As previously mentioned, my Christmas trip to France was amazing and a brilliant way to spend the festive season. (Sorry this took so long, I have been putting off sorting my photos.) It was my second visit to Paris within the year (she says nonchalantly) and I managed to do a lot of things I skipped the first time around. These are my favourite highlights:
Hot Chocolate at Angelina’s
Angelina’s is a decadent restaurant/cafe on Rue de Rivoli right near the Louvre and is famous for its chocolat chaud. It is served in a pouring cup with a delicate bone china cup and small pot of whipped cream. You pour the molten chocolate into the cup and then add a dollop of cream to the top, watching it melt into a white, rich layer. Pure decadence.
Getting Lost in the Louvre
Yes, I am aware the place is massive but I managed to get myself horrendously lost more than once. I felt like I was playing a reality version of Where’s Wally. I saw the Mona Lisa and bagged myself the Venus de Milo (That is the rarest Gummi of them all, the Gummi Venus de Milo, carved by Gummi artisans who work exclusively in the medium of Gummi.) but I loved the Egyptian exhibitions the most.
Climbing the Arc de Triomphe
As I am a European Citizen under the age of 25 I get into pretty much everything for free in Paris, including the Arc. I loved walking up Champs Elysees, looking at the Christmas stalls and then climbing the Arc. It’s not as overcrowded as the Eiffel Tower and it means you actually get Paris’s most famous monument in your photos. Sha-wing.
Musee de l’Orangerie
Oh, mes amies, my feet were so very, very sore after wandering so much that even Gandalf would have been like “Girl, get to Mordor already.” But I wasn’t in the mood for my hostel or the bustle of a cafe so I limped to the Musee de l’Orangerie (a.k.a. “The Monet One”) and simply enjoyed sitting and staring at Monsieur Monet’s sheer brilliance. I would sit in those oval rooms forever, getting up every now and then just to reposition myself at a different angle so that I could enjoy another painting.
Eiffel Tower at Sunset
I finally went up the Eiffel Tower and it was brilliant. Of course it came with the obligatory marriage proposal (the cheapskate didn’t even take her up the Tower, just did it underneath surrounded by dog shit and an hour’s long line of tourists who started taking photos while I vommed in my mouth a little bit. Because nothing says romantic like overtired tropes and strangers taking your photo). I managed to make it up in time for sunset and watched as Paris lit up for the evening. Beautiful.
This of course was slightly marred when I managed to stack it at the metro. As I had my DLSR camera around my neck at the time, I was more interested in protecting the precious than breaking my fall and so my poor right knee took the brunt of it against the corner of a step. I was helped up by a passing elderly couple (the irony is not lost on me) and considering my hat had slipped down over my eyes from the impact I’m certain they thought I had escaped my handlers. I then sat at the metro, bottom lip quivering, trying desperately hard not to clutch my leg and wail like a five year old. My knee is still black.
Paris at Night
Simply wandering Paris in the evening is one of the most magical things you can do. Your life might not be a Woody Allen film and you might not get whisked away to the 1920s but that’s perfectly fine. Christmas made it especially beautiful, with so many streets and buildings ablaze with festive cheer.
Travels and Tea Leaves 