Before last month, I had only been to the City of Love once before (aged 3½), so there was (and still is) plenty of exploring to be done. I asked Alex to come out for a weekend so we could make a little holiday of it.
After we arrived and checked into out hotel - we set out almost immediately in search of delicious French cuisine. Luckily, we have plenty of friends who are real foodies and were willing to share their favourite dinner spots with us.
One such place was the legendary Bouillion Chartier - a gorgeous restaurant in the Opera district. You can't book a table in advance, so be prepared to queue, but the line moves quickly and you can enjoy a tasty glass of sangria while you wait. I didn't take any photos whilst inside the restaurant so you will just have to trust me when I say the food, value for money and atmosphere were all excellent and I couldn't recommend it more highly.
The next day we awoke early and braved the cold, grey weather in order to soak up some culture, grabbing a quick coffee and a pain au chocolat for the road.
The first stop on our agenda was The Louvre, and we spent a relaxed morning pottering about amongst the art and clumsily attempting to decipher the descriptions written in French.
The museum is stuffed with Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, and I thoroughly enjoyed regaling Alex with my dusty knowledge of Greek mythology learned during my University days.
Post museum we decided to pay a visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral and were surprised to discover a service in session. Quiet as church mice (excuse the pun) we tiptoed around and admired the stunning high ceilings and ornate stained glass windows - well worth a visit if you've not been before. You can also opt to climb the bell tower which provides great views of the city but due to the freezing weather and extraordinary long queue we decided to give it a miss this time.
The next day I tapped into my uber-tourist mode and requested to go and see the Eiffel Tower. Although it was sadly rather a cloudy day, the views that greeted us when we reached the top were still mind-blowing. The tower was even larger than I had anticipated and even boasts an ice rink on the first floor 😲
In order to stretch our legs and work off some of the delicious butter-laden lunch we had just enjoyed we opted to walk down most of the 1,700 steps down, waving at other tourists riding up in the lift as we went.
Once we had returned to land, the sun was just starting to set behind the tower. We enjoyed one last leisurely stroll through the idyllic Parisian streets before heading back to our cosy little hotel. A thoroughly satisfying weekend in all... À bientôt Paris!
One such place was the legendary Bouillion Chartier - a gorgeous restaurant in the Opera district. You can't book a table in advance, so be prepared to queue, but the line moves quickly and you can enjoy a tasty glass of sangria while you wait. I didn't take any photos whilst inside the restaurant so you will just have to trust me when I say the food, value for money and atmosphere were all excellent and I couldn't recommend it more highly.
The next day we awoke early and braved the cold, grey weather in order to soak up some culture, grabbing a quick coffee and a pain au chocolat for the road.
The first stop on our agenda was The Louvre, and we spent a relaxed morning pottering about amongst the art and clumsily attempting to decipher the descriptions written in French.
The museum is stuffed with Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, and I thoroughly enjoyed regaling Alex with my dusty knowledge of Greek mythology learned during my University days.
Post museum we decided to pay a visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral and were surprised to discover a service in session. Quiet as church mice (excuse the pun) we tiptoed around and admired the stunning high ceilings and ornate stained glass windows - well worth a visit if you've not been before. You can also opt to climb the bell tower which provides great views of the city but due to the freezing weather and extraordinary long queue we decided to give it a miss this time.
The next day I tapped into my uber-tourist mode and requested to go and see the Eiffel Tower. Although it was sadly rather a cloudy day, the views that greeted us when we reached the top were still mind-blowing. The tower was even larger than I had anticipated and even boasts an ice rink on the first floor 😲
In order to stretch our legs and work off some of the delicious butter-laden lunch we had just enjoyed we opted to walk down most of the 1,700 steps down, waving at other tourists riding up in the lift as we went.
Once we had returned to land, the sun was just starting to set behind the tower. We enjoyed one last leisurely stroll through the idyllic Parisian streets before heading back to our cosy little hotel. A thoroughly satisfying weekend in all... À bientôt Paris!
