Paris. I've been dreaming of going there ever since... well I don't actually remember. Maybe it was since Anastasia when all she could say was, 'we'll meet in Paris?' Perhaps. Either way, the city has always fascinated me and I was lucky enough to spend an entire three days there. Here is day one, which was spent exploring our neighbourhood after a long day of traveling from Johnston to Swansea, from Swansea to London, and from London to Paris. It took a few trains and one plane, but we got there in the early morning and jumped on the metro to get to our apartment. Renting an apartment when traveling is ideal for me, because you are free to come in and out as you wish, it is private, and you get a better feel of the city when you almost live there. Plus, it is a lot cheaper than a hotel, and much nicer than a youth hostel.
Our apartment was in the 14e arrondissement on Rue St-Merri, I'll put a link down below. It was the tiniest apartment in the world, but it was perfect. All we needed was a comfy bed and a shower, which we had. It also included a television, free Wifi and a kitchen. Had we spent more days, we would have probably used the latter to save money on food, but we decided to treat ourselves and ate out every night (plus, we're lazy). We were a few streets away from a metro stop and right in the middle of a very busy neighbourhood, which included a shopping centre, restaurants, and bars.
After settling in, we scavanged for food and the boyfriend stumbled upon a great little pizza called Quartino while buying shampoo (I forgot to pack some). The pizza was amazing as they had all these different, original toppings that threw pepperoni and cheese out the window. We ate it all, completely satisfied with our order.
Macaroons! Although they have been extremely popular in Montreal for the last couple of years, I had yet to try some. What better way to try them than right where they were in invented, in Paris? These were delicious and the boyfriend loved them too. He said he could probably eat an entire box of them.
We took a long walk down the Seine and I slowly fell in love with this city. I loved everything about it. The fashion, the art, the incredible feeling of romance a girl gets as she sees the Eiffel Tower from a distance. It was surreal and I couldn't be happier to have been there. What impressed me the most was Le Pont des Arts which was completely covered with padlocks. This tradition has been found in many cities throughout Europe and it was definitely impressive. The boyfriend and I made sure to get our own lock and threw away our keys, because the rumour says that you'll stay together forever if you do. Cue the cheesy 'aw' from the crowd.
Notre Dame, beautiful, as expected. I kept looking up to see if Quasimodo would show up but I'm pretty sure he was napping at that time. It's okay. My mind was blown by how detailed this church was, and how long it must have taken to build. Or maybe it was the five euro bottle of coke I had just drank. Either way = mind blown.
Ah, the Eiffel Tower. It's pretty much Paris, isn't it? I'll be honest, I was initially a little disappointed when I saw it because it wasn't as big as I'd imagined. But then the lights went on and Paris took my breath away - again. So I took back everything I said about it being too small and marvelled in its sparkle.
We walked a lot in Paris but it was worth it. We saw so many things on our first day and it only got better as we met up with my cousin Sarah the next day and went to Disneyland on the third. It is definitely one of the cities to see in Europe and you shouldn't miss. It might be crawling with tourists, but it was still great. The food was amazing, the sights were gorgeous and the fashion. Oh god, the fashion. I would have gladly spent an extra day to shop, but sadly I had only brought along a carry-on. Next time, I'll be sure to force the boyfriend to bring one as well so I can buy more beautiful things. Also, is it just me or did everyone in Paris step out of a fashion magazine? Everyone was so well-dressed, from the twentysomethings to the retirees. It was shocking. My boyfriend admitted he must have been the worst dressed man in Paris. I took it as an opportunity to dress to impress, which is maybe why I bought so many things on the first day.
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