Paris is one of the most romantic cities in Europe. It is a place that is so rich in culture, excellent food and picture perfect views. Paris being a 2 hour train ride from London is a perfect getaway for a short pampering trip over the weekends.
In my case, this is my holiday and it's part of a larger Europe trip. I actually stayed 3 days in Paris but one of them was spent in Disneyland which will not be covered in this entry. Because it is my first time in Paris, we tried to cover everything in 2 days and I got to say, we did well despite the time constraints.
Le Bossue
We discovered Le Bossue by chance because a lot of shops are not open on Sundays and Mondays in Paris. This is an excellent breakfast spot and we literally had our breakfast there for 3 days straight. The pastries, cakes and cookies available for selection are heavenly and really it's one of the meals I still miss a lot now that I'm back in sunny Singapore.
Shopping at Lafayette
Visiting Paris is never complete without the shopping. Lafayette is one of the biggest megamalls with a wide selection of famous brands. To be honest, we usually try the outlets for the best deals but when you are short on time and willing to splurge on the latest designs, this is the mall to go. Even if you don't wish to shop, it's worth a visit because of the grandiose architecture that's in the mall. In a country where you need to pay for the washrooms, Lafayette has very clean washrooms which are free!
Sadaharu Aoki
While in Paris, patisseries are a must have! Sadaharu Aoki is a famous Japanese patisserie has a shop in Paris and naturally it's on my must-try list! I enjoyed the black sesame ice-cream (not in the photo) the most.
River Seine
This photo is taken on the Pont des Arts Bridge. This is the famous love bridge where couples used to put love locks at on the railings. This bridge is overlooking the renown River Seine and the view is awesome.
We took lots of photos on this bridge with the wonderful backdrop so it's something you can do too!
Couples can buy a lock and attach it to this signage at the start of the bridge. Said to bring good luck and longevity to your relationship.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a church with amazing architecture. Even if you don't share the same religion, it's worth a visit. You can check out the guided tour timings to fully appreciate the history and architecture inside the church. This is the most famous church in Paris and it is a tourist attraction.
Musee D' Orsay
I actually paid to enter Musee D'Orsay twice over the two days I spent in Paris. This is because uncultured me only wanted to visit the museum to take this photo of the clock. We visited the museum near the closing time. Vain Pot got captivated by the amazing sculptures and art pieces inside the museum that we didn't managed to take photos of the clock on the first day. So we went back the second day to fulfill my initial objective.
If you are planning to take display pictures at the clock, be sure to plan your photoshoot before hand because there is a long queue and many other annoying tourists who obviously do not care if there are people who wants to take the classic shot. It is pretty much a 1 min of fame where you make or break the display photo you want.
Louvre
The Louvre is another famous museum in Paris that houses the Mona Lisa. If you are into art pieces, it is best to set aside half a day to make your money's worth. I personally think you can only fully appreciate the museums if you set half a day for each. Oh, and if you are like me who only likes to take photo of the architecture, it is best to visit the Louvre in the morning when it isn't opened yet.
La Briezh
Crepes is another traditional French cuisine that is highly encouraged you try when in Paris. La Briezh is a specialist crepe restaurant that serves a myriad of savoury and sweet crepes done in multiple ways imaginable. The food quality is really good too!
Pierre Herme
We tried all the popular desserts in Paris actually. The list includes Laduree and Angelina, for some reason, I have no idea where my photos went. Got to say out of all the desserts we tried, the macarons are Pierre Herme won our vote. Best!
Eiffel Tower
You didn't visit Paris if you haven't seen the Eiffel Tower. It's advisable to make 2 trips to the Eiffel Tower, one for the day shots and another at night. Due to time constraints, we squeezed our visit from evening till night... partly due to piggy Vain Pot who couldn't wake up in the morning for our morning shots. If you do not need to go up the Eiffel Tower, you can stake camp at Trocadero Gardens to take this awesome shot.
The Eiffel Tower has a light display at every hour at night. The grand finale is at 1am. I really like this night shot I took because it looks so postcard worthy.
Le New York
While waiting for the lights display, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Le New York. Don't be fooled by the name because the place serves up really good French cuisines. We totally enjoyed the escargot, duck confit and salmon penne. The duck confit especially was really tender on the inside and has a very crispy and flavourful exterior. Even the salmon penne which disappointed me at first appearance because I wanted chunky salmon meat, carries a fresh salmon flavour that was extremely creamy and appealing to my taste buds.
Moulin Rouge
The final attraction of our stay was at Moulin Rouge which is basically a musical performance. I didn't get tickets to go inside but passed by to take photos.
As a whole, the entire trip to Paris was really good. The reputation that Paris carries for good food, culture and architecture is true. Given more time, I'd want to visit more places and appreciate the art scene in Paris. For a 2 day 1 night trip, this is as satisfying as it can get!
