Paris | Amsterdam | Utrecht

Paris - I've never been to Paris this late in the season. Tree's changing colors, bright oranges and reds throughout the city. November is an incredible time to travel. Chilly nights, but next to no tourists. I've been to this city multiple time but never like this. No real agenda for this particular visit other than cafe hopping and getting lost. With the colder temperatures, I made cafe's my oasis for hot espresso and warm croissants. Probably the most I've ever walked in a city and I enjoyed every second of it. Ventured out to the Palace of Versailles for the first time, long overdue. Made arrondissement 18 my homebase and shout outs to Chez Camille (bar), Le Petit Moulin (biker bar), Restaurant Le Poulbot (restaurant), and L'Annexe (restaurant)

Amsterdam - Amsterdam in the fall is outstanding. Beautiful colors, canals, and endless canals to walk along. I found out in Paris that The Netherlands went on Covid lockdown while on the trip. Thinking it would turn into a disaster, it wasn't really that big of a deal with restaurants and bars having to close at 8pm. The local citizens got around this by venturing out into the parks and city center to continue their nightly celebrations.

Utrecht - A bartender in Paris gave me the tip to day trip to Utrecht, a college town outside of central Amsterdam. I've been told not to compare it to Amsterdam but it is a mini, cleaner, Amsterdam (sorry). I fell in love with the city and was able to walk nearly all of it in one day. They were renovating their central tower, Dom Tower of Utrecht so it looked like a NASA rocket launch. I can only hope the next time I visit, the renovation will be completed so I can admire the craftsmanship from nearly any spot in the city.