Paris, finally
As I tapped the “book now” button, my hands immediately flew to my face and I squealed.
Paris was official. A nearly lifelong dream was about to come true. And, I would be sharing it with my husband and son. I held back the tears for a bit, and then eventually just let them pool.
For me, it’s more than just the typical dreams of being in Paris because I love Audrey Hepburn, croissants and had a print of the Eiffel Tower on my bedroom wall for years. I started learning French in junior high when we had three languages to choose from — Spanish, French or German. While Spanish was the most popular, I thought French was beautiful. When choosing our “French names” - I went with Margaux. I still love that name.
As the years passed, I kept learning French — to this day, I’m not super fluent, but I can hang in most conversations.
Trips to Montréal afforded me small opportunities to say a few sentences in French here and there — but Paris would undoubtedly give me the opportunity to use it much more. And now, it was only a 2.5hr train ride away.
Our hotel was carefully chosen by moi, since I wanted our first (3 nights) trip to Paris to be full of the most important touristy things like the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. The hotel was walking distance to all of those except the Louvre, but even that was a short Uber or metro ride away. Highly recommend, it’s called Hotel Galileo.
Stepping off the Eurostar train into Paris was an absolute jaw-dropping experience. The architectural beauty, the iron balconies, the flowers, the smell of croissants in the air — I was beaming and full of butterflies. I was so overwhelmed, I forgot to take a photo — but trust, the mental image will stick with me forever.
We quickly got settled into our hotel room, and then jumped straight into experiencing Paris. Sauntering down to the Champs-Élysées, we grabbed dinner at a place called Café George V — escargot, fish and beef bourguignon and allll the bread. It was très délicieuse. After dinner, I somehow found myself walking into Saint Laurent. I don’t know how this happened, it was so weird. Even weirder, I found myself walking out of there with a new bag. Bizarre.
Speaking of new bags — the line to get into Louis Vuitton wrapped around the building, unless you made an appointment. They were booked out a week in advance.
Once my new handbag fix was satisfied, we spent the next few days taking in the planned locations, as well as the beauty of finding new sights without a plan. The architecture and history in Paris is breathtaking. Popping into a café for a glass of wine, some cheese, bread and a charcuterie board for lunch could easily become a lifestyle if I lived there.
The smoking — oh, the smoking — would not, however.
Of course I’ve attached a carousel of photos to this post, but here’s some quick, fun facts:
The Mona Lisa is tiny. It feels larger than life on TV, in books, etc. — but it’s really a ‘normal’ size and you have to go straight to her when you get into the museum, because it gets crowded very quickly, and they don’t let people too close to her anymore. Thanks, vandals.
You can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. A lift took us to the second floor, and then a second lift takes you to the summit. My husband went to the very top, but my son and I chickened out. Honestly, the view from the second floor is outstanding enough, in my opinion. And, truthfully — I didn’t want to even do that, as I kind of liked the Eiffel Tower being unconquerable and larger than life. But…Mona Lisa and all that.
Frog legs are … no.
Maison Ladurée’s macarons are the most famous because they’re the original creator of the macaron. Delicious. Worth the euros.
The luxury stores do not let you just browse. Once you’re in, you’re assigned a shopping assistant and they pamper you with compliments and smiles while they ask how they can help you. If you make a purchase, you get to celebrate it. Fun fact: YSL gave me champagne, while Chanel (sunglasses) gave me Perrier. Bof!
I needed to fight back the urge to snap photos of the people walking around Paris. The style! The confidence! The je ne sais quoi, if you will. I saw one woman, probably in her 50/60s, with the biggest, coziest scarf wrapped around her neck/shoulders, leggings, tweed shorts, Dr. Martens, and she was balancing her designer tote on her shoulder as she enjoyed bites of a baguette in a bakery wrap. Literal goals.
Things I wish we saw, but now have an excuse to head back in the spring: The Eiffel Tower at night (I don’t know how I just kept forgetting), Notre Dame, Versailles, Montmartre.
Enjoy the photos! The Eurostar goes straight to Brussels and Amsterdam, too. So, stay tuned? Although, Disneyland Paris may have to come first.
