My Weekend in Paris

Over the weekend, I got to spend 3 whole days in easily one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Filled with brilliant architecture and years upon years of history, walking through Paris is nothing short of dreamlike. Sure, trying to find your way around the massive city is a challenge and, at times, quite strenuous, but its hard to feel tired when surrounded by such beauty.


Even being there 3 days, I felt like that still wasn't enough time to cover all the things available to see. However, I did knock out some of the major things I wanted to do. Because this was my second time to Paris this trip and had already seen some of the major tourist destinations, I allowed myself more free time to just go to cafes and leisurely walk around the city.

night 1: A friend and I got into Paris at around 3:30 on Thursday afternoon, where we settled into our apartment before going out to a concert. We saw Disclosure, who is a DJ group from the UK. It was incredibly fun and I couldn't have wanted anything more from that night.

day 1: On Friday, the group that I came with went to the city after getting some breakfast at a bakery next to our apartment, which was in Clichy. I got a quiche for only about 3 euros! Then we took the metro and walked to Notre Dame and one of the love lock bridges that is located right next to it. Then, we found the infamous bookstore Shakespeare and Company and had the opportunity to look inside for a little bit. It is such a neat little place and you can actually go upstairs and sit and read all of the really old non-fiction books! Next, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which was a very long walk, and at this point we were exhausted and hungry. We decided to stop at a bakery and a market and buy some things for a picnic to take in front of the Eiffel, which included some usual French things: wine, cheese, baguettes, and fruit. It was really beautiful when we got to the tower and the sun finally came out just in time for us. We were all so comfortable and happy that we ended up staying in the same spot in front of the tower in the grass for about 4 hours. We then went out to eat at a nearby cafe and called it a night.

Salmon & spinach quiche. 

We saw a Starbucks on the way and had to stop there... I miss black coffee so much! 

All the girls at the river. 

Notre Dame. 

Roses outside of Notre Dame. 

Inside Shakespeare and Co. 

Some of the things we brought on our picnic! 

Friends

My view for 4 hours...

Me and my friend Tansy! 

Inside Shakespeare and Company. 

day 2: Before leaving for Paris, I had done some research on the best bakeries and cafes to eat at in Paris, so naturally, I needed to find them. Sure, I've had some good chocolate croissants and macarons before, but I wanted to taste the best ones. So a few of us made a plan for the day which included breakfast at a bakery called Dalloyau, which is near Saint-Germain. It took us a little while to find it, but with some patience and mediocre map reading skills, we managed to find it! Located right next to the gorgeous Luxembourg Gardens, this bakery was definitely special. I got a chocolate croissant and savored every delicious bite, and then I just had to get another one.... oops. Next stop was to go to Notre Dame and get on one of the tour buses that takes you around Paris. They may look cheesy, but I highly recommend it for seeing the city without having to walk a lot. Not to mention, the pass was good for the entire day, so you can easily get off and on all day, which provides transportation other than the metro. It was a good decision, minus the weather which was unfortunately cold and rainy! After riding the bus, we stopped and got off at the Madeline district, which holds the famous Laduree macaron shop. These macarons are truly out of this world, with a perfectly crusty outside and a chewy, flavorful middle. Next on our list was one of the most popular pharmacies in Paris, if not the most popular pharmacy, City Pharma. This pharmacie is well known for being big and cheap. I have seen countless YouTube beauty gurus talk about this pharmacie, so it was a definite must on my list. When we arrived, it was incredibly packed but also the biggest pharmacie I have seen yet, and had every product and every brand at a cheaper price. I made my purchases and left as soon as possible because you can barely get around in the store, and then went home to rest for the night because we were planning on going out later.

Dalloyau bakery. 

Inside the bakery. 

Eating my croissant at the Luxembourg Gardens. 

Statue in the Luxembourg Gardens. 

Outside with my other croissant... 

Some sights while on the tour bus. 

Lunch: A ham croque monsieur with a fried egg. 

Laduree. 

My beautiful bag! 

My macarons - i got one in nearly every flavor! 

day 3: By Sunday, we were all pretty tired and wanted to take it easy. My original plan was to go to the Louvre and actually go inside this time, so me and a friend got up and going out the door at about 12:30. When we arrived at the Louvre, the line was huge and we didn't feel like waiting in line or going through the hours and hours of art, although if I had more time I would have loved to. I think the Louvre is a day in itself, and unfortunately we had so many other things we wanted to do. So instead, we went to go get a picnic and go to the Eiffel Tower again - definitely one of my favorite things to do in Paris. Since we were leaving later that day, we wanted to take it easy and just enjoy the city! So after hanging out at the Eiffel Tower, we walked around for a bit and then went home to get everything ready to leave.

I really did fall in love with Paris, as do most people. I had an incredible weekend filled with friends, food, and a gorgeous city. What else do you really need in life?

xo, 

Katie