Reflections from Paris and London, something to enjoy or distract you from your Monday morning!

In this second post on Paris I would love to share with you some basic recommendations of Things to Do during your trip! As I mentioned in my previous post, the goal of our trip was simple, we wanted to enjoy each other, art and culture. So here are few things we did that we thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend!

1. Rent Bikes! Paris has convenient and affordable city bikes nearly everywhere. Be sure you are comfortable with city biking before you take off. Traffic keeps moving whether you do or not. We did take one official bike tour the second evening we were there. The evening blue bike tour was a fun way to see many iconic sites as well as familiarize ourselves with the city.

2. When traveling with someone you love, visit the Love Lock bridge. Paris is the city of lights and love. As hopeless romantics, Benjamin and I did place a lock on the original love lock bridge (there are now several “love lock” bridges). What can I say, it was sweet, sappy and romantic as we threw the key into the river!

3. Speaking of the river, walk along the Seine River. It is beautiful and gives you some some interesting views of the city and a quiet place to chat.

4. Find a real, local painter…watch them paint and bring home a special treasure! This man’s watercolors were simple, beautiful and fun to watch being painted! We brought a piece home for each of our parents and ourselves.

5. Enjoy sitting in the parks. There are lovely parks all around. Most are the lawns of beautiful old mansions and palaces. They are simple, serene and a great place to rest.

6. If time permits take the Eurostar from Paris to London! A bit of advice. When traveling from Paris to London especially, be sure to arrive at the train with time to spare, a good 45 mins before departure. You will have security check points, screening and border control. We may have missed our first train.

London was one of the highlights of the trip for me. It was a fun change of pace and refreshing to understand all the conversations around us. We stayed in South Kensington and I highly recommend that area. We found delicious local restaurants for dinner and breakfast and a lovely area to walk around.

The London tube is brilliant! Simple and easy to navigate! How I wish Columbus had public transit like this. Be sure to “mind the gap” when traveling the tube.

Though a short one night and two days, we filled it with as much of the London experience as possible! The tower of London had a beautiful art installation honoring the soldiers of WWI and the 100 year anniversary of the war.

If in London during the Royal family holiday (Aug & Sept) you will have the opportunity to go inside Buckingham Palace. We toured the staterooms and art galleries inside the Palace. As a little bit of a royal family “enthusiast” myself, I found this to be an awesome experience. Yes, I  stood in room where Kate and William had their wedding pictures taken. A strict no photography rule was enforced inside. Benjamin did snag the shot in the middle from the grand staircase before they asked him to stow his camera.

Also, London bridge is NOT falling down, no matter what you have heard. We enjoyed walking across the bridge.

Ok, probably one of favorite experiences of the entire trip. A formal afternoon tea in Harrods Georgain restaurant. Everything about it was enjoyable. The conversation, tea, service and most importantly the warm scones with clotted cream and preserves. HEAVENLY. If anyone would ever like to have tea here in Columbus, I am game to try and recreate this.

7. Ok, back to things to do in Paris. See the sites! While in Paris you must see the Lourve, the Opera house, Hotel de Ville, Champs Elyees, Arc de Triomphe and Versaille. More thoughts on the last two to come. The architecture and magnitude of these sites will not disappoint.

8. Shakespeare and Company. Wander through the crowded shelves of books, both new and used. This store is where numerous famous authors have spent many hours reading and writing, including Hemingway. Any book you purchase is also stamped with the official seal of the store. Kind of fun!

9. When at the Arc de Triomphe, purchase the ticket to climb the stairs to the top. For me this site was one of my favorites! The stairs though narrow, steep and many (348 to be exact) are totally worth the view. I will admit I didn’t have a problem going up the stairs but coming down was a more terrifying experience. I had to hum and focus on the one stair in front of me. Old age is making me a bit more queasy. Check out the view from the top!

10. Versaille. (Hall of mirrors featured above) First of all, be sure to budget a full day for this excursion. We thought a half day would do but by the time you factor in the train ride, crowds and the magnitude of the palace and grounds you will happily fill most of your day. Also you will need to buy your return metro ride ticket at the Versaille station unless you buy an unlimited metro pass. Be sure to do so upon arrival vs. waiting until you and a hundred others decide to leave and need to do the same. Lesson learned.

Arrive early, purchase the passport pass and skip the LONG lines for the palace in order to start with the gardens! We arrived around 10 and the gardens were nearly empty. We LOVED wondering around the 14 different gardens all meticulously manicured and maintained.

After a few hours we rented some bikes and toured the back portions of the estate grounds. (definitely recommend renting bikes here) After lunch by the lake, we ventured into the Palace. We honestly only spent about an hour or so in the Palace. The crowds were a bit much for us, though the opulence that covers every inch of every room was beautiful and breath taking, it was also easy to see how the French Revolution came to be.

11. Take a French cooking class. In this 3 hours class we made dishes I otherwise never would have experimented with. From foie gras to veal stew and a terrine, it was an experience and mostly in french :)

13. Be someone’s muse or model. It was a delight to be the model and sometimes muse to Benjamin. I definitely benefited by having so many beautiful portraits. Though at times I questioned what he was up to in composition, I learned to relax and trust him and well as usual he knew what he was doing!

14. Take pictures! Whether you are like me and will just use your iPhone to post and share socially or whether you are a skilled artist, Paris is full of beautiful places and people to capture.

Lastly, I would like to give a shout out to PNC Bank. Using our PNC points we were able to get both of our roundtrip flights for FREE! We also used our points to stay in a 5 star hotel in London! Without this bonus we would never have experienced this trip this fall.

“Because you look around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form” – Midnight in Paris.

As I sit here at Starbucks in Bexley, sitting outside in the cool fall weather I feel like this is the perfect place to write and reminisce about our recent trip to Paris and London.  Our goal for this trip was simple; enjoy each other, art, time and culture. I feel confident we succeeded!

So I have decided to share some thoughts, stories and images with all of you. If you are or have ever considered visiting Paris here are somethings we learned from our experience. I will begin with “things to pack” and some helpful “things to know.” Later I will post about some of the places we visited, but all posts will include some wonderful images captured by my handsome personal photographer (be sure to always travel with one).

Let’s start with what to pack. This isn’t a long list but some staples and items I am very glad we had.

First, his and hers comfortable and stylish shoes. We walked A LOT in Paris, and intended to. Paris is a beautiful city to walk thru. But we also tried to not put on our nikes and fanny packs but rather blend into the style and ambiance of such a city. Benjamin and I both found our Cole Haan shoes with the nike air technology (still fit in that comfort) to be the perfect fit. Cute, comfy and took us miles and miles every day! Secondly, a good carry all bag. I love this Madewell tote. My large catch all for plane, train or walking around the city. Pack light though, with all walking and metros you won’t want to have a bag that weighs you down or gives pick pocketers anything to accessible or interesting. In your bag be sure to have a pocket travel guide or at the very least a small map of the metro and city. We found Rick Steve’s pocket guide for both Paris and London (and the maps) to be very useful. With all the walking and yes all the eating (crepes, croissants, macrons and more) we used Benjamin’s Jawbone Up to track our steps and activity. And lastly, I recommend layers. While in both Paris and London we experienced a heat wave of sorts. Most days it reached 80, however some days and nights were much cooler. My Zara leather jacket was the perfect piece to layer with any dress, jeans or top. One jacket for all my outfits, less to pack and easy to wear.  (BTW my shoes are on sale!)

I might also mention that packing camera equipment is quite the conversation in our house. Benjamin made some great decisions with his trusty Polariod 350 and no longer in production FP-3000B film. We love all the polariod memories and tried to take at least one everywhere we went. On some we quickly jotted down a word, memories or quote from the moment. Something we will cherish. In addition to his Hasselblad, Benjj brought his Fuji xPro 1 with 2 lens (23 mm & 56 mm) this will mean more to your camera nerds enthusiast out there.

My last “packing” recommendation. A fabulous travel companion. Insert Benjamin James Derkin.

Not only is he great to look at and my personal photographer, he is kind, patience and loving. An adventurer, more patient with tourists than I was, and able to order confidently in french (or a good french accent). Benjamin made my heart full! I was blessed to be traveling with him.

Let’s move to things to know!

1. There are wonderful boulangeries nearly everywhere. We had several right down the street where we stayed. What you need to know is most bakeries will make fresh baguettes and croissants three times a day (Open, noon and 5 PM). Try something new every day!

2. Airbnb is a great way to go! We found a beautiful 200 year old apartment in Le Marias. Renovated in 2013 by an architect, our space, was stylish, comfy, clean and had a small kitchen that we used to make some breakfasts and dinners. It was beautiful and affordable. Our host was very helpful and we HIGHLY recommend him and the location.

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3. Cafes: They are everywhere. We sometimes wondered if Parisians do anything other than have great, spirited conversations in cafes. Be sure to stop for some espresso, wine, a salad or fries! They are all wonderful, stop at whatever one catches your eye, they truly are on every street. Be sure to sit outside along the street, read, chat, write or people watch. The perfect place any time of the day or night.

4. Bottled water, whether mineral or sparkling, it is the same price as wine. So you choose :) Also, we drank tap water and were just fine. So bring a water bottle to refill or request tap water at restaurants. Save yourself 7 euros to spend elsewhere!

4. Though some streets can be narrow, and some signs confusing, there are a few simple things to know about transportation. Walking is easy, free and enjoyable. The Metro M1 line runs along the north side of the river and can take you from the Bastille, Notre Dame, Louvre, Champs Elyees to the Arc de Triomphe.

5. Be sure to have cash. Most places are cash only and the metro requires a European credit card or cash. (Though I hear some new cards in the US now include the proper chip). And be prepared to carry coins.

6. Paris is FULL of tourists. Though technically, we too were tourists, we tried not to behave as most. Be prepared for long lines and crowded spaces if you want to see some of the iconic sites.

7. Learn to speak a little French and then muster up the courage to use it! We found that Parisians were welcoming and warm and though most speak some English, making the attempt in French is respectful and fun!

Look for more tomorrow!

xoxo,

Jennifer