Paris - one of the cities that I'd been dreaming to visit since young.
I don't know why but Paris has its own charm and magic that captured my soul. It's one of a kind, (though it's been too commercialised in movies and whatnot). But guys, Paris is a must-visit, at least once in a lifetime. The experience, the atmosphere and the feeling that Paris can give you is just so extraordinary.
After our short trip in London, we flew to Groningen (where my boyfriend lives) to chill and take some rests. In Groningen, we got to relax, sleep as much as we want (my mom was super jetlagged so she had to recharge her body hahaha), shop for groceries and cook at home. After taking enough rests, we decided to go to Paris by car.
It was an 8-hour ride though from where my boyfriend lives to Paris. Yes, he drove 8 hours (with a few stops for espresso shots and quick break in between) and I was having my very own concert in the car just to keep him awake. You had no idea how excited I was for Paris.
After our hotel check-in, we took the metro and headed to Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It is one of the most famous and beautiful avenues in the world with a rich history and monuments (but now it's full of cafes and high-end shops). The famous Arc de Triomphe is also located at the avenue. We were ravenous and it was raining heavily, so we just randomly walked into a cafe for a late lunch. Our first meal in Paris was expensive but not impressive. I ordered a steak which costed me about 22euros and it was honestly overcooked and dry, which was really disappointing.
It was about 7pm after our late lunch and the sky already turned dark! We walked along the avenue street which led way to the Arc de Triomphe, one of the world most famous monuments. Oh by the way, there's also this crazy roundabout with the wildest traffic circling the monument. Plus, there are no traffic lights to control the traffic haha!
Since it was raining and most of the shops were already closing, we just took the metro back to our hotel and had some coffee nearby.
DAY 2
We spent the 2nd day visiting the major attractions in Paris, of course, the Eiffel Tower is a must-visit.
WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEW OF THE EIFFEL TOWER?
If you want to get the best view and the best shot of the majestic Eiffel Tower, you should take the metro to the stop called Trocadéro, and follow the exit signage indicating "Tour Eiffel". Once you step out of the station, you will see staircases leading to a large open square, and this is where you can see the Eiffel Tower standing in front of you.
The view was absolutely breathtaking and my feeling was indescribable. I mean, I'd been dreaming about visiting Paris and now that I could see the Eiffel Tower right in front of me, I just wanted to cry (tears of joy, of course).
Kira-kira-ing.
On the right of the large open square is the famous Instagram spot!!! When we saw the place, we immediately went like "Ah so this is the place where all the Instagrammers took their Eiffel Tower photo!!" As excited as other tourists, we lined up to take photos of the amazing Eiffel Tower view at this spot. Luckily, there weren't a lot of tourists that moment so we managed to take as many photos as we want hahaha.
In the city of love with my love.
There's also a carousel ride nearby the Eiffel Tower, which made everything extra dreamy omg!!
After taking enough pictures around the Eiffel Tower, we googled for lunch spot recommendations. The streets in Paris are just so beautiful, don't you think so? I am absolutely in love.
We had crêpes for lunch in a small cafe which is about a 7-minute-walk from the Eiffel Tower. It was not remarkably good, but considering the fact that we all were starving and the price point was actually pretty reasonable, we gave this cafe a thumbs up.
Our next stop was Musée du Louvre. The Louvre Art Museum is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, and the admission fees is €15. But eventually we did not go into the museum due to shortage of time as we had other places to go after this stop. But honestly it's really a nice spot for photo-taking!
After a quick shopping in Galeries Lafayette (which is a department store that houses high-end fashion and skin care brands), we stopped by LADURÉE Printemps for tea and macarons.
Their macarons are amazing, the flavours that I particularly like are rose and caramel!
For dinner, we went to this restaurant called Comptoir de La Gastronomie, which was recommended by my boyfriend's sister.
Each of us ordered a dish and we shared the escargot (and believe me, this is my first time trying escargot!! I didn't dare to try it in KL because I thought it's disgusting, but it is actually pretty good lolol)
My ravioli with truffle and foie gras. As expensive as the name suggests, this dish was absolutely scrumptious but the portion was so small. I think it was supposed to be an appetiser but the price was actually the same as the main dishes!
DAY 3
We were actually contemplating whether to go to Disneyland Paris or not, but as a Disney girl, my wish is to visit all Disneyland in the world. And my boyfriend wanted to go as well so we spent our 3rd day in DISNEYLAND PARIS!
By the way, do take note that there are 2 different parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Different park requires different tickets, so you can choose either one or both. We bought the ticket that allowed us to go into both of them, because we couldn't really decide.
The price of park tickets varies with season/occasion. We bought our tickets at the ticketing counter, and the ticket for both parks was €98 (it was the most expensive Disneyland ticket that I have ever bought though....).
Tip: Purchase your ticket ONLINE because it's cheaper!! We tried to buy the tickets online before entering the park but the stupid internet connection just wouldn't allow us to do so.
As we entered the park and saw the huge castle standing right in front of us, we instantly thought that the ticket price was worth it lolol. IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND MAGICAL OK!!!
To many more magical moments with you.
Boyfriend bought me this Mickey ears because he was like: "How can you take pictures in Disneyland without the ears?"
Let the magical journey begins.
Big Thunder Mountain (in Disneyland Park) - not to be missed.
Please don't miss this parade in Disneyland Park!! It will give you the most magical feeling ever as all your favourite Disney characters whisk and dance their way through the crowd with their one-of-a-kind vehicle.
There are 2 rides that you cannot miss in Walt Disney Studios Park: Rock 'N' Roller Coaster and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Seeking for some thrill? Go for this ride where speeds reach up to 100km/h in less than 3 seconds at the beginning. It was a bit shocking because we never expected it to be that fast at the starting point hahaha.
I've been to the same ride in Tokyo Disneysea so I already kinda knew how this ride was going to be. I remember telling my boyfriend how reluctant I was to go for this ride with him but he just dragged me with him fml. Free-fall rides are just not my thing urgh. But guys, this ride is a must-go, and the twilight motions and graphics in the ride were really stunning so you will feel as if you are teleported to another dimension of the world.
Pastel sky in Walt Disney Studios Park as the sun goes down. It was so beautiful.
The night ended perfectly with the illumination show which magnificent fireworks, stunning light projections and astonishing effects bring classic Disney tales and new stories to life.
I gazed in awe, capturing all the beautiful moments right in front of me with my eyes, and I told myself:
I'm so lucky, so blessed.
DAY 4
It's our last day in Paris and I wasn't ready to leave yet. There were just so many more places that I want to explore in Paris! :(
We enjoyed breakfast in a cafe restaurant nearby Galeries Lafayette before we did our last round of shopping.
Many of my friends told me that my outfit was so Parisian hahahaha. What do you think?
On our way back to Groningen, another 8 hours car ride. It was tiring (especially for my boyfriend a.k.a the driver), but this trip to Paris was totally worth it. I will definitely be back soon!
x