Postcard Journeys: Paris 🇫🇷

"There are only two places in the world where we can live happy - at home and in Paris" ~ Henry Miller

Paris – the magnificent capital and the City of Love, where I said countless times “bonjour”, “au revoir”, “merci”, to anyone who I met. Where do I even begin? Since I was a child, I would dream of visiting Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower. France always gave me magical vibes, like something truly wonderful was awaiting me there! ✨

From Year 4 French lessons to binge-watching the first season of Emily in Paris (Bangor days), I knew I wanted to make my dream a reality, and so I decided to travel to France with my sister for a couple of days. Honestly, it was one of the best decisions I had ever made.

We travelled on the Eurostar from London St Pancras international, and within a few hours we had arrived in Paris Gare Du Nord. I still remember the first thought I had when I first reached Paris. It was: okay, I'm not leaving. I was genuinely mesmerized by the atmosphere and the emotions that I was feeling! We made our way to our hotel - Hotel Margot - which was in a very convenient and accessible location, and perfect for a 2 night stay.

Upon arrival at our hotel, we unpacked our bags, had some very light lunch and then made our way to explore the City of Love! Honestly, we weren't sure where to begin and although we did have an itinerary, we ended up not following that! On the first day, some of the attractions that we saw include the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, and The Pavilion Turgot.

Built for the 1889 World Fair, the Eiffel Tower stands at 324 metres. The best view of the Eiffel Tower is from Trocadero Gardens and from there you can see the memorable landmark in all it's glory. Luckily, the weather was spectacular on that day as well (maybe, a bit too warm!) and that made the whole experience even more magical for us.

Following this, we made our way to the Louvre museum, one of the world's largest museums and home to incredible artworks. It is impossible, as a human being, to see the entire Louvre museum in one day. In fact, it has been heard that even a month of exploring this place won't be enough. We tried our best to cover as much as we could, but at the same time ensured that we were enjoying every moment of it. And, one cannot leave without seeing Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting!

By this point, we were craving some delicious French pastries and hot chocolate and so we made our way to find some cute cafes. We didn't have to go too far, as soon as we left the Louvre museum, we came across a beautiful street bustling with street food, teas, coffees, croissants, pastries, and macarons :) As we still had quite a bit of the day ahead of us, we slowed down a bit and simply enjoyed our little treats, whilst soaking in the Parisian vibe!

I am so certain that I'll be travelling back to Paris for the food, it was so delightful and the pastries were too good to resist. During our time in Paris we also visited The Carette for their famous hot chocolate and crepes. This is the perfect Parisian dining spot in an enchanting atmosphere just across the river from the Eiffel Tower, tucked between two other restaurants on the Place du Trocadero.

First opened in 1927 by Jean and Madeleine La Carette as a pastry shop, the turn of century charm remains here. The hot chocolate was nothing like what we have had before. It was the most gooey hot chocolate, with whipped cream and milk. As for the crepes, we had ordered the summer berries one, and definitely one that I would recommend. Indeed, our visit to the Carette was a sweet way to end our lovely Parisian trip!