Around the World in Reality: Paris, France

It finally happened! Nearly 18 months after it was originally planned, we took our trip to Paris, France. It was such an amazing experience that I had to blog about it! Here is a sneak peek into our trip to the City of Lights!

Day 1 – Monday, December 13

HIGHLIGHTS: World of Banksy + Frog & the Underground + Galaries Lafayette on Haussman

When we arrived in Paris, it was well past lunchtime, so we decided to look for a restaurant nearby to satisfy our hunger. We found Frog & the Underground, a cute bar and lounge, diagonally across the street from our hotel. It had good reviews on Google, so we thought we would give it a try. We were greeted by our server and bartender, Dominick. We didn’t venture too far out of our comfort zone on our food order. I had fish and chips with a gin and tonic (odd pair, I know!), and Donnell had veggie burger with sweet potato fries. Everything was delicious. We were the only ones in the restaurant, so we enjoyed chatting with Dominick through our meal. At the end, he made us a holiday shot with Chartreuse and Bailey’s. It was so so good, and a great start to our trip!

For our first adventure, we went to the World of Banksy. The exhibit featured over 100 of Banksy’s works. I watched a documentary on Banksy on the plane ride over, and it made me appreciate the exhibit that much more. Here were a few of our favorites from the exhibit.

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After leaving World of Banksy, we decided to venture over to Galaries Lafayette on Haussman. It was absolutely full of people, even on a Monday! Every floor we climbed, we had a unique vantage point of the gigantic Christmas tree and other decorations beautifully positioned in the center of the mall. On the rooftop, we found an amazing view of the city. It was a little cloudy that evening, but that didn’t stop the Christmas lights from shining through. And just like that, Day 1 was done.

Day 2 – Tuesday, December 14

HIGHLIGHTS: La Magie de Noël at Tuileries Garden + Paris Notre-Dame Christmas Market at Square Viviani + Chez Monix au Splash

We slept in later than anticipated on Day 2, but we still had a good amount of time to explore. We purchased our Navigo Weekly cards which gave us access to the bus and metro system. For 26 euros per week, you can’t beat them. We had these cards and still averaged nearly 20,000 steps a day!

Once we picked up our cards, we headed to the 1st arrondissement to explore one of the largest Christmas markets in Paris, La Magie de Noël at Tuileries Garden. Here, I had my first taste of Vin Chaud (warm mulled wine), and it was amazing! I’m not sure why I hadn’t experienced it before now.

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We ventured on and found the Louvre. We decided to take a stroll by the Seine River and head to the 5th arrondissement. Here we were able to see Notre-Dame, which unfortunately hasn’t reopened yet, and explore the Paris Notre-Dame Christmas Market at Square Viviani. I found two cute Parisian Christmas ornaments to add to our Christmas tree at home.

It was getting late, so we came back to the hotel to get changed for a night out at Chez Monix au Splash. This was one of my favorite places to eat. It’s a restaurant that transforms into a ski chalet during the holidays. Outside, you will find decorated cable cars that provide a private dining experience.

To start, we had Salmon in Tartine, Salmon like gravlax sour cream with herbs. For our main course, we had the Zoï, a simmered dish based in squid, scallops, mussels, sea bream, seasonal vegetables, curry emulsion. To end the meal, I had the Crunchy, a dessert with crispy tiles, pecan praline, dairy caramel, and vanilla cream, and Donnell had the Apple, a dessert with sour apple and cucumber, mint, coriander and apple sorbet. Everything was absolutely delicious and the ambiance was unmatched!

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Day 3 – Wednesday, December 15

HIGHLIGHTS: Disneyland Paris + La Valle Village Outlet

We woke up early and caught took the RER A to its last stop, Disneyland Paris! As someone who had never been to Disney, I wasn’t sure what to expect. We walked in, and it instantly felt festive. Mickey, Minnie and the crew came out for a performance. As we’re walking through the park, Christmas music began to play and “snow” began to fall. It was busy, so we stuck to the rides with the shorter wait times. We rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours: The Adventure Continues and our favorite–Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.

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The La Valle Village Outlet was only a short bus ride away, so we went to see what the outlets had to offer. I researched the outlet beforehand, and had a game plan going in. I thought I was down on my luck after many stores didn’t have my size in the shoes I liked, and then I stepped in Guiseppe Zanotti. I found a simple pair of brown heels that I couldn’t pass up. It was getting late, so we checked out, grabbed pizza for dinner and headed home for the evening. Day 3 was in the books.

Day 4 – Thursday, December 16

HIGHLIGHTS: Louvre + Restaurant Mumi + Arc de Triomphe + Eiffel Tower + Seine River Tour + Rue Des Bulles + Vegan Burger Bar

We woke up early for our 9:30 AM time slot at the Louvre. We spent nearly two hours there and didn’t really scratch the surface. My favorite exhibit was The Galerie d’Apollon/The French Crown Jewels but everyone knows a trip to the Louvre would be incomplete without seeing the Mona Lisa. However, we didn’t want to stand in the long line, so we snapped a quick photo of her from the side. I was also excited to see Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s Portrait of Madeleine.

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For lunch, we ate at Restaurant Mumi. It was absolutely fantastic! We had a three-course lunch, and I wish I could remember the amazing descriptions of everything we had. Lauren was our waitress, and she made the experience phenomenal!

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We decided to continue exploring and saw Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I had no idea how magnificent of a structure the Eiffel Tower is! I couldn’t help but just stare at it.

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After our exploration by land, we decided to explore by water. We took a boat tour on the Seine River, and it was such a fun way to view the city. I couldn’t get my audio guide to work consistently, but it was nice to see the attractions from the water while people watching.

As a lover of all things bubbly, I had to go see Rue Des Bulles. It was such a cute way to celebrate the bubbly! At the end of the bubbles, there was a temporary champagne bar called Libérons Les Bulles where I had a wonderful glass of Gremillet champagne and continued to people watch.

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I came across the Vegan Burger Bar in my trip research, and since it was on the way, we grabbed two vegan bacon cheeseburgers and fries. It was absolutely delicious, and I don’t regret eating it right before bed one bit!

Day 5 – Friday, December 17

HIGHLIGHTS: Montmartre + Le Cabanon de la Butte + I Love You Wall + Place des Abbesses Christmas Market + Rooftop bar at Terrass Hotel + Zola

To start the day, we headed to Montmartre. My mom sews, so I went in search of fabric for her. There were many many many places to choose from and a lot of good deals to be found.

From there, we had lunch at Le Cabanon de la Butte. It was a cute place that had spectacular views of the city. For lunch, we both had the baked sea bass with haricots verts and mashed potatoes. Everything was very tasty! I geared up for the cold ahead with a Vin Chaud.

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After lunch, we took pictures of the Sacré-Cœur and took in the amazing view of the city. We searched for souvenirs and came across a square of different artists. We ended up purchasing a painting from a local gentleman. Purchasing a small piece of art seems to be our thing when traveling.

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Around the corner, we found the I Love You Wall where the words ‘I love you’ are written in all major languages. It took a while, but we finally found “I love you” in English! Across the street was the small and adorable Place des Abbesses Christmas Market. I found the most colorful scarf there that I regret not purchasing.

From there, we perused the shops in Montmartre. I really loved this area of Paris. It was very quaint. While window shopping, I walked by the Kooples and my eyes came across one of the things on my Parisian wish list, a new black purse. I was planning to visit Yves Saint Laurent later in the day but found no harm in checking this beauty out. So, I go instead, and to my surprise, there is an even better version of the purse that happens to be a limited holiday edition. There was no leaving the store without it!

We traveled on to the Terrass Hotel where we had an afternoon tea. This cozy rooftop lounge was a complete vibe and had some of the best views of the city.

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We made our way back to the 2nd arrondissement for dinner went to Zola. It was a super cute pizza and pasta place tucked in Passage of Panoramas. We had both pizza and pasta along with a couple of nightcaps to end our day.

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Day 6 – Saturday, December 18

HIGHLIGHTS: PSG Tour + Le Grand Colbert

Donnell is a very go with the flow type of guy, but early on, his one request was to visit the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Experience. He regretted not visiting Barcelona’s stadium while there, and he didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity here. When I originally checked the dates, there were no tours available, and I was a bit bummed for him. Lo and behold, I double-checked a few days into our trip and was able to find an open tour! So, we began our last full day in Paris with the PSG Experience, and it was a lot of fun. Donnell thoroughly enjoyed the experience and maybe even got a few ideas for his own job.

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For lunch, we headed back to the city and ate at Le Grand Colbert. This restaurant had been recommended previously in the Paris Travel Tips Facebook Group, and I had it on the maybe list. When walking to the Lourve on Thursday, we walked right past it, and I KNEW I had to move it to the yes list. It was absolutely beautiful!

We come in, get situated at the table and begin looking at the menu. After we place an order for our appetizers, French onion soup and lentil salad, a nice lady leans over and asks if we were American. I said yes and that was all she wrote! We had the best time chatting with our fellow Americans over for the next two hours. It turned out that we both had ties to Tennessee and knew some of the same people. It was such a joy to spend our lunch with them. We were so wrapped up in conversation that I can’t exactly remember what we had to our second course, but I do know we ended the meal with a rum and whipped cream Baba. It was delicious!

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From here, we gathered our luggage and headed to another hotel by the airport.

Day 7 – Sunday, December 19

HIGHLIGHTS: Ladurée Macarons

We woke up early to get to the airport, and I realized I didn’t experience two things while in Paris—macarons and crepes! Though I wasn’t able to try crepes before I left, CDG didn’t let me down as they had the most delicious macarons at Ladurée.

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As I sat in the airport waiting to board our flight, my heart was so full. We finally experienced Paris, and it was everything I imagined it would be. We will definitely be back!