Welcome back, my literary friends!

Today, we are talking about Paris! The city of love! Having been to Paris before, it wasn’t particularly high on my ‘todo’ list for Europe, but despite my trepidation, I enjoyed my return to the French city.

With relatively little trouble, I flew from London Heathrow into Paris, Charles De Gaulle airport. The lounge at Heathrow was comfortable, and the flight was prompt and punctual.

Accommodation for Paris was the Moxy Bastille, which is a chain I’d not been exposed to before, but to my surprise was remarkably comfortable. Moxy is a Mariott brand chain tailored toward the younger generation, saving money by not including things like kettles or telephones in each room (which, as a self-proclaimed nana, upset me greatly! Who can sleep without an evening cup of tea?!) Welcome cocktails are served to guests on arrival, and check-in is an easy enough process.

The first night in Paris included a stroll along the river, noting that ‘love lock bridge’ has been refurbished to dissuade tourists from leaving a padlock shackled to the railings, by replacing the sides of the bridge with solid perspex. As the evening crept into the sky, the lights at the Louvre began to glow, offering a perfect opportunity for stunning photos of the pyramid.

The next day was spent walking through the city, taking in the vendors selling art along the river and listening to police sirens wail through the streets. A stop in at the Boulangerie de Paris found supplies for lunch, before setting up a little picnic at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

A surprisingly short queue was enough to convince me to purchase a ticket to venture up the tower itself, something I did not do the last time I was in Paris due to the hours-long wait to get in (it was the height of summer then and also not in the midst of a pandemic). I find the idea of climbing the tower quite funny because, like the Empire State Building in NYC, it is an integral aspect of the Parisian skyline, so when you climb it, all you see is the rest of Paris. If you want a nice view of the entire skyline (including the Eiffel Tower), climbing the stairs to the Sacré-Cœur is a great way to see Paris, excellent exercise and completely free. Nevertheless, I digress! The elevator queue was short, and in the middle of the tower was a restaurant, several souvenir shops and a bar/cafe to perch. It seemed like the perfect place for an Aperol spritz to follow the wine and sandwiches in the park.

I should mention, in the midst of all this, an antiques fair opened on the main road right outside our hotel and for two days, the street was lined with tents filled with gems. One of my favourite stalls was the one selling old typewriters and telephones!

Finally, a day I’d been looking forward to had arrived! Euro-Disney! The Disneyland train took approximately an hour from Paris and stopped a 10-minute walk from the park entrance.

I spent so much of the day entranced by the park that I took very few photos! It was the day before the 30th Anniversary display opened, so essentially, it was a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the next day. This meant that many of the restaurants closed early and parts of the park were closed at different times for media purposes. It did however mean the fireworks display commenced early to include a preview of the 30th anniversary light show due to be unveiled the next day. It was spectacular, and absolutely worth the 1.5 hour wait in the cold!

After hot dogs, churros, hot chocolate, chicken nuggets and doughnuts, it was time to return home. The downside to having a perfect spot in front of the castle for the fireworks display, is the crush of people between you and the exit when it ends! Safe to say it took much longer to get home than anticipated, but entirely worth it, cold and all!

The final day in Paris brought my most hotly anticipated event for the city! Versailles.

If you haven’t heard of King Louis or Marie Antoinette, a quick google of Versailles will show you the lavish ‘home’ in which they resided. Versailles is comprised of the main Palace, two residences (I believe!) of Marie Antionette, the Grand Trianon, and the Petite Trianon spread over more than 800 hectares. Versailles has to be one of the most magnificent estates I’ve ever laid eyes on. Even the sheer size of the property alone is enough to leave one in awe.

Every surface is ornate and covered in tapestry, art and gold, or gold framed art. Doorway after doorway leads to another opulent room, and standing in the chambers of the King and Queen, looking at their bedrooms, is such a strange feeling. I had two main thoughts, these people must have been tiny, and did they have a step stool to get into bed?

A quick eclair from the patisserie inside the Palace followed by a stroll through the upper gardens, and then it was time to tackle the main gardens. Standing at the top and looking out at the kilometres and kilometres of walking tracks really gives you an appreciation for how much spare time these people had, and why horses were so necessary! It became apparent that the fastest way to see the gardens and not lose the entire day was by golf cart. Yes, you read that right. Golf cart. My initial scepticism quickly vanished as the dirt path was eaten up beneath four wheels. It made it possible to visit the Grand and Petit Trianon in under an hour, drive past the Grand Canal, to watch people picnic and row their boats across the glass surface.

I loved Versailles, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering a visit. As it was the tail-end of winter, the fountains were not on display, however, as it was the first Sunday of the month, entry was free. Tickets were required to be prebooked and it was not possible to get tickets to the Estate of Trianon online, but upon presenting at the Petit Trianon, staff handed out paper tickets and allowed visitors free entry to the house and the grounds.

As time in Paris drew to a close, I packed my bags and prepared for the train to Zurich, the next stop on this getaway.

x A