i'm doing a thing this may that i've never done before, but something that lots of londoners do all the time. i am jumping on the eurostar for a day trip to paris. i've been to paris before - a couple of times, actually, but never just for the day, and never just with the intention to eat cheese, drink wine, and bathe in the utter frenchness of it it. for me, that'll be a first. and, the more i think about this long overdue trip to paris, the more annoyed i am that i didn't plan it as a long weekend.. mainly because i'm not going to have the chance to do some of the things i love doing - or haven't yet done in paris, like..
golden versaille palace
this one's been on my list for such a long time, but every time i go to paris, i can't seem to find the time for the three hour versaille palace and garden tour. it's just outside the city, and deserves a chunk of time - time i've not been able to give! everyone i know has been - including my mum - but somehow that one day-trip still evades me. i think, now that i have gone full-blown plant lady, i'll definitely have to make another trip back, with enough time to get into see beautifully manicured and seriously large gardens for myself. that, and obviously take a billion selfies in the hall of mirrors, because if you can't be extra in paris, when can you?
taking in notre dame and sacre coeur
these are some of my favourite churches in the world, and ones i love visiting whenever i get the chance. with only about five hours on the ground in paris when we visit in may, i don't really think that these two gothic buildings are going to be on the agenda; pretty sad indeed as they are both stunning buildings - if you've been, you'll know, if you haven't, well let's just say they're both breathtaking structures. the gargoyles that stare down from high atop the notre dame (i've also still never climbed all the way to the top) are both terrifying and incredible, as are the armed guards that patrol the area outside sacre coeur. perhaps a tad extreme, but what do i know about the necessity of military presence..?
visiting the catacombs
this is something i've put off time and time again, because if faced with the options above, or any of the other billion amazing things to do in paris, seeing the biggest graveyard in the world is super low on the list. but, i'm told it is one of the most incredible experiences, so taking a tour around it is something that stays on the list for now.. i'll just have to talk myself into that one on the day, i think, because an underground cemetery of more than six million bodies doesn't quite have the same pulling power as some of the other attractions, like:
disneyland paris
no trip to paris is complete without a day at disneyland, is it. and i guess because my last trip to disney was a bit.. weird.. i kind of want to have a re-do and have a "real" disney experience. i know purists will poo-poo the idea that even paris' disney park is "real", but it's got to be realer than tokyo's disney sea, of that i am sure! the last time i was at disneyland paris was when i first moved to the uk - almost eight years ago, and it was cold and wet and i was broke and miserable, so i'd obviously like to go back again soon; sadly, this trip won't leave us enough time, so a whole weekend dedicated to the things we will miss in may is definitely needed!
*this post was written in collaboration with the paris guy, who offer "jump the queue" day tours to some of paris' top attractions.
all words are mine, and all images were sourced via unsplash.com, and used with permission.
