Bonjour! Today we’re in Paris! Absorbing the smell of freshly baked bread and roasted coffee in the morning along with the sounds of shifting chairs in the cafes along the street.
Finally, I’ve made my way to Europe. Let me first say, I couldn’t really contain my excitement when I stepped out of the plane. So here I am, exploring fine Paris, a big city and not enough days can cover everything there is to see here. Too much history, too many iconic buildings, too many beautiful architecture, and so much food. I think I need to stay here for a long time. It was quite difficult for me to start this post. I had so much to write and didn’t quite know how to sequence them. So I hope it doesn’t get too confusing.

City

An old city, occupied since 7500BC, Paris has made its name in so many places. I grew up not learning anything French in school but I always knew of Paris. I knew of its fame for fashion, hub for artists/musicians and a place of heaven for the culinary world. Somehow or rather, Paris has always been in the books I read, the movies I watched and in conversations I’ve had. It has been greatly embedded in my subconscious, this city called Paris which a lot of people mistaken it to be the “city of love”. Paris is not known as the city of love, but in fact the “city of lights”

In a brief, some key points that might help you familiarised yourself a little bit about Paris.

• Paris is the heart and the creation of most high end fashion brands; most brands I name, you most definitely have seen it somewhere (Channel, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, etc).
• It is the one of the most important birth place of art and literature. Most artists and philosophers found their inspiration within this beautiful city.
• The French revolution started in Paris replacing the monarchy with republican, which shape the politics of France.

At first glance, the city itself isn’t as impressive as I thought it might have been. I must have been drown in movies and pictures. Nevertheless, I was not disappointed. I could still hear the faint Parisian music from the buskers in the streets and as I walked along the paved roads still made me feel something “Paris”. The best way I found to explore Paris was by foot and the metro so better pack a good pair. Walking was a great way to take in the scenery, the landscape and the beautiful architecture. The city is huge, so I found it best to divide my visit into areas.

If you typed in Paris into Google Maps, you will see that in the middle of the city, runs the river “La Seine”. I found it helpful to follow La Seine, starting from the Eiffel tower, then just move north or south of the river as you move along to your right. There are many big buildings you’d come across and want to admire but don’t forget to walk the uncommon path, bustling through small lanes and alleys. It is always a new cafe, boulangerie, boutique or butcherie that you’ll stumble upon. For such a big city, I love the fact that you could still feel like you’re in a small town. If I had to describe Paris, it would be like a city that holds all these pockets of smaller cities within.

Although Paris was crowded with people but it wasn’t like how I felt in Bangkok. Walking through lanes, it still gave me some spatial feeling. Because we’re in Europe, it’s always a festival somewhere. That’s what I love most about it – the outdoor festivals, without having to worry about the hot and humid weather. Check out bonjour paris for the latest events and what not.

Food

Ah, the food! Let’s just say if I were to live in Paris for a month, I’d gain tons of weight! And no, a month is not nearly enough to discover Parisian food. I did extensive research on what I should be warming my taste buds on. Here’s a list of food I’d highly recommend and managed to fill my stomach with

• Bread (especially the baguette, brioche, crepe)
• Patiserrie (especially the croissant, eclair, macaroons, mille feuille, pain au chocolat, profiterole)
• Magaret de Canard
• Foie Gras (best bought from the market and cooked at home, it’s also cheaper)
• Cheeses (walk in to a fromage and start the indulgence)
• Bordier Butter
• Coq au vin
• Croque Monsieur or Madame
• Desserts (creme brulee, souffle)
• Escargot
• Beef Tartare

The list is extensive! I cannot stress how much you should diet before you go. And make sure you’re there for enough days to cover as much food as you can. It’ll be all worth it.

Experience

I took the opportunity to try out my first AirBnb experience in Europe. We rented a small apartment somewhere in the middle of Paris, close to a metro station for convenience. The experience was out of this world. The fact that we got our own kitchen, we bought everything we could to eat in. All the pate, fromage and macaroons all just stuffed in the fridge, waiting to be consumed each day. It was heaven! Every morning we’d wake up, walked down to the nearest boulangerie and buy some of the freshly baked baguettes to compliment our artisanal butter. I, having the advantage that my boyfriend speaks the language, found out that there are actually types of baguette. I was just blown away! I already had to figure out between the sourdough, ciabatta and baguette and now the types of baguette? I couldn’t comprehend. 

Just experiencing Paris to me was like enhancing all my five senses. I’m awaken everyday to the smell of coffee, the taste of baguette, the sight of amazing buildings, and the sounds of beautiful music played by the buskers. Although not known as the city of love, I definitely felt all the love around me. The city itself felt sophisticated yet elegant at the same time.

Always do your research before you go. It’s a great way to truly get to know the city and its people.

I definitely left my heart in Paris, I will need to go back and collect it.

THINGS TO DO

• Many people would probably encourage you to go to the Eiffel tower but not me. To be honest, there isn’t much to see. In fact you’re better off heading to Montparnasse tower and get yourself a true panoramic view of the city of Paris with the Eiffel tower in it. What I would highly recommend though, is to get into the Parc du Champ de Mars, find yourself a sweet grassy spot to rest on. It’s a great way to enjoy the Parisian outdoors with the view of the beautiful Eiffel tower or what I’d say getting the Parisian “feeling”.
• If there is one cathedral you have to visit, it’s the Notre Dame. It’s magnificent, a great piece of the French Gothic architecture still standing today. Inside you will be able to get some historical information about the French Revolution
• Walk in to any boulangerie, fromage, butcherie, patisserie as much as you can. These “specialty” shops are none like any other. Browse through each carefully and try not to walk out of there buying everything!
• Take the metro, take the bus. Taking local transportation in many ways is one of the best ways to get your local experience
• Take a day to visit Montmarte, an artistic centre of Paris. The streets are pretty and you will find a lot of art around. A place, where a great number of artists spent most of their time, finding inspiration.
• Take a full day visit to Versailles. It’s probably one of my most expensive tours to Chateau de Versailles but well worth it. The garden is massive with fountains and statues while the palace looks like it’s straight out from the movies. It was the first time I truly felt like a princess. A guided tour will equip you with a little knowledge on the monarchy of France. A good tip to start from the gardens to avoid the crowds.
• Walk along Champs-Elysees, starting from Arc de Triomphe all the way down. Although not much but a walk, it was one of the iconic Parisian experience for me. You do not need to go to every shop you see along the way, just walk by :)
• End the debate on the better macaroon between Pierre Herme and Laduree by trying both of them. Have as many as you can!