Paris was a 'Dream Come True'
Hello Ladies
If you follow me on Instagram you will know (and probably sick to death of seeing it) I was in Paris for three days this month, for a little city holiday break. One of those days was my 27th birthday, which wasn't initially planned I had previously booked that time off work just to have a few nice chilled days. I Definitely didn't think I would be heading to Paris! Even saying the words out loud 'I'm going to be waking up in Paris on my birthday' was so surreal!
I think I have mentioned this before in previous blog post like 'Hello 2018' and what's on my vision board?, but if not! I have been wanting to go to Paris for years, but never could quiet get there for different reasons. Friends and family had already been there before and didn't really want to go back? or plans just kept changing. But this year my oldest bestie said to me one day, 'Lets just go!'
Within a week she booked the time off work, and a week after that her sister had found us a amazing deal for flights, accommodation and transfers which only came too €260 each!! Who said Paris was expensive?? So with it booked and paid for the countdown was on, outfit planning started, planning out our days and also getting excited for the amazing Instagram pictures we could take! But for me, the excitement just got too overwhelming. When it came to packing the suitcase, I didn't know what to pack and just ending up throwing in warm cofy clothes the morning of the flight! Which doesn't sound like me atall, (Mrs preplanning and organising everything in advanced.) But now looking back, I wouldn't change a thing!
Why Paris?
Mostly to be a typical tourist, go site seeing, the architechture (they don't do buildings like that anymore?), experience the fancy culture and take all the typical Instagram photo's like the risky Arc de Triompe photo, the Effiel tower selfie, the cute French café photo and so on!
I also warned everyone, of the over upload of Paris photo's before I went.
I did my research, I read loads of blogs and Pinterest tips on things to do in Paris, the 'Must see's' spots, and had a idea on how much everything would cost. I had lots of recommendations from friends, family and clients too, all telling me how amazing their experience of Paris was and what they did and thought of it. Which just fuelled the excitement even more.
But they also told me how expensive it was to eat and drink there too. Now I wasn't going to paris for a drinking session or to party, I wanted to be up early and see as much of the city as I could in a day, and we did! The Arc de triompe, the Notre a dame, Champ de elesis, de Louve, the Eiffel tower! Even Chanel, Louis Vuitton, tiffany & co and loads more.
What did we do in Paris?
Well we saw all the tourists locations, we bought a two day 'Big Bus Tour' ticket, which includes two days of hopping on and off at different locations, a night tour and a River Seine cruise. I was taking so many photo's I had to put my phone on flight mode to save battery (Note to self: bring a power bank!) most of my Paris Instagram feed were taken and uploaded on those two days and also the duration of my Insta story has never been so long either! The views were stunning, I was in awe of everything and so overwhelmed with it all, Aoife had to ask me a few times 'You alright there Tommy?' (She kept calling me Tommy for some reason the whole time we were there, but hey we were just having holiday banter!) me replying back with a 'Yep!' probably only realising where I was! Cruising around on the top deck of the bus in the wind, rain and shine with your best friend was so much fun. I think the people on the bus was enjoying our reaction to everything, more so then what the tour guide on the earphones was saying! Haha!
It really was the best way to see Paris, and I would recommend 'Big Bus tours'. We had no problems at all, the drivers, reps and tour guides were so friendly and helpful and made the experience so enjoyable and easy.
The third and last day was my birthday and the initial plan was to go shopping and eat macaroons. The only thing I wanted to buy, while in Paris was a Chanel red lipstick, yea crazy right? But I did end up buying more!
The night before while uploading photo's to Instagram, I uploaded a quote in French, saying
'La Vie Est Belle' - Life is beautiful.
Aoife and myself loved this quote so much we discussed how nice it would be as a tattoo, but also how long we had been friends for and never went on holiday together before Paris?! So perfect reason to mark an occasion, right? So off we went on our shopping trip (we spent two hours in Sephora, like wow!!), we then walked the back streets off Paris to find a tattoo parlour. When we eventually found one they were asking for a ridiculous amount of money for a small worded tattoo, so sadly we didn't get the tattoo in Paris. But we did stumble apon Chanel, Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo and some very cute little cafe's that you wouldn't of seen on the tour bus. So even if just got lost in Paris, you would see so much of it too. We had our bearings of Paris and got used to the roads and little alley ways quiet quickly with the help of the bus tours (and goggle maps) we walked the length and breath of Paris that day. Oh and the macaroons were sooo yummyy!!!
Would I go back?
Hell Yes! Paris is a city that you can visit again and again and have a different experience every time. I am so happy I went and seen what I saw while I was there, I wouldn't change a thing about the whole trip, but I would go back and do it different, to experience it in a different way, it has so much to offer. Which for me says a lot, I been to places before and have said 'Nah, been there done that'. I've been to New York and now wouldn't have any interest to go back. But going to Paris has given me the travel bug, I want to see more of Europe and do more city breaks. Rome is next on my list! Lets just hope I don't have to wait years again.
Even writing this blog post, which I have been wanting to write for as long as I've wanted to go the Paris, I felt overwhelmed writing it. I could go on and on about how amazing is was, what we did and so on, but could never translate the feeling of seeing Paris in writing. Plus I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't been there yet either. You know that feeling of being in total awe and being overwhelmed and as the saying goes 'you just have to be there', that's what Paris was like for me, it was truly a dream come true.
So I will leave it there, you can see my Instagram feed for more of my reactions and thoughts of Paris. Leave a like and comment on your favourite Instagram photo, I would love to know.
I'll be back next month, April!! Oh Happy Easter!
Talk to you soon
Steff xxx
