Lifestyle: 2 Years in Paris

I can't believe how long awaited this post is as we went on this trip at the end of February and now it is May! It was such a perfect weekend away and a great opportunity to properly take my camera for a spin as a tourist, rather than just using it for product photos.

For years I have wanted to visit Paris and I was lucky enough to be whisked away for a long weekend by Matt in honour of our two year anniversary. I didn't actually know where we were going (I thought it was Scotland!) until we were literally coming up to the channel tunnel and I opened my card which stated the destination. Of course I cried as it was literally the most thoughtful thing Matt has ever done especially as he planned so much of our weekend. As you probably guessed we took the car which took hardly any time at all to cross the channel although it was 3 hours to Paris from Calais but was cheaper than the Eurostar. It also gave us more flexibility with packing, timings and enabled us to see the city from a different view point too as well as other parts of France.

We left super early in the morning to make the most of our first day, and from the moment we arrived we fell in love with the city. I didn't think I would love it as much as I would but everything from the cobbled roads to the little cafes was so charming and french which I know is a weird way to describe it but if you've been I think you'll know what I mean! It reminded me lots of the Aristocats haha.

We stayed at the Hotel du Collectionneur which was right in the centre and less than a five minute walk from the Champs Elyess. Upon arrival we were welcomed with a bottle of champagne and a big slice of patisserie which Matt had specially organised. He had asked for it to say 'happy anniverary' but as anniversary is birthday in French they said happy birthday instead haha! After exploring our room we ventured down the road to see our first landmark: the arch de triumph. Then we wandered down the Champs Elyess and visited the first ever Laduree (my fave!) a Sephora (my other fave!) and lots of other shops and cafes on the way to the Eiffel Tower. We ate at a quintessentially French restaurant which over looked the Eiffel Tower - it was our first proper taste of French cuisine and it was so delicious. Another great thing about Paris is that they serve you bread with every meal for free which is a good addition and England should definitely take note.

For most of the next day we were on our feet. Luckily Paris is relatively small so unlike somewhere like Barcelona you can get around most of it by foot. First we had breakfast in Cafe de Flore which is a famous little cafe where all the philosophers and the great thinkers during the French Revolution would meet to discuss their new ideas for society etc. We were told they served the best hot chocolate in Paris... and let me tell you they were right! We meandered down to the love lock bridge next where we bought a little 3 euro lock to attach to the bridge and made a wish when we threw the lock into the river below.

Then we walked past Notre Dame and through lots of quaint little streets and alleys near the Latin quarter which housed amazing shops and cafes and lots of fresh flower and fruit stalls. It was nice to experience more than the normal touristy places and we felt we got to see more of the heart of Paris. We also had to stop in nearly every Pharmacie because I was obsessed with finding the best French skincare! Later that afternoon we took advantage of the hotels facilities and spent a little time in the jacuzzi and sauna before getting ready for dinner. We decided we wanted to go somewhere non-touristy but that was still popular with the locals so we went to Jaja's after a cocktail in the hotel bar (which was amazing!) Unfortunately the main we had wasn't the best but the pudding and wine was amazing, and the restaurant was small but buzzing so it was most definitely a case of ordering the wrong thing. We also got a different perspective of Paris by car and we saw the Eiffel tower's light show too.

For our last day we went for a last walk around the area our hotel was based and found a lovely cafe to have brunch in. Then we packed up the car and parked in a little side street close to the Eiffel Tower. We chose to pick the ticket which allows you to take the stairs half way up rather than the lift the whole way as it was cheaper and the queue was much smaller. In the end though we were up the tower for around 3 hours or so as there are so many levels and the queue to get to the top was very long. Although it is such a tourist thing to do it was one of my favourite parts as the views were incredible and it was amazing to see the tower up close after seeing it in so many pictures. We were running late for our slot back to England for the channel tunnel but we managed to squeeze in a quick crepe from a vendor by the tower, because you can't be in France and not eat a crepe!

There was so much we didn't manage to fit in but that just means there is an excuse to go back again (not that one is needed!)

What is the best trip you have ever been on? xxx

City Break in Barcelona

Hey guys, I haven't posted in around a week as I've been super busy! Last Thursday I had my Graduation Ball, the Friday I finished moving all my things out of my Uni house and on the Saturday Matt and I went on our trip to Barcelona! From my previous lifestyle post you may remember he surprised me with this trip to cheer me up as things  have been a bit hectic and rubbish for me these last few months. We went for 3 nights which was plenty as city breaks are actually really tiring! I've been to Spain loads of times as my family own a villa out there but I had never visited Barcelona so it was really fun to spend time exploring the city. There is still a lot more to discover and I would love to go back again some time in the future. 

 Our flight was very early in the morning but we managed to get some shut eye on the plane, only to wake up to a rainy Barcelona! Once we got to our hotel, Rey Juan Carlos I, we managed to get into our room pretty quickly and had a quick nap so we could spend the rest of the day exploring and the sun had come out too. We paid for two consecutive days for the open top bus as this was cheaper - I would highly recommend using the bus as a way to explore the city as not only is it way cheaper than a taxi but there are audio points where you can listen to the recorded guide and there are loads of stops to get on and off when you please. There are buses every 5 to 10 minutes and they make the whole sight seeing process really easy! On the first day we took the opportunity to shop and explore Las Ramblas and the Gothic quarter as all shops are closed on a Sunday. I really enjoyed the Gothic quarter as it has loads of little streets to explore, with performers and interesting places to eat and drink. I wasn't as keen on Las Ramblas as it felt a bit too touristy but it was still a good experience to check it out. Once we got back to the room Matt had organised a surprise of champagne to be delivered which was such a cute touch and just what we needed after a long day!

The next day was pure sight seeing and we managed to see pretty much all of Barcelona from the bus, from the main part of the city to the beach. We stopped off at the MNAC art gallery which was so beautiful and had amazing views of the city, in Montjuic where we got a cable car overlooking the whole of Barcelona and finally onto La Sagrada Familia which is really famous. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside the last place because there was an event going on, but I will definitley be visiting it next time!

The final day we spent chilling by the pool and we ended up getting really sunburnt :(! After spending two days on the bus we knew the nicer areas to visit which were out of the tourist trap areas and so we got a taxi to drop us off an a nice street and went into a random restaurant for dinner. It was a lovely place with amazing food! We had a jug of Sangria, seafood paella and Catalan creme brulee all of which was delicious! Our flight was early the next morning, however we got delayed for over 4 hours due to the French industrial strikes. 

That is a quick summary of my time away but if you have any questions just leave a comment! Barcelona was an amazing experience and we definitely packed in as much as possible into the few days we had. I would keep in mind that city breaks are quite expensive though as we found out the hard way - we had three different types of taxes on our bill at the end of the holiday, including city tax for each night we stayed in a hotel, so its important to keep that in mind! I would highly recommend the city as it has the beach, history and culture all wrapped up in one place so there is something for everyone. 

I don't think we are going on a relaxing holiday this year like Turkey last year as we can't afford it - instead we are saving up for two weeks in Mexico next year when we are going to a wedding! I think it is definitley worth saving the money for :) Are you going on holiday this summer? xxx