Paris 2023

Paris; the city of lights, the city for lovers. Perhaps for some, but Paris is not for me.

Let me explain, I am not a city girl. I get claustrophobic, I loathe crowds and its sensory overload for me. So whilst I appreciate the architecture and the history that cities like Paris have to offer, I just don't enjoy it whilst I am there.

We got the Eurostar from London to Paris and it was such a quick and easy way to travel. When we arrived in Paris we booked an uber to take us to the hotel. The traffic was so bad, anytime we took an uber it would take an age to drive the shortest of distances. I wasn't keen to take the Metro as I had heard it was bad for pickpockets and I cannot bear being underground.

We had booked two nights at Hotel Panache which was great. It was a 20 minute walk to the Louvre/river and there were super restaurant's on our doorstep.

The room was small but clean with an excellent shower, Diptyque bath products and we had a small balcony which felt oh so Parisian chic. We dumped our bags and headed out. I have been to Paris once before many years ago but it was January and we only stayed for one night so it was fleeting.

I had pinned a lot of places that I wanted to visit and eat at but sometimes its impossible in a city as there is so much choice for fantastic restaurants and there were so many landmarks! Paris is a walkable city but it is vast (although surprisingly its smaller than London). We went to the Louvre, Les Deux Plateaux (the black and white columns), walked down to the river and over to the Latin Quarter and had a drink.

This area was really touristy and busy which I didn't really care for. All of the restaurants chairs are packed so tightly together so it feels like you are dining with strangers. Yes I am an old Granny but I am just happier in the countryside!

We had dinner reservations at Libertino's which is part of the Big Mamma group. I had wanted to book in at the oh so popular Pink Mamma but I couldn't get a table, I think you need to made a reservation three weeks in advance. Libertino's was great and not far from our hotel so it made more sense and actually it was quite nice eating in a restaurant not filled with bloggers and influencers. The food was lovely as was the service. After dinner we wandered around and popped into Le Syndicat for a cocktail which was cool.

The next day, we walked up to Montmartre and explored the area and had a coffee. It was mega busy as this is where the Sacre Coeur is. Its also a very pretty area but literally swarms of people everywhere! After an aperol we walked back towards the centre of Paris both with blisters on our feet and the weather about to take a turn.

There was only one thing for it, and that was to get onto the big red tour bus! I usually roll my eyes at being such a tourist but it was actually so much fun. I felt far less claustrophobic and it was a much needed rest for our feet. 

By the time we reached Champs-Elysees and the Eiffel tower, the rain was really coming down which is why I don't have any photos of these iconic locations. Rainy traffic jams don't made for great photography and we were not prepared for rain so didn't want to run around Paris getting soaked!

Once we had finished the tour, we stopped for a coffee to warm up and thankfully the rain had passed by now so we walked back to the hotel to get changed.

We had booked tickets to 'The Crazy Horse' show which was fantastic. It's similar to the Moulin Rouge, think dancing ladies and boobies. But it was really cool (and expensive!).

The next day we had breakfast and bought some train snacks as we were heading to Aix en Provence for the next part of our adventure. If I go back to Paris, I think I would go in the Autumn so I could enjoy some hot chocolate and rambling around the leafy streets. I want to love it, but on this trip it just wasn't for me...