When Brent and I first started talking about taking a trip to Paris this year I was really concerned that a four day trip just wouldn’t feel long enough. It turned out to be absolutely perfect for us! Since we had been before and hit most of the major tourist spots this trip felt much more relaxed!
We had a bit of a delay due to a thunder storm in Charlotte (our connecting flight) and arrived in Paris just a few hours behind schedule, which turned out just fine! Probably one of the best decisions we made on the trip was stopping by the tourism booth in the airport (near baggage claim) to buy our metro tickets (zones 1-3, 5 day passes). We didn’t have to mess with trying to figure it out later!
We had a travel agent book the trip for us (she did our trip last year too and was great to work with!) and Julie found us a great hotel in a perfect location! We stayed at the Best Western Alize Paris Montmarte. We were close to the Sacre Couer and the Moulin Rouge, and right across the street from a metro stop (where two different lines intersected-this is very helpful!!) There were restaurants and cafes nearby, as well as a pharmacy, grocery stores and movie theater. Paris hotel rooms (like most big city hotel rooms) are pretty small, but it was plenty of space since we’d just be there to sleep!
After checking into the hotel, freshening up a bit, and quick lunch at the restaurant next door, the Indiana Cafe (which turned out to be a “Tex-Mex” restaurant, which is kind of hilarious), we took off for the Sacre Couer. In my past trips to Paris I had never been and I wanted to check out the view!
The weather this day was PERFECT. It was about 72 degrees and sunny and my dreams of strolling through Paris in a pretty skirt were fully realized.
Top (similar here and here) // Skirt // Bag (not available online yet but I just bought it in store!) // Shoes
We then decided to take a trip to Notre Dame since we hadn’t been able to go inside the last time (before you visit Europe, make sure it’s NOT Easter weekend!!) We got in what looked like a long line but were inside within a few minutes as you basically make a loop inside the cathedral and come back out.
The rest of the day was spent strolling the cobble-stone streets and stopping at a cafe for coffee (for Brent) and chocolate mousse (for me).
We were pretty exhausted from the travel (and trying to adjust to the seven hour time change) so I was completely out by 8:30 that night! Stay tuned for highlights from day 2, where we visit the Louvre and visit my favorite kind of art (high fashion)!
