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Wednesday 30 September 2015

Paris in 48 hours...

Let me start this post but saying Paris is ALWAYS a good idea! This was my third trip to the city of love and this time I was travelling with my good pal and work wife, Chrissie Cooper. 

We had a cracking little Airbnb lined up in SoPi - that's South Pigalle for those not down with the Parisian lingo (!) - check details out here, our itinerary was plotted out and we had two full days of beautiful adventure to follow. Life. Is. Good. 

We set off straight from work, popping champagne corks and nibbling salted caramel chocolates in true Eurostar style!

Check out our delightful digs first and then we'll boast some more about the fun we got up to alongside the tale of when we locked ourselves out of our apartment for a shockingly awful few hours with just 40 Euros to our name...







And let me introduce you to our furry friend who kept us company during our stay, Hugo! 




He was a very friendly fella but his inquisitive nature got us into a lot of bother one morning. He had a tendency to dart for freedom, bat out of hell style, whenever one of us opened the front door. After escaping on one occasion we decided we needed a plan to keep Hugo a house cat! It went like this... 


...Middle Mouse opens the apartment door whilst Chrissie picks Hugo up and walks him to the other side of the apartment. Chrissie places Hugo on the floor and runs as fast as her little legs can carry her, through the flat and out of the front door where Middle Mouse is waiting on the other side. The door is shut is super fast fashion and Hugo is safe once again...


This plan worked perfectly on every occasion bar one. It was Sunday morning and we decided we would head out to pick up some coffee and pastries from a nearby beaut of an establishment. I grabbed my phone and the joint kitty to buy the bits we needed, unlocked the front door and the Hugo system kicked into life. Cue Chrissie and her cat dropping off procedure. I ran out of the flat as always and waited for my friend. She came hurtling towards me, through the door which I sharply slammed behind her... 


'OH MY GOD' were the next words that came out of my mouth ... 'where are the keys were the second' followed by Chrissie saying 'you have them, you have them, are you serious, don't do this to me' - I will never forget the look on her face, a mix of pure panic and disappointment! Yep, I had only gone and left the keys in the other side of the door #facepalm


The next 4 hours went by in a haze and seriously tested mine and Chrissie's friendship but don't worry we came out stronger than ever! We got a few neighbours involved and a friendly French locksmith and after much deliberation and a few hundred Euros later the double doors to our palace were open once again for business. My love for Hugo had faded however and I will never be able to look at the below double doors without wanting to cry, scream and shout!



So when we weren't dealing with the naughty Hugo and kicking back like parisian princesses in our chic and shiny apartment we were mostly eating, boozing and exploring the streets of Paris. Check out our top picks below...


The original ECC in Paris has been on my hit list for some time now so I wasn't going to miss the chance to check it out during our flying visit. It didn't disappoint ... suitably secret with only a bronze plaque giving its presence away, cocktails to die for - the best rum sour of my life in fact - and achingly cool clientele. 




A hop, skip and a jump from our apartment meant we visited the lovely Buvette whenever possible! The night we arrived we grabbed a selection of sharing plates to satisfy our rumbling tummies - salted caramel chocs and champs alone didn't cut it - #firstworldproblems. It was also our go-to joint for a morning coffee fix and we went back again for a light bite before heading to the Eurostar home on the Sunday. I can't recommend it enough - the food is spot on, the staff are oh-so-charming and bloomin' handsome and the decor is beautifully done. 10/10. 







An absolute must for any fashion bunny about town or any darn bunny in my opinion because this hotel is a work of art. Everything is dressed up to the nines in the most lavish way possible from the catwalk entrance to the velvet furnishings to the courtyard of dreams AKA the hotel's centrepiece. The perfect spot for a glass of bubbles and a spot of people watching after a hard day's shopping...






A beautiful bar not far from our airbnb in Pigalle. It really was top notch in every way. Again you would walk straight past it if you didn't know it was there - look out for the hooded man tapping his phone outside! Once inside you won't be disappointed - the atmosphere is buzzy, the cocktails were super fancy and I just did not want to leave! If it weren't for us agreeing to explore different cocktail bars the next night I would have gone back in a flash...



Le Marais 


Wanding the sweet streets of Le Marais needs to be top of your list. Lots of charming shops, parisian fashion that is guaranteed to cripple your credit card and a coffee shop on every corner. If you're into falafel you need to check out Rue des Rosiers. I head there every time I visit the area and normally I'm loyal to the outlet, L'As du Fallafel but this time sadly it was closed so I cheated and went to King Falafel Palace instead which was just a delicious...





When you're done exploring the area you must head to Le Loir dans la Theiere, the most wonderful little cake and tea shop! I had read rave reviews on their lemon meringue creation and had seen many pictures on Instagram that suggested the slices dished out were bigger than your head! All the rumours are true, that's all i'm saying...








Canal St Martin

The perfect spot to relax with a carpet picnic and watch the world go by. We did just that...








The Tuileries Garden

This cuter than cute public garden not far from the Louvre is always the perfect place to forget all your worries and take stock of life. Chrissie and I treated ourselves to a fancy ice cream and headed there to soak up the last bit of Sunday sun before heading home. The perfect end to a perfect trip... 






Thanks for the memories Paris and Chrissie Cooper!


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