Paris Je t’aime!

Paris is a city too grand for words, the french are known for many things amongst which their opulence! French extravagance sits  deep in their history and it is evident in how much gold garnishes their many gothic style buildings. Wealth was invested in their architecture and palaces( almost every building in Paris at least looks posh!). How passionate they were and still are about beauty, fashion, art and music!  Put it on your bucket list and plan towards it if you have not visited… this post will not do it justice.

We stayed at Villa Saxe Eiffel just around the Tour Eiffel because views! The hotel was perfecto! Well connected to the metro and buses. A walk away to the Tour Eiffel and Les Invalides where the great french revolutionary Napoleon Bonaparte’s remains lie. It is a quiet area and the hotel is tucked into a side street with cafes and a super market serving the area. We booked through booking.com and did not have to break the bank. The service and room at the hotel was also perfect.

We were torn between tour options to take; Paris Pass, City Tour, Big Bus Hop on Hop Off? We settled for the Big Bus Hop on Hop Off service. We walked to Tour Eiffel and jumped on the bus from there. We visited Tour Eiffel out of season and this turned out to be a smart choice as they were little or no queues.

The Eiffel Tower a.k.a ‘The Iron Lady’ like many other things in Paris was built in connection to the French revolution, specifically to celebrate the fall of Bastille. It is also named after the engineer who built it; Alexander Gustave Eiffel. It was a decent view from Champ De mars but  best view of Tour Eiffel was no doubt from Trocadero. It was beautiful in the day and breathtaking at night. I plan to go back there for lunch/dinner someday… #bucketlist

Like the British Museum the Musee du Louvre is impossible to conquer in a day, you will need a couple of days to see everything in there…Two things were a must for us to see; the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo sculpture. We went for these first and then looked around at other things whilst we had time.

Aaah if you did not know, today you will…I adore Audrey Hepburn and was overjoyed to take a picture on the Daru staircase right in front of the original ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace’ sculpture just like Audrey!. The sculpture has also made a cameo in Annie! Timeless classics three of them! The sculpture is of Nike the greek goddess of victory! Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris was by far my best experience on this trip. We went in the evening and were lucky to walk into a communion mass which I joined. Oh it was absolutely beautiful! The detail in the architecture is impeccable. I could almost imagine the ‘priests of old’ walking the halls of the cathedral in their cloaks, it was a time capsule. Loved seeing the classic confession booth and an on-going confession so much I considered having my own session just to say; ‘Father forgive me for I have sinned’…hahaha.I felt a divine presence in that cathedral, lit a candle and said a prayer. I will hold on to this memory for the rest of my life.

We visited the resting place of Napoleon The Great! You know that Napoleon master of war that’s referred to now and then…great french revolutionary and hero…Yep! He was buried like the hero he was and there was no doubt in our minds on what/how the French feel about their Napoleon. Buried like a God! His tomb is located in Les Invalides which was a walk away from our hotel which made it a must visit. Les Invalides itself is a sight to behold with its gold dome, moat, intricate architecture, and grand doors and ceilings. It was built by the Sun King; Louis XIV as a hospital for wounded war veterans. It has on its premises today the tomb, war museums and chapels.

Tried some french cuisine on this trip…A cafe lies on every street in paris sooo! First up was escargot at Le Musee Saint Honoree… It was aiight… Nigerian snail a.k.a. Igbin wins over that for sure. Had some lasagne after and that was the shizzz! Entrecôte at Le Grand Bistro at 17ème was delish! loved the interior too…Beef tartare! well…hmm…did not really like this one hence why i have no photograph of it :p . On my must stop spot list were Maison du Laduree and Pierre Herme for macaron, and Cafe du flore because…iconic! Loved having mussels at Leon. Leon was our roll up spot throughout the trip.

We did a little christmas shopping at Forum Des Halles. A huge mall with 132 shops, a cinema and food court. If you are looking for a lot of shops under one roof apart from Gallerie Lafayette here is the place to go. Paris was completely gorgeous! Cannot wait to be back there, hopefully some day soon and this time in the summer.