Our new journey

If you haven’t heard yet—F and I are engaged!

I planned a weekend trip to Paris to surprise her, and it turned out better than I could’ve imagined.

After a looong day of traveling (Tube, Eurostar, Metro, TGV train, and finally bus), we arrived at our beautiful hotel in Ville d'Avray, a quiet village just outside Paris.

We had just about made our dinner reservation in time. Just like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant was cosy and sophisticated. It Dinner at the hotel restaurant was delicious, authentic bistro-style food—onion soup, creamy risotto, and tarte Tatin. Just like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant was cosy and I enjoyed it so much that F, as usual, couldn't help recording my reactions on her phone 💀. Funnily enough, this would be the only time we ate a French meal... it would be sushi and Korean BBQ from this point onwards 😂. With our bellies full, we turned in for the night, exhausted from all the travelling.

The next morning, I pulled her out of bed early (not easy as some of you may know!) and took her for a walk to a beautiful pond nearby. The scene was straight out of a painting— I mean, Corot literally painted it in 1865!

The entire time, I nervously fidgeted with the lid of the ring box, trying to figure out exactly how to pop the question with all the locals strolling by. We're both fairly private, so I knew a public proposal was not her thing.

Eventually, I found a quiet spot by a closed section of the path, and an idea struck me. I asked her to take a photo of the hotel across the water, and as she framed the shot, I got down on one knee. A few snaps later, she turned around and... well, you can guess the rest 😄

We called our parents right after to share the news. Their tears of joy tipped the scales, and we couldn’t help getting teary-eyed ourselves 🥹

Afterward, we checked out and headed to our next hotel in the city. The energy of the engagement carried us through the rest of the weekend as we shopped for clothes, explored the Musée d'Orsay, and soaked in the breathtaking architecture.

I put so much effort into planning it, and seeing her eyes light up with love and wonder throughout made it feel worthwhile. We made memories that, unlike the many blocks of butter we bought home with us, would last the rest of our lives.

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to propose!