3 days in Paris

Hey my friends!

I can't wait to tell you about my time in Paris. It's a beautiful city and now one of my favorites!

Our first night in Paris, we arrived just in time for dinner! So the hubs and I ventured out to the streets of Montmartre to find something to eat and found the cutest cafe around the corner from where we were staying. We decided to try it out even though we know very little French. This was the best decision. Our meal was spectacular! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was spot on, and a server was so charming and gracious. After dinner, we walked around the neighborhood. Montmartre is quintessential Paris. I mean cobblestone streets, couples strolling hand in hand, and an old French man playing the accordion type thing. That night was pretty magical! 

 We spent the next two days exploring the rest of this beautiful city. We walked all over: from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame and then back to the Eiffel Tower. We didn't get to do as much as I would have liked since I got a fever on  the second day, but honestly walking is enough to get a full experience. Walking and eating. We ate so much good food! Crepes, croissants, moules frites, and escargot. It was all delicious. You know me, I love my food! If you ever go to Paris, make sure you stop by Laduree and grab some yummy macaroons!

Jardin des Tuileries

The Louvre

Notre Dame

Sacré-Cœur

I could go on and on about this city. We had such a great time. Hopefully we can come back when I'm feeling at my best! 

Here are some of my recommendations for a few days in Paris:

1. Stay on Montmartre! The hubs and I both agree that staying there was one of our favorite parts of the trip. We had all of our most "Parisian" experiences up there. It may not be walking distance to most attractions or museums (except for the Sacre-Coeur) but everything is accessible by Metro. You can get great views of Paris from the top and there are plenty of affordable AirBnbs in that area.

2. Make dinner reservations for Spring Restaurant. After searching for good places to eat and finding this recommendation, we decided to go all out for a fancy dinner! It's definitely worth it. The food is incredible. We had an unforgettable experience (even though I had a fever). It is a little pricey ($250 for two people for about 5 courses) but it's a great spot to try out a little fancy dining for which Paris is so famous!

3. Walk along the Seine around sunset. If you're walking from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, it's a very romantic way to end the day. Bear in mind that it is a 2.5 mile walk (we learned this the hard way), so wear comfy shoes!

There you have it! Next week: Madrid!

3 days in London

Hey my friends!

I’m back from my lengthy vacation and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! I thought I would dedicate these next few weeks to our travels and detailing our favorite bits from each place! Today I’ll start with London!

This is one of my favorite cities in the world! It’s such a bustling place and you never know what you’ll find around each corner. Since this was my third time there, we decided to skip most of the touristy places and mostly explore. Exploring is definitely one of our favorite things to do! We walked around Little Venice, past Abby Road (watched all the people hold up traffic), and through Camden Town. If you are ever in London for more than three days, I highly recommend Camden High Street and Camden Lock. Super eclectic and colorful and plenty of street food! We also stopped in the National Gallery and visited St. Paul’s Cathedral. Both such gorgeous places. And of course, we took pics by all the big landmarks because why not? We rounded off our trip by seeing Les Miserables in the Queens Theater. There are no words for how excellent that was!

So if you find yourself in London for a few days, here are my recommendations:

1.       Stay in an Airbnb. There are literally hundreds of well vetted homes you can stay in that are central to the main part of the city. Try to find one near the either the Central or Piccadilly lines for worry-free transport to most attractions.

2.       Research the museums. If you’re a museum person like me and the hubs, you like to take some time soaking in all the information. Let me make this clear, you cannot hit all the museums in London in a few days. More like a few weeks. Most could take a day to explore. So find two or three that you want to see and plan to visit the landmarks that don’t close (Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, etc) in the evening. Westminster Abbey and the British Museum are both good ones!

3.       Walk along the South Bank. One of my favorite things to do after a long day of sightseeing is to stroll along The Queen’s Walk and take in the views of London. I like to start from the Millennium Bridge across from St. Paul’s and walk all the way to Westminster Bridge. It’s only about a 1.5 mile walk and you get spectacular views of some famous London landmarks. Perfect for pics!

Well there you have it! The hubs and I really enjoy this city every time we visit. Next week: Paris!

Thanks for reading!