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Trois jours à Paris

  • @Bethany_Grey
  • Apr 7, 2018
  • 5 min read

Three Days in Paris!

A surprise trip away for my Birthday & Anniversary? Sure!

I was veeery excited on February 21st, the morning of my 26th birthday. Bruno had let me in on a fraction of a secret that he was taking me somewhere for my birthday, and also to celebrate our anniversary. Apart from me witnessing him photographing our passports on one occasion, I was surprisingly none the wiser. I love a surprise so I was extra chuffed that Bruno had managed to keep it so on the down-low - Thanks Brun! Of course, like most people, all sorts of ideas came to mind knowing that passports were involved. Although part of me did think that perhaps he was trying to throw me off the scent...

Jour 1

We hopped in the car at early hours of the morning, luggage packed and ready to go on our little adventure. Once we had boarded a ferry and we were looking out to sea, I had more or less figured out we were going to France (although, once you're over in France, the driving possibilities are endless!). I was extremely excited, and so happy that Bruno had put so much effort and time into planning something for me.

The Ferry trip from Dover to Calais was only around an hour and 30 minutes, it is such an easy process I was quite amazed how swiftly we arrived in France. Paris is a 3 hour drive from Calais, where the Ferry Port is situated. 3 hours may seem like a lot to some, but it was a very straight forward and pleasant drive, getting to see France around us as we went. It was also a nice & gentle way to ease ourselves into driving on the other side of the road! We soon arrived in the City of Paris and found our cute hotel 'Hotel Declic' up a pretty street in the bohemian district of Montmarte.

Parking in Paris is a myth. Like most Cities you will struggle to find free parking, if it even exists, and underground/long stay car parks can get pricey. So, be wary & prepared for this if you are planning on taking a trip with your car to Paris any time soon!

Our hotel was amazing and so unique! 'Hotel Declic' is Photography themed and such an interesting place to look around. This just makes my heart do all sorts of things, the fact that Bruno not only planned this get-away so precisely, he even went to the lengths of looking for a hotel which was photography themed, simply because I'm a photographer & love taking photos. He couldn't get much cuter I don't think? The walls and hallways of the entrance & lobby were filled with photographs and cases showcasing old cameras and large portfolio books to flick through whilst you relax on the sofas.

Our room was something out of a film. The walls were wallpapered in giant contact sheets with photographs of Paris & the Eiffel Tower. The bed was pretty amazing. I felt like I was sleeping on something out of Austin Powers, a circular bed designed to looked like the lens of a camera! How much cooler can one hotel room get?... Well by having a jacuzzi outside on the balcony of course! I was well and truly treated to an amazing hotel room and trip away and we both couldn't wait to get going the next day, our one full day in Paris.

We took a stroll around the streets nearby the hotel and found a cute little Chinese cafe for lunch, had a power nap at the hotel, then headed out to a restaurant later that evening - an amazing Vegan restaurant that Bruno had also found after doing a little research. I'll be doing a post soon about our Vegan finds! I had such a lovely birthday spent in Paris and couldn't wait for the next day.

Jour 2

We were a couple on a mission to tick off some boxes on our bucket list. We were both a little nervous about using the Metro, but there was really no need. It was so simple to navigate around and we found ourselves hopping on and off throughout the day to different places around the City with no problems. There is always the option of grabbing a taxi or an Uber if the Metro really isn't your thing. Don't knock it til you try it though!

Our first stop was a late breakfast at a Vegan pâtisserie which we were recommended by the owners of the Vegan restaurant we visited the night before, it sure did not disappoint!

Loaded up on baked goods and coffee, we ventured off to find the Eiffel Tower. It was of course an incredible monument. We took our time strolling around the gardens, enjoying the nice weather and taking lots and lots of photos in true-tourist-fashion. We were pretty excited to try out lunch at another vegan restaurant so decided to head there before venturing on to The Louvre!

There is just so much to see at The Louvre. Before even getting inside the building you'll find you've already taken at least 50 photographs of the beautiful statues and architecture outside. We spent quite some time wondering around and taking in the amazing atmosphere and thousands upon thousands of statues, paintings, ornaments, rugs, objects & so much more! Top tip: give yourself more than a few hours to look around, we did not give ourselves much time to fit in The Louvre at the end of the day. There's just so much to see it was impossible to do it all in a day, let alone half! We were lucky to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa above the bobbing heads of the crowd and their waves of cameras and phones, me being one of them, and a few other paintings & statues which we really appreciated seeing in the flesh.

We were feeling pretty knackered after a lot of walking and taking in many different things. It's a lot for the eyes and the brain to handle, so after a few hours we decided to jump on the metro once more back to the hotel to get ready for our final meal in Paris. Day 2 was our only full day in the City and we were pleased and content with the places we visited.

Jour 3

Our final day in Paris was spent popping back to the amazing bakery we had visited the day before for breakfast. It was just so good we had to make sure we went there before leaving. I'll be posting a blog soon with much more information and photos of the yummy treats we ate during our three days here!

Day 3 was a much lazier one, spent at the hotel and stopping off at the bakery before beginning our 3 hour drive back to the Ferry Port!

There are still a few more places I'd love to visit in France and plan to absolutely go back there one day to tick off some more locations. I was so happy with our trip there, we had a lot of fun, laughed a lot, ate a lot, and came away with some great new memories.

Thank you Bruno for making a little romantic dream in Paris come to reality!

 
 
 

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