So, let me give you a little back story to the whole meaning of this trip and all of its’ cuteness.
Between sips of wine on Dave and I’s first date I asked where he’d go if he could go anywhere, knowing that I had my own answer, I patiently waited for his reply which was much to my surprise: “Paris.” This was unexpected because it was my answer too! We laughed about it, but didn’t think much of it. Little did I know he’d surprise me with a trip to that very destination a few weeks later..
I’m going to space these blogs out by starting with the monuments you have to go to, then restaurants, and finally trickle down to outfit deetz. There are just some touristy things you have to do and see because you’re in fucking France and there’s no way you’re not going to want to be annoying and take pictures of virtually everything.
EIFFEL TOWER
Obviously! It was hard not to make the tower the backdrop of every photo because it seems so surreal. I thought that I would be underwhelmed by it because it’s just a tower, but when it lights up for that 5 minutes on every hour it’s breathtaking.
ARC DE TRIOMPHE
I was super excited to see this monument because not only is it a peek into French history, I heard it had ridiculous views of the city. Well, you heard it here folks- rumors are confirmed- it was the best 12€ I’ve ever spent. After climbing what seemed like a million stairs, we made it to the top where we looked out onto the Eiffel Tower, all the way down Avenue Champs Elyseés to Le Louvré and literally the entire city. Dave and I both agree this was our favorite touristy moment of the trip. If you go to Paris, definitely do this!
AVENUE CHAMPS ELYSEÉS
It seemed to be like the Parisian version of “Fifth Ave” with lots of peddlars and very crowded sidewalks, but it’s fun to walk up and down- the shopping is great which is always a plus.
LADUREÈ/PIERRE HERMÉ
There was no way around this, I’m obsessed with macarons and we went to almost every single storefront we saw. Of course they have multitudes of flavors, my favorite: Rose Petal. Pierre Hermé had a lot of holiday options like Foie Gras& dark chocolate which was a delicious combination. I believe Pierre Hermé is exclusive to Europe, unlike La Dureé, which you can find in major cities like NYC. Almost every restaurant we went to had macarons as a dessert option so we’ve definitely had our fair share, but I couldn’t help but stop once more at CDG for the flight. Oops.
LE LOUVRÉ
Luckily we beat the lines due to a strike happening across town, so we went straight into the museum, where we beelined for the Mona Lisa. I’m not a huge fan of museums in general just because I’d rather experience the culture rather than the art but if you have extensive amounts of time in Paris then you may want to spend the day there, however we didn’t feel the need to stay, so we saw the Mona Lisa and moved on.
JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG/TULLERIES
Although we didn’t see the lush greenery we had hoped for, (it is late November lol) it was fun to wander through these spacious parks, I imagine that it’s a million times prettier in the spring or summer but it was worth the wander.
CHATEAU DU VERSAILLES
There’s only one word to describe this experience and that is absurd- in the best possible way. The entirety of the palace is filled with decadence and beauty. The decor is nothing short of royal- literally. It was hard not to catch yourself imagining what it must have been like to live there, when the property was used as it was intended to be- a house. The gardens were beautiful, with mile after mile of trees and pools, each bordered by picturesque statues. This was such a cool experience, and was well worth the 30 minute drive outside of Paris.
CRAZY HORSE
This was such a fun experience, complete with champagne and macarons, of course! If you’re uncomfortable with nudity then this probably isn’t for you, because these (very beautiful) women strip down to “sticky thongs” -think sticky bras, no straps and very little coverage- which are inevitably shaped like a bush.. a little play on French sexuality in my opinion! This show was comedic and sexy and I definitely reccomend reserving tickets if you’re planning a trip!
Side Note: There was only one thing we did that we wouldn’t reccomend: Moulin Rouge. We thought that it would be a little more T&A, similar to Crazy Horse however it was more of a theatrical show- we left after 20 minutes because it just wasn’t our style.
I’m off to a massage to work off a little bit of this jet lag, but up next: Restaurants!
Here are a few photos from the trip.. many more to come!
Xx
EK
