BONJOUR PARIS
As I sat packing for Paris, all I could think about was one thing - Carrie.
Bradshaw, that is. Strutting along the Seine in her Manolo's, eating croissants and pain-au-chocolat's, visiting museums and exhibitions and still looking fabulous despite the pastry overload.
I knew in reality I would not be strutting around in eight hundred dollar heels. I also knew my pastry consumption would not go unnoticed on the scales, but I was going to Paris with the person I loved the most, instead of Aleksander Petrovsky - and I couldn't have been more excited to drink red wine, eat cheese and attempt French.
The night before the night before we went I started packing, which is unusual for me as I'm more of a pack-on-the-day kind of gal but, please, this was Paris and I could not take the risk of not knowing what I was wearing and when. Four nights - so I figured preparing nine outfit choices was a safe start. Of course I had one favourite which i wore 60% of the whole trip.
Like any good holiday, there's always one hiccup and for us, this came approximately seven minutes after I had carefully ironed, folded and packed my clothes (again, something I'm not used to). Do people still iron clothes?
Shill had broken his finger. Sounds quite minor, right? Especially because it was his little finger and, well, is it the most necessary one on the most important hand? No. Except that it was an extremely bad break (I've started telling people it had broken clean in half, just for a bit of emphasis) one that needed urgent attention in the form of surgery.
Before this I wasn't aware that breaking a finger could ever lead to surgery. In fact I thought it was similar to breaking your little toe. Very painful but you just have to crack on with it. Apparently not and the next day, off he went to have a three-hour operation.
Erm. Can I panic now?
After the shakey start - everything turned out okay. A few codeine's and a bagelman later and we were off on our little French adventure...
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
1. THE FOOD - Obviously I was always going to start this with the food. I'm not sure how women in Paris stay slim - there's a constant supply of croissants, bread and cheese everywhere you go. And with Christmas around the corner; mulled wine, German sausages and every kind of festive biscuit and desert you can imagine were practically on tap. Especially crepes/pancakes/waffles/anything smothered in chocolate. We went to an amazing Christmas market in the 7th Arrondissement which had all of the above and more. I actually ended up spending ten euros on 100g of cheese, which, by the way, is a lot of money, for very little cheese, but I was drunk on free samples (and probably mulled wine). The best restaurant we went to was Sacre Fleur in Montmartre - if you're a steak fan, there's no other place to be. Or if you just want copious amounts of red wine, that's fine too.
I still can't believe how big the French really are on frog's legs and snails and we couldn't leave Paris without sampling the local delicacies. I had to admit, frog really does taste like chicken and as far as the snails go, all I could think was, you're eating a slug right now.
2. FRENCH STYLE - We stayed in Hotel Boronali, which was in an area called Montmartre, in the 18th Arrondissement and it was beautiful. The hotel was perfect, they described it as a 'boutique hotel' and it was reasonably small but so lovely. Every time we walked outside, all I could think about was how much I loved the French style and the architecture with the little shutters and French style windows.
And of course, I couldn't go to Paris without walking down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées - if there's one thing I will say about the fashion in Paris is that it made me wish I wore glasses, or at least own a pair of fake ones. Eyewear out there is everywhere and looks fabulous. I also pined for a larger hat collection - hats and glasses are all over Paris.
3. THE MOULIN ROUGE - We went to the Moulin Rouge on our very first night in Paris and it really was the best possible start to the holiday. It was incredible. The only downside was that for some reason, they ask you to sit opposite each other, instead of next to each other and it was very expensive. We had great seats though, I would recommend getting there early - we got there about forty-five minutes before the show started and we were very close to the front, which was amazing. Probably more amazing if you're a guy - seen as the dancers are topless and very nearly naked 80% of the time! Fabulous, nevertheless.
4. CHRISTMAS AT DISNEYLAND - I never went to Disneyland when I was little (what's that about mum?) so the thought of going, AT CHRISTMAS, made me feel five years old again and I couldn't wait to be a child. Disneyland really is the most surreal place, it's like another world. It was absolutely freezing, however, but I really felt that being there at Christmas did feel very magical.
5. TIME - Anyone in a long-distance relationship, temporary or otherwise, will all agree that to sum up, it's pretty shit. This time last year, spending five nights in a row together would be something I would never have noticed, cherished or even given a second thought to. But in Paris, five nights together felt like the most important time I could ever spend. I wanted every moment of it, almost scared to fill the days with too much incase time went too quickly. Of course, I knew, like I know every time, that after five days, the long distance would return, but in those moments, I felt like I had slipped back into my old life and I was reminded what normality felt like. I slept better, I felt better and I was my whole self once again.
TIPS:
1. Taxis are too expensive and so are single Metro tickets - buy one ticket that lasts five days (or however long you're staying for).
2. Paris is expensive - that's not a lie. But there are ways to save money. Sure, it would be easy to spend thousands, but there are so many ways to cut down costs. For one, take alcohol with you. Taking alcohol with you just to drink in the hotel will save having to buy more when you're out in a bar or a restaurant, paying premium prices.
3. Buy from local boulangeries (bakeries). We always visited little bakeries as opposed to eating breakfast in the hotel or surrounding restaurants. The food is fresher and amazing value.
4. Just walk around. It's amazing how many places you can find by chance when you just walk around Paris. Some of the best places and restaurants we found just by roaming the streets! Explore!
5. Use local knowledge. Never be afraid to ask. For some reason, the French are deemed as rude, but what we experienced in Paris could not have been further from this stereotype. As long as you're polite, people are happy to help and are a great resource for recommendations of where to go and how to get there.
6. Pickpocketing is real and very common in Paris - you will be told this straight away. Keep your eyes on your belongings at all times, especially in the very touristy areas like the Eiffel Tower or The Louvre.
7. Speak French as much as you can! We spend all day everyday speaking English - you might as well speak a little French when in France!
xox
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