A while ago me and my boss (wife) had this wonderful idea of visiting Paris (the French one) so we started planning, looking for offers, looking for stuff to do once we got there etc etc.
Stage1 – find train tickets (because faster than getting a flight from London to Paris)
The boss did all the work, she found all sorts of sites selling train tickets, only one was the winner (the cheapest one)
Stage2 – find accommodation (gotta sleep somewhere)
Again, the boss did all the work, she found a decent hotel within 30 – 40 min walking distance from stuff to visit.
Stage3 – decide what to visit, prioritize some and ignore others, etc etc
This time we kinda’ went yolo … we tagged a few of the big ones on Google Maps (Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, etc) and decided that on our way to the big ones we could simply visit the not so popular ones (if i can call them like that)
Plan was solid, when departure day came, we prepared our luggage, got batteries, got some food and drinks and we went to St. Pancreas train station in London.
Got through security pretty fast (not as tight compared to a flight), got through customs pretty fast (digital passports …), waited for a few minutes until we could board the train then off we went.
Ride was awesome – my first time travelling with a train at 250Km/h(ish) – first part of the ride was kinda dull (tunnels and more tunnels and so on) then once we got on the other side of the channel we managed to look out the window and see how the country side looks like and the funny thing is it looks like what we were used to back in Romania (nothing fancy, farms, familiar architecture, etc).
Train stopped … we got off … we were in Paris ! Awesome! Got out of the train station, prepared the maps app and started walking in the direction of our hotel (we did that for about 40min). On the way we found a Carrefour and did a bit of shopping (booze, junk food … you know … ) then carried on walking. First part of the walk was interesting (tall buildings, different architecture, ppl selling grilled corn cooked in shopping carts – not lying) however … the second part (10 min away from hotel) … was a bit out of place … felt like a ghetto (and because it was getting dark was also a bit outside of our comfort zone)
Reached the hotel, checked in, got to our room, unpacked then switched mode to chillaxed and went to bed. Next day first thing in the morning we’re like … well … we’re in Paris … let’s visit the Eiffel Tower and walk all the way there because we can see so much more along the way.
2h later (having visited a church and walking down the street with the famous brands) we managed to get there. The tower itself is impressive BUT so is the queue to get in so we decided NOT to go up but rather sit in its shade and enjoy the view … which we did. A few hours later (after enjoying ourselves with some food and good conversation) we left but via a different route (to visit some more stuff obviously ).
That evening and the next morning we started feeling pain in various parts of our bodies (my right toe was aching … my toe ? … i mean really ? 🙂 ) and decided this time we should walk but less and start using local means of transportation (tube). Tube was fast but everything was in French (except where there were landmarks to see) which was funny (lucky I knew some French) funniest thing being the exit sign which was “sortie” which at some point felt funny when the boss (wife) confused that with the name of a stop 🙂
Anyway, next day was supposed to be rainy so in the morning we went to the Flea Market next to the hotel to find some suff – we didn’t but still bought some shit – and found this Cantonese joint where I decided to try some vegan stuff (seaweed, etc) – awesome experience
The day after that – weather was milder (was raining only in the morning but cloudy all day long) – got some more visiting done (Pantheon , Elysee Palace, stopped in a nice public parc, etc) … noticed how their restaurants / pubs all had the chairs facing the street or some landmark nearby rather than facing eachother … felt kinda funny … and also tables were really small so that ppl sitting at the table would be inches appart … i guess this is what gives Paris that romantic feeling.
Almost forgot, we got a river cruise which was really nice because you could see some of the big landmarks from a different angle (Notre Damme, etc)
After that (following day) more visiting around town center … got to see Notre Damme up close (was under renovation “thanks” to the fire …), Louvre Museum, L’Arc de Triomphe, got to see some more shady streets, I think we also ended up in an area where I noticed the Pride flags painted on the streets and around windows (was kinda cool)
Last day , checked out from hotel and started walking again , more visiting on various streets including one which was going up and kept on going (full of steps) which eventually led us to another famous church. After taking a lunch break we continued walking in the general direction of the Gare du Nord and ended up visiting the Chocolate museum (I mean … we could not miss this opportunity right ? :)) … you could eat all the chocolate you wanted and learn about how this stuff is made … really cool)
Pictures below
Overall I’d say it was a nice experience , one I’m probably not going to repeat soon (for me Paris felt like the older brother of Bucharest, capital city of my birth country which is not what I want to visit when going abroad …)