A Weekend In Paris

Paris. A city that exudes class, culture and style. Writers, journalists, artists (even Carrie Bradshaw) have written about their love and admiration for the city with its gorgeous and mouthwatering cuisine, the sophisticated and chic fashion and the streets paved with architectural beauty. Not to mention cigarettes and wine are incredibly cheap here!

I knew that when me and my boyfriend decided to visit Paris I had to write about it.

Prior to arriving I knew I didn’t want to do the standard cliché and mundane sightseeing: The Eiffel Tower, Mona Lisa etc. Me and my boyfriend like to discover new treasures if you will.

We arrived late in the evening and walked to the hotel although we planned to get an Uber (Uber automatically connects to the country you are in without any hassle) However after catching a connecting train from the airport I was in dire need of a cigarette and thought walking would allow us to get familiar with the area and find any certain shops that may catch our eye.

Upon arriving at the hotel we were greeted by a friendly member of staff. The hotel – although small and with one lift at the core of the hotel – was very pleasant and I would definitely recommend. After unpacking we went to find some food as we were starving!

With our stomachs grumbling and our bloodshot eyes looking for something to eat we stumbled across a kebab shop. Yes you heard that right a KEBAB shop. At one point, I thought I was hallucinating and this kebab shop was a present given to me from the gods above. Fast forward around 10 minutes and both my boyfriend and I were asleep in bed with a kebab slowly digesting itself in our stomachs, ready for the following day

Setting off at 8:30, armed with a coffee and a travel guide my boyfriend and I had to catch two metros to get to our first destination:The Foundation Louis Vutton. As Paris is heavily connected through the underground we bought 10 tickets for €14.50. I would definitely recommend doing this if you plan to travel quite a lot during your stay. Although one single ticket is €1.90 we worked out that it would be cheaper buying a bulk packet of them for the duration of our stay.

After having to get two metros we finally arrived at the Foundation Louis Vutton.

Upon arrival, I was amazed at the exterior of the foundation itself, standing on a sort of sunken lake with a pool of water descending into it. It’s incredibly quirky architecture with surrounding water features add an essence of sophistication this popular attraction. Speaking to other visitors, one revealed he made a trip from Australia just to see the foundation. After spending nearly three hours at the foundation mesmerised by the pieces of art our feet were throbbing as if we had just walked up a mountain in the alps.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a burger place. The evening consisted of us both editing our pictures, watching a French version of “Location, location, location” and eating a (large) amount of French crisps.

As I stepped out the hotel at 8:15 ready for another busy day ahead, the smell of freshly baked pastries perfumed the air as we walked to the metro station.

Frist stop is the Notre Dame. Although disappointed to not find the Hunchback lingering throughout the cathedral the architecture was incredibly detailed showcasing the historic culture that Paris has.

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After finding a brunch café hidden away on a corner street we decided to eat in; butter waffles drizzled in syrup and bananas and nuts appeased my grumbling stomach while my boyfriend ordered a waffle smothered in Nutella.

After discovering a local contemporary gallery on Instagram, we decided to go.

“Galerie Perrotin” is a two floor gallery which showcases some amazing pieces of art. It was incredibly quiet when we arrived which benefited us as we had our own little “photoshoot” in there!

Concluding the “photoshoot” we visited “Merci” a concept store based in Boulevard Beaumarchais. As soon as you walk through the door you are enticed through the well curated items ranging from homeware to clothes to stationary to lights. Although the items are quite expensive it’s still a store that is incredibly aesthetically pleasing.

Following the visit to the store we walked to Canal Saint Martin where independent stores were scattered amongst the canal side. After a very long day we got back to the hotel and slumped onto our bed for a quick power nap before we went out for our last meal in Paris! After feeling rejuvenated we went to a local restaurant which was incredibly cheap! We both ordered steak and fries, chocolate mouse and two bottles of wine. In total it came to €44! Our plane to Manchester was at 8:15 the following morning so we were soon tucked up in bed, ready to get back to reality.