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I have dreamt of visiting Paris since I was a little girl – the shopping, the French language and of course the sparkling Eiffel Tower.
The trip from London to Paris by train was the first start to an eye-opening experience. Boarding the train, we were greeted in English but by the end of the trip, we were sent on our way and good-byes were said in French. Gee, I wished I had looked more into learning French. I knew very little, if any, and felt embarrassed I was heading to France and realising I wasn’t going to be able to communicate fully.
Next step was to get into our private transfer. This was fun, no English (or very little) was spoken and it scared me! I was in shock. All I could do was act things out rather than speak.
Driving was one hell of a ride. Seriously, a ride! No lines on the road and free-for-all at roundabouts. When I arrived at the hotel, it was beautiful – right in the centre of the Trocadero and overlooking the magical Eiffel Tower. From here nothing could go wrong.
The Eiffel Tower glittered at night and I felt like a little girl again! Climbing the tower was great exercise. Of course my ‘smart’ foot attire was high-wedged boots but I’m proud to say I conquered the stairs climbing to the very top.
I ventured down the street in the hopes of finding some shopping, but all I could find was food, food and more food (not complaining, the food was amazing, but my love for shopping is one main reason I had to visit Paris). Needless to say the Trocadero area is not the place for shopping. There are stores everywhere along random streets and beautiful French women stand behind the desk and greet me, “Bonjour Mademoiselle”!
Champ Elysees, however, is the place to go shopping! The entire street is full of stores and even branching off to side streets. Many of the stores are owned by French designers like Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and the like. I quickly understood why this is the fashion capital of the world.
I love my sweets, so stopping for afternoon tea was heavenly at Laduree Paris. Dining in their exquisite outdoor setting, I enjoyed a moment flicking through French magazines and sketching ideas on Laduree napkins all the while enjoying macarons and fine tea.
Au revoir mes amis.
I think I could be French.
