Antoine & Florentina
Le Bombardier, Paris,
2 December 2015
Both Antoine and Florentina saw one another for the first time at an Erasmus party in an English pub called le Bombardier. Upon catching sight of each other, they stared at each other for a second too long. Antoine bought Florentina a glass of wine but Florentina flirted with his other friends all evening as she did not want to appear too keen. Then at the end of the evening she couldn't restrain herself and ran up to him to ask for his mobile number!
First encounter at the Bombardier
Twenty-one, London,
2 Jan 2016
It was Florentina's 21st birthday party. Antoine cancelled an expensive trip to Canada to attend the party and meet her family. This was when the couple knew the relationship was turning into something serious.
Florentina's 21st birthday in London
Château,
January 2016
After just short of two months of knowing each other, Florentina moved to Laval in La Mayenne to do a work placement in an archaic chateau as part of her Erasmus year abroad. Despite not living in the same city, the couple found ways of seeing each other nearly every weekend.
Visiting Mont Saint Michel
Antoine and Florentina before the Paris Marathon
Geneva Airport,
July 2016
It was a sad day at Geneva airport as Florentina departed to London and Antoine departed to Singapore to do his masters in Computer Science. This would be the start of 16 months of being at other ends of the world.
Whilst Antoine and Florentina were living apart, they tried to see each other approximately every three months over the holiday periods, whether it be in Singapore, in Europe or somewhere in between. During term time, the couple would call each other every day. Antoine kept busy with his studies but needed time to adapt to life in Asia. Florentina enjoyed living with her newly found friends in Camden and worked tirelessly to produce an opera.
Florentina jet-lagged in Phuket
Florentina with her flat mates
Florentina discovering a dangerous hobby
San Francisco,
2017
Antoine moved to Berkeley in California to do a work placement.
California,
Summer of 2017
Florentina finished her degree and spent six weeks in the States to be with Antoine and enjoy the freedom away from studying. The couple went on a road trip around Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Visiting Grand Canyon
Wimbledon,
November 2017
Antoine moved from California to London to live with Florentina on a permanent basis. The first morning after Antoine had moved into Florentina's parents' flat in Wimbledon, Florentina made him an English breakfast.
First English breakfast together
Paris,
March 2019
The couple moved to Paris as Florentina had secured an accountancy training contract in a firm with an office there.
Paris,
and now...
The couple live in a tiny 30m² flat in the centre of Paris, 10 minutes' walk from the Notre-Dame. They love getting burgers and beers at the Mayflower Pub on Rue Mouffetard, doing evening runs along the River Seine and seeing their friends. They enjoy the occasional weekend away, whether it be in Chambéry, Solihull or somewhere completely different.
Florentina has become accustomed to life in the French countryside and Antoine is better able to detect regional British accents!
They are each immensely grateful for their respective families for being so welcoming of their other halves and understanding of any language or cultural barriers they may have encountered. Antoine and Florentina have learnt things from each other and have found being in an international relationship very enriching. Here's to many more years to come!
Friend's wedding with Antoine's family
Antoine with Florentina's family in Austria
Florentina with Antoine's family in Chamonix
"Florentina in Paris"
Pictures of the couple in Paris