Paris When It Sizzles...

...Or chucks it down more like!

Eiffel Tower

At the beginning of the Summer my Mum and I went on our first girls only trip abroad. The boys were planning on going to Le Mans again so we decided to join them on the flight to Charles de Gaul and explore Paris.

I was so excited as I've never been to Paris before and it has always been one of those iconic cities on my bucket list. However, there was also that bit of trepidation. Mum hasn't been anywhere without Dad and so I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to get us around safely as well as having fun.

In the airport

The weeks before we spent looking through the guide books and planning each daily itinerary, (I'm a bit anal like that!) which actually took a lot of the pressure off. And so, guide books in my handbag, we set off for the airport.

Our teeny tiny lift

We landed in torrential rain, and our first view of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe was skewed by rainy taxi windows. After checking into the hotel we were told to make our way up to the room and our bags would follow us. "How nice!" was our first reaction, swiftly followed by an "Oh, I see" as we saw the size of the lift. Room for two people only, if we hugged! "Let's unpack and find the hotel bar, Mum!" I decided was the best option. We found our room for breakfast but could we find the bar? It had to be there somewhere! By this point it had stopped raining so we decided to explore the Latin Quarter where we were staying.

O'Jasons

I love the way all the cafes and restaurants have tables with the seats side by side facing out. Sitting and being able to people watch swiftly turned out to be one of my favourite things to do. Slowly accepting the realisation that we may have booked a hotel without a hotel bar we decided to find an off licence or the Parisian equivalent. Rounding the corner we found our sanctuary, an actual M&S! Mum was ecstatic to say the least.

Rainy lunch

Our first night we decided to stay close to the hotel. A labyrinth of bars and restaurants were just behind us slap bang in the heart of the Latin Quarter. We could not fault our chosen location. As we always do with every trip we soon stumbled across an Irish bar, O'Jasons. This was to be our first stop every night of the trip. Fed and watered we retired for the evening in preparation for a big days sightseeing.

Notre Dame

Before we left the UK I downloaded a Paris Metro app on my phone. After two trips to New York and becoming au fait with the Subway system, the Paris Metro was our transport of choice to get us around. We bought a 5 day pass which was well used and definitely worth the money. A quick search of my app and we were off to the Eiffel Tower. We queued for about an hour and luckily it stayed dry. I had read there was a champagne bar at the very top and so we bought a ticket for all floors. As we were queuing (again) on the first floor for the lift to the top we could see some pretty dark storm clouds rolling in. A rickety glass elevator ride (not good for someone with a fear of heights) and we arrived at the top just in time for the heavens to open. Unlike the lower floors, the top is completely open to the elements. We were soaked but the thought of a sit down with a glass of champagne was all we could think of. We found it, however the champagne bar was more like a champagne hut in the wall! Disappointed and dripping wet I bought us some macarons on the first floor to cheer us up. We found a little cafe and shared a Croque Monsieur before the rain made another appearance, a business man sheltered us with his umbrella as it was actually coming in sideways! Time to make a move.

Mona Lisa

Stepping off the Metro at Notre Dame was like stepping off in a different country, it was glorious sunshine! During a quick wine stop we saw the queue for the tower tour grow larger and larger till it went around the corner. We didn't fancy queueing, again, so we just had a look inside the cathedral itself, Mum lighting a million candles in the process! My phone map told me we were actually minutes away from the hotel and so we decided to walk back to change for the Moulin Rouge.

Moulin Rouge

We bought our tickets online back home and decided to just get the drinks package. We were sat on a table with 2 other couples and behind a woman with the most ridiculously large hair! Mum and I were doing windscreen wiper impressions just to see the show! Next time we would probably get the meal to secure a better seat. The show itself was fantastic, albeit a bit too many nipples for my liking. The girls almost made we want to join dance classes again. We decided to have an impromptu photo shoot outside with the iconic red windmill before returning to O'Josephs for a nightcap.

Mum at the Louvre

The Louvre and the Sacre Coeur were on our agenda for the Saturday so off we went. The Louvre is massive! We only saw 2 of the sections as we were rapidly running out of time. I don't do well in big crowds and I have massive issues regarding personal space, also, being elbowed in the head by a fellow tourist as I tried to photograph the Mona Lisa was kind of the last straw.

€10 wine pitcher

I don't think I realised how far we'd have to walk to get to the Sacre Coeur. After a mammoth climb to be greeted by another 100 steps we decided to stop for a drink to find it was only €10 for a pitcher of Chardonnay. We vowed to come back! Finally reaching the top the cutest little square greeted us. There was artist after artist all bordered by cafes and restaurants. It was beautiful and worth the climb itself. I could have sat there for hours but our target was in reach. If all those stairs weren't enough we decided to climb to the top of the Sacre Coeur and wow, what a view! I think combined with artists square it was my favourite part of the trip itself.

Sacre Coeur

We had planned to do a river cruise with lunch for our last day, but due to the recent floods and the heavy rain our lunch cruise had been cancelled, instead, having lunch docked by the Eiffel Tower and then a complimentary sightseeing cruise instead. The meal was exquisite. I would highly recommend Les Bateux Parisians for anyone visiting Paris. We received a sparkling glass on arrival, wine (a bottle!) with each course and an aperitif (not included in the price). Thank goodness there was food or we would have been incredibly tipsy.

Flood on the Seine

Our sightseeing cruise however was not so good. We were first on the boat so we managed to grab seats outside at the front. Perfect? You'd think so wouldn't you. All was fine until 2 minutes into the cruise when a couple came outside, saw there were no seats and so stood right in front of us, blocking the view, and giving us first row tickets to a very offensive PDA show. I was so angry. Who does that?? It was such a shame we couldn't experience the original tour during lunch, it definitely put a dampener on our last day.

Arc de Triomphe

Deciding to walk off the booze and food we crossed the river and headed to the Arc de Triomphe. Again, a little further than I thought but the walk did us good. We had read not to try and cross the road to reach the Arc itself and that there were underground passageways to get there but each one we found was chained off. A quick picture and off down the Champs Elysees we went.

Champagne and Cake

Suddenly, there it was. Laduree. Ever since I first saw a macaron I have been dying to experience this place for myself, not much persuasion was needed to grab a table and sit down after another long walk. Champagne and cake was the perfect way to end a fabulous four days and our first Mother-Daughter holiday to Paris.

I would definitely visit Paris again. We didn't manage to see the Dali museum in Montmartre, or climb Notre Dame, and I would definitely stop for more €10 wine (I'm easily pleased)! Although there were a few hiccups along the way, only to be expected with any trip, Paris has definitely found its way into one of my favourite cities to visit. Until next time.

View from Sacre Coeur

Au Revoir!