Now before we begin, you must be warned, I am very partial to Paris. I love it. It stole my heart a very long time ago and it would be fair to say that my views and opinions are those of someone to whom Paris could probably do no wrong. It is an awe-inspiring, breath-taking, straight-out-of-a-movie city. Now don’t get me wrong, Paris has a gritty and dirty side. But it IS a capital city and as such it would also be unfair not to assume that Paris is ONLY a beautiful city. But if you ask me, the grit and dirty only serve to make Paris a more fascinating place. There is not too many places you can stroll along the Seine and see a grey haired man standing by the river, wearing a beret, painting a scene while eating a baguette… without a trace of irony…

As I have so many fond memories of Paris, I was feeling a bit nervous about taking the girls here (silly I know, what can you do?) because I really wanted them to like, if not love, it! To see a few different aspects of Paris and get a true feel of the city in the short space of time we had. Not only that, but there is so much one can do and see in Paris! Where to start? What to see? What to eat? What to drink? You would probably have to ask the girls themselves for an honest answer (and they would also probably tell you that I stress/think way too much about these inane things), but to me, they said Paris surprised them, in a good way. Despite the short burst, I think that in the very least, they liked it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had arrived in Paris for our 36 hour whirlwind tour! We jumped off the train at Gare Lyon and made our way via the metro to our hostel – another St Christopher’s (I feel like we have been staying here a lot, but it is nice to have the assurance of a chain company where you know you will have breakfast, a comfy bed, power points and a safe place) and we passed an Ibis Hotel again on our way – we really felt like they were stalking us now! Once settled in (it took a while because we had a trainee on the check-in desk…cute…but I mean really, our packs ARE heavy) we headed on up to Sacre-Coeur to begin our love-affair with this beautiful city…

Some people poke fun at the unsubtle design of Sacré-Cœur, but no one can disagree with the view – a postcard perfect shot of the city. The area itself is more than just the basilica, from the musicians performing on the steps to the groups of friends picnicking on the hillside park and the bohemian lifestyle that surrounds it all. Touristy, yes. But who cares. You can take the funicular to the top, but we chose the stairs and a little boy raced us to the top (though to be honest he was the only one racing, much to the delight of his parents). I was shocked by the amount of security that was around. Apparently it was Paris fashion week, but there were so many uniformed and armed men, including a sniper. This was the first sign of the “increased security threat” that we had seen traveling around for the last few months, so I suppose you couldn’t say that was too bad. Still, a touch off-putting. We walked around the district, taking in the street art and street artists. I was so engrossed in the art that I almost got poked by a solider with the butt of a gun!! I mean really – he could have tried excusez-moi first… Luckily I have good friends who pulled me out of the way..

We made our way back down the hill via the winding streets, taking our time and popping into many cute and boutique type shops along the way. We found an adorable little restaurant and secured an open-window-seat table for a delicious dinner before we headed for an early night (had to prepare for our crazy day tomorrow!!).

Up bright and early, Roisin and Max headed out to see the Catacombs – the underground tunnels lined with skulls and bones. In 1785 it was decided to rectify the hygiene problems of Paris’ overflowing cemeteries by exhuming the bones and storing them in disused quarry tunnels and the Catacombes were created in 1810 (fun fact – during WWII these tunnels were used as a headquarters by the Resistance). Unfortunately the crowds were HUGE and as the let a maximum of 200 people in at a time, the wait was going to be 2 hours. So the girls trudged back to the hostel and we our started self-guided tour of Paris.

No prize if you can guess where we started. No one could imagine Paris today without it. The 320m-tall signature spire created as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower. No matter what your opinions are about how it looks, I don’t think you can help but marvel at the grandeur of it all. We took the lift up to all three floors, with Rosh dying a little bit more with ever floor. To be honest this was one of the first times we saw her fear in full flight and she was not a happy lass!! Good thing we didn’t need to show our tickets again, because she had sweated through hers on the elevator ride!!!

It was such a picture perfect day and with the blue skies you could see for miles!! After we had a taken a few snaps and soaked up the view, we headed down the tower and after a typical touristy photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower, we bought some crepes and fairy floss to calm our nerves.

We walked across the Seine river and headed to our next stop on the tour – the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it’s this magnificent 1836 monument to Napoléon’s victory at Austerlitz (1805). We spent a few moments marvelling at the traffic-chocked roundabout (commenting on how we would never, not in a million years, want to drive in this particular spot in France) before we took the stairs leading under the Champs-Élysées. We took our time admiring all the detail of this arch and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that lies beneath and honours the 1.3 million French soldiers who lost their lives in WWI.

We also spent a bit of time commenting on the creative positions one particular Asian mum was getting into to the that “perfect shot” of her two kids – she certainly knew how to get low and was squatting, twisting and tilting all at once. Anything for that insta-worthy pic!

We made our way down to the Jardin des Tuileries, dancing our way down the Champs-Élysées (“The champs-elysees is a busy street; We getting down with everyone we meet; If you understand, then listen to me; Si’l vous plait ma cherie allez tombez la chemise!”). We stopped to gawk at all the clothes, jewellery and bags we could not afford, as well as stop into Ladurée to smell all the macaroons and delicious little cakes!

We spent a bit of time getting lost in the garden itself, filled with fountains, ponds and sculptures, it really is a lovely place on a sunny day. We made sure we stopped to smell the roses and took some time to sit, people watch and rest our feet in front of one of the giant fountains.

Once we made our way out of the maze we found ourselves at the Musée du Louvre. Few art galleries are as prized or daunting as this is, after all, one of the world’s largest and most diverse museums. Showcasing 35,000 works of art – from Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek antiquities to masterpieces by artists such as da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. I myself, have spent countless hours here on three or four occasions (yes, I have been very fortunate) and would not even dare to say I have seen it all. Today however, we merely marvelled at the building itself. The sheer size of it is enough to make you pause, let alone the 21m-high glass Grande Pyramide that is the main entrance!

 

We walked away from the Louvre and walked further down the Seine, crossing one of the many bridges covered with love-locks and ending up on the Île de la Cité. A few short minutes later we rounded the corner and locked eyes on our final destination on the tour – Cathédrale Notre Dame. I love this masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. The rose windows, treasury and bell towers mixed with the gargoyles and hoards of people make for the perfect combination of touristy bliss. We decided not to wait in the longest line imaginable, so instead of going inside, Max and I tried to re-enact scenes of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame! Best. Day. Ever.

With the tour officially over, it was time for food!!! I wanted to take the girls somewhere delicious for their last French meal and as neither of them had tried soufflés before, I thought where better to experience the ultimate soufflé than in Paris? So mysterious, sexy and oh so French. After a little googling, I found La Récamier. This soufflé- specific restaurant, on a small side street covered with greenery in the 7th arrondissement, has made it their mission to serve the lightest, airiest, most flavorful soufflés that you’ll ever eat. We were starving by the time we arrived, but there was literally no one else in the restaurant. Thankfully they were open (we were just early, which turned out to be a good thing because they were all booked up later in the evening) and the maitre d’ offered us an ideal location on the covered terrace. We studied and discussed the menu carefully before ordering, having to google many of the words…. We ordered a bottle of wine, some foie gras to start, a main and dessert soufflé each. Sipping our wine, we tasted each item and agreed that they were all delicious. I say again. Best. Day. Ever.

Until next time …