As I went to Paris!! I never thought in a million years would I get the opportunity to head to the city of love and a fashion capital!
My university won a grant from Drapers which contributed to taking a group of students away and as a BA Fashion Marketing and Journalism student, I was one of the lucky few to be chosen.
We started off by heading to St Pancras at 5:30am to get the Eurostar for 7am (early I know but I coped!) - I am one of those that needs a minimum of 6 hours+ to be able to function.. So I was a little worried. We grabbed Pret to keep us going then headed in to check in for the journey ahead.
The Eurostar was quick, highly recommend it took around 2 hours and was a smooth journey. Once we got to Paris, me and my friends decided to hop on a bus to the TimHotel Berthier 17, our home for the next 4 days. It was an eventful bus journey to say the least..
After a long days shopping we had McDonalds to me it tasted better than the UK. Am I the only one that thinks this? They had potato wedges as well as chips and the cold drinks come in paper coffee cups (very sustainable.. Well done McDonalds, France). Then took the long journey back.
The next day we took the train (which was a double decker!! London you need to up your game) to Palace Versailles, where we had a guided tour. On the way there I had a glance of the Eiffel Tower for the first time, now I really felt like I was in Paris! It was beautiful!
As we approached the palace you could see it from miles away, it was embellished in gold and the palace grounds were enormous. It really made me appreciate what Paris was really about!
After our guided tour we had free reign of the city, so we headed to the Eiffel Tower to see it up close and personal. It was breath taking, approaching such an iconic sight and seeing it in the flesh was a memory I'd never forget. We decided to go up the Eiffel Tower, which only cost us around 8 euros if you are under 24.
It took us a while to get in but it was worth every second, the views were like no other. Getting the chance to be on top of the Eiffel, looking up to see the twinkling lights going off was an unforgettable moment, I'll be forever grateful for... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves..
The next day our next Parisian spot to check out was the Champs Elysee and Arc Du Tromph. The rain was pouring but it was still worth every second as we stopped off in Sephora, Zara and many other hotspots along the way. We then made our way to a Musee des Arts Decoratifs, which is where we spotted the Lourve but by this time it had started snowing so we only had a quick glimpse. Although we were there for a shoe exhibition, which didn't take long to get around so we dashed over to Galleries Lafeyette to see the beautiful department store in real life.
Highly recommend checking out Galleries Lafeyette, on the top floor they have an open top viewing space where you can see Paris, free of charge (picture above).
From there me and the girls decided to have a much needed beverage at a little bar down the road, which had two for one cocktails.. Always a must after a long day spent shopping!
On the last day and only a few hours left to see the city, we thought we'd get as much done as possible. Our first stop was to see the Notre Dame, which burnt down a few months ago. To this day it is all boarded up and had cranes and building work going on around it, which was very sad. We took a trip down Le Marais, the shopping district and stopped off for a bite to eat.
We found vintage shops, high street shops and another department store. The streets near the Notre Dame were beautiful, full of great little spots to eat, drink and shop.
From then on we were on a mission to see the rest of Paris, we hopped on the metro to see the Arc de Tromph up close and then headed to the Sacre Coeur. As a spot I'd never heard of I wasn't sure I wanted to go but I am so glad I did. If you climb to the top of the stairs you see another breath taking view of France. Its incredible, as the sun went down and we only had an hour to meet the others until they were heading to the train station to go home we decided to go into the Sarce Coeur church. With tall ceilings and stain glass windows, it was the most peaceful end to our time in Paris.
Paris it's been a pleasure! Hope you all enjoyed my post.
