Travel: Paris

Eiffel Tower at night. 

At the summit of the Eiffel Tower. 

The Louvre. 

The Stunning Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. 

The Gardens at the Palace of Versailles. 

The Famous Cafe De Flore.

The view outside of our hotel room window. Saint Sulpice Church & the Eiffel Tower. 

The streets of Paris- beautiful. 

Laduree! 

The Love Lock Bridge. 

 Our third stop on our European trip was to Paris. I had been before when I was about 5 years old, but I had no memory of it at all. It was better than I ever thought it could be. It was stunning, romantic, and had so much old world charm- I fell in love with the city. My husband and I got lucky with pretty chilly weather, because it kept a lot of people off the streets and made the city feel like we had it all to ourselves. Our first night in this romantic city, we decided to go to a classic french dinner and then go straight to the Eiffel Tower. That was the best thing we could have done. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower was the perfect way to begin our 5 day stay. Seeing the city from that point of view was breathtaking. They even served champagne at the top and when the light show went off (which happens every hour for 5 minutes) it felt almost magical.

My husband and I would spend hours walking the streets of Paris and getting lost. It never got old and we'd always stumble upon amazing bakeries, adorable little shops, and gorgeous gardens/buildings. Paris is so tiny that you really can walk everywhere. The location of our hotel probably helped with that. We stayed at Hotel Recamier in St. Germain- it used to be a 2 star and now it is completely remodeled to a 4 star. It is a small boutique hotel with stunning views and a superb location. It was actually decorated by the person who designed the Chanel suite at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Our hotel even recommended some of the best restaurants to eat at- one in particular that we were huge fans of was Chez Fernand. Great atmosphere and amazing food! I tried escargot for the first time there and it was to die for.

 Right in the heart of St. Germain were the famous Cafe's. We went to both Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots- delicious coffee and the perfect place for people watching. We of course made time to go to the Louvre and to walk around all the gorgeous gardens where we'd usually eat something we'd picked up and just sit by a fountain. Walking along the Seine river was another crazy romantic thing we did. We were just walking along the river and all of a sudden some teenage boys who were playing music under a bridge with their phones and a blue tooth turned on some classic french music- it was like we were in a movie. Does it get more romantic than that? I don't think so. We walked to all the different parts of paris, including the Marais part of town. This was a hip, artsy area that had amazing boutiques and scrumptious falafels. I still crave the one I had! Besides all the amazing designer shopping available to do in Paris, the baked goods were a must buy on my list. I'm pretty sure we visited Laduree a total of 5 times while we were there. The macaroons were to die for and the vanilla eclaire-there are no words for how tasty it was.

We decided one day to leave the city to go visit the Palace of Versailles and Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. It was breathtaking, and I don't think I've ever seen such ornate ceilings in my life! The gardens were pristine and we were able to choose from about 3 different restaurants to eat at throughout the day. If you've never been, I would highly suggest seeing Versailles- it's just magnificent. On our final night in Paris, we went to the Love Lock Bridge to put our own lock on the bridge. I can't wait to go back to Paris and see it! It definitely was the icing on top of our romantic sundae. All in all, Paris was the cleanest, most manicured, romantic place I've ever visited. I will no doubt be going back again! Have you ever been to Paris? Where did you like to shop, eat, and visit while there?