After a few blog posts recently on hotels in Paris, due to Valentine’s day. I thought it was time to take myself back to the city of love for my first solo trip!
It was a last-minute decision, based on boredom of Essex, the need for new content and a craving for Laduree macaroons!
After taking the Eurostar from St Pancras to Gare du Nord, I checked into my hotel, quickly set my things down and headed out around 2pm.
First stop… Shopping!
There’s just something about Zara in a place like France and Spain, so of course I had to go and check out their spring collection on the Rue de Rivoli, as well as Sephora, Bershka and the Samaritans Mall for Dior and Louis Vuitton window shopping. The mall is in a great location, next to some beautiful cafés on the Seine River and has a distant view of the Eiffel Tower, where I made friends with a French girl and we exchanged photos of each other and our Instagram’s - new age networking!
After grabbing a crepe in one of the small cafes nearby – seemed fitting for pancake day; I took stroll back to my hotel, which was about a 40-minute walk. Would I attempt that in London, absolutely not, but there’s just something about walking around the streets of Paris, stopping off for a cigarette (no judging it’s an unspoken rule to smoke in Paris) and of course, my much-needed macaroons!!!
I only grabbed a small hotel in Bastille, and my go to for a modern budget friendly room is always Moxy Marriott - message to book!
I got changed into my over-the-top outfit and too high to walk in heels and headed out to dinner where I saw a bunch of other overdressed ladies too! Side note, its Paris Fashion Week and the outfits I’m seeing are amazing!
For dinner, I headed to Bambini, an Italian with chic décor and the perfect view of the tower. Here, I enjoyed Truffle Arancini (I don’t remember the last time I walked into an Italian and there wasn’t truffle on the menu) and rigatoni (and a few glasses of Pinot Grigio!)
Now, I’ve never been phased about eating in a restaurant alone, sometimes I quite enjoy it, but dressed up, in one of the most romantic restaurants in Paris; which is a statement in the city of love, it did bring me out of my comfort zone!
After dinner I met up with an old friend who is studying fashion and watched the Eiffel tower light up every hour, on the hour.
The next morning, I could have done with an hour or two extra sleep, but I was determined to wake up and run to Café de Flores before the queue was unbearable. Luckily, there wasn’t a queue, so I enjoyed my eggs, pain au chocolate and much needed coffee in there!
After eating I wanted to do some more sightseeing, I walked down to Le Louvre, which is beautiful and much bigger than I anticipated, walked through the Pinault exhibition at the Bourse de commerce and finished the sightseeing at the Thierry Mugler exhibition.
That brought me to 1pm and unfortunately, my time was up, so I headed back to the
Gare du Nord and made my way home.
I love Paris, every bit of it, it’s the perfect combination of classy, historic and with the times. I also admire how, unlike London, their culture and history is not just for the tourists to enjoy, but also its people.
If I had longer, I would have enjoyed a glass of champagne at a speakeasy or burlesque show… again, class and historic. I think the word I’m looking for is fabulous!
Paris, you have my heart, until next time!
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