a bit of an exaggeration—for months I've been interacting with these ladies through our travel/expat blogs—but face-to-face strangers nonetheless. I think most people (and especially bloggers) would agree that people's online personas and offline personas are two very different creatures, and in real life, the face-to-face interview ALWAYS seals the deal.







My journey started in London where I met up with Jen, from Lady Relocated, at the St. Pancras International train station. Being my first international trip sans J, I was relieved to book seats on her same trains to and from Paris... I mean, we don't want a 'Taken' situation people...

Meeting Jen put a lot of my anxieties about the weekend to rest. She was totally normal, and very sweet, and I thought our connection was genuine.

Once Jen and I arrived in Paris, we got settled at the flat and figured out what we wanted to do about dinner. We had a couple of hours until the other girls started arriving, so we found a cute little restaurant around the corner in Marais to pass the time.

One by one, the ladies started to arrive.

First, Jordan from Beer Time With Wagner, then Margo from The Overseas Escape, and then Melanie from Melanie Fontaine, clocking in at almost midnight! Good thing Jen and I stocked the flat with some snacks and libations because there was a lot of catching up and "Hello, my name is'ing" going on.

Basically, it was a group first date. And a little wine never hurts a first date!




After a great, low-key first night getting to know one another, we set out Saturday morning to explore Le Marais. The day was spent leisurely meandering the city streets, popping in and out of shops, enjoying mid-day cappuccinos at popular cafes, and plainly, just admiring the vibe and the scenery that Paris has to offer.









I thought we all got along naturally. I mean, put five camera-heavy bloggers in the same location and see how you fair! The day was very enjoyable—not too structured, yet not to indecisive either.






It's easy to get hypnotized in Paris. After spending the majority of the day on our feet, it turns out we forgot about lunch! Everyone was happy to take a seat, connect to WiFi (#iknow) and refuel. After enjoying our late lunch, we made our way back to our flat with our full bellies in tow...

But that didn't stop us from picking up some essentials.

Armed with crusty bread, stinky cheese, and red wine supplies, we all settled in for 'Getting to Know You Part Deux'. At this point—shoes off, comfy clothes, hair up, computers on—one more layer of the disguise was shed.

I really loved Saturday night. Relaxing, in my natural state, drinking, laughing, sharing stories, opening up, that's what I love doing with friends. And these girls and I were sharing in that sacred ritual. It was a true girls' night.

Sunday morning, everyone woke up excited for the gourmet food tour that Margo graciously set up for us. I will talk about this tour at a later date, but it was basically the best (five hours??) of my life. Macaroons, croissants, bread, chocolate—dear god, I was binge eating my way through Saint Germain and it was wonderful!







As the tour concluded, we sadly said our goodbyes to Jordan and the rest of us grabbed—yes, MORE food—and wandered over to the Luxembourg Gardens for some downtime and people watching.

SUCH a lovely end to an amazing weekend.







I can say without a doubt, this weekend turned out better than I could have imagined. It felt great interacting with people that could relate to my lifestyle, and talk about common interests (even though I could have probably gone for a month without ever hearing the words: camera, manual, blog, blogging, photography, Lightroom, Bloglovin', followers, template, etc...)

It's not always easy to find witty, smart, genuine people when you graduate from college or are working (or not working) in a different country... I can truly say that I am happy to have met ALL four of these women.

#RealLadiesofBloglovin'