A Priceless Trip To Paris

Carys Reid-Davies
Sep 24, 2019
6 min read

Updated: Sep 25, 2019

Day 1

Paris, the city of romance, of baguettes and boulangeries, of fashion and style; a city, which above all, is renowned for its beauty. Other than a quick visit on the way home from a skiing holiday in the Alps, and a short stop off a couple years back when a University friend and I went to Disneyland, I'd never properly explored this famous metropolis. I was thrilled, therefore, when our close friends announced they would be taking me there on a road trip in the Summer as a 21st Birthday present.

ree — Taken in 2017 when I originally went with a Uni pal

A little bit of context may be needed here. There was to be six of us, my mum, dad and I, along with the other family who also had an only child a couple years older than me. We had driven all the way to the alps with them countless times, and so, we were used to long journeys together. All of us loved a road-trip; playing games and coming up with songs (most of which were not appropriate for a 7 year old me to be singing, but this family is beyond bonkers and so I obviously belted out all sorts).

ree — The famous Multipla in all its glory

Whether it was the wind screen wipers breaking in torrential rain, or almost hitting a badger at 5AM as we hurtled towards the Channel crossing, there was always some kind of hysterical drama. This trip was to be no different. The day before we were due to go we got a call to say their car was in the garage in desperate need of a part that may not arrive in time. As they have a six seater Multipla, the only way we'd all fit in was to go in their car. Uh oh! To cut a long story short, the part did arrive but later than our crossing time, so we just arrived a little behind schedule, but hey, it was all fun and games.

ree — French shutters and the morning light streaming into my room

We arrived at a fabulous Airbnb situated in Montmartre (credit to mum there), which was only a five minute walk from stunning Sacré-Cœur; the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. It is the second most visited monument in Paris (bet you can't guess the first!) and despite construction starting in 1875, it wasn't completed until 1914.

Having had a long drive, food was on everyone's agenda, so out we went to a gorgeous Parisian restaurant just down the road. After dinner and drinks, it was up the Sacré-Cœur to soak up the spectacular view of Paris by night. With lamps illuminating the whole of the city and a warm breeze dancing round my shoulders, I felt relieved that we had made it here. We walked down the cobbled streets that hid behind the monument and settled at a nice little bar with a live pianist and pints as large as your head (so French). Then it was a relaxed stroll back before hitting the hay.

Day 2

You can't go to Paris without having a croissant (or at least a pastry lover like myself can't!) so three of us went in search of a boulangerie and successfully found a quaint place called Raphaelle. With bread, pastries, jam, marmalade and fruit, we came back with an abundance of delicacies. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the feast and it set us up for a great day. We stumbled across a fabulous vintage shop called Brut which had khaki army jackets and quirky boots. We also found the funkiest shirt shop with everything from Pi to flamingo's on the clothes (who knew a shirt could be so cool)?

It was around this point that things got really exciting. We couldn't help but notice many people whizzing by on electric scooters, and the kid inside each one of us eventually gave in. We were on a hunt for six and soon enough we found them. We downloaded the app, scanned the barcode and BAM, we were off! They could go at one heck of a rate so we made some serious ground. First up was the Notre-Dame which unfortunately wasn't as impressive as it once previously was. With scaffolding around the majority of it, we moved quickly on but all regretted that this beautiful structure had endured such a brutal fire (I don't agree with how much money was pledged to re-build it though, it will never be the original and when we have children starving, raging wars and a serious issue with climate change, I think millionaire's money could be better spent).

Someone had the bright idea to go down by the Seine on our scooters so after lugging them down the steps, we juttered away on the most cobbled part of Paris. Feeling dizzy and disorientated, we decided to go back up to a smooth pavement but we weren't safe yet. As we passed the Louvre Museum and made our way to the Eiffel Tower, we somehow ended up negotiating a roundabout by the Fontaine des Mers, which was heaving with cars. Amongst these rapid vehicles we sped along, trying to dodge an accident. Somehow, we all made it (to this day I don't know how)! The Eiffel Tower really was stunning but by now we were hungry so it was time for crepes and beers (another typically French food that just had to be tried).

We had now disposed of our scooters and wandered back through the Tuileries Garden as we hadn't taken it in properly when we previously flew through. We had done a lot by now and we were a fair way out from Montmartre so we began heading towards a metro. On the way, we got wrapped up in a protest which was very interesting to observe but it began to disband as we moved closer.

Outside the metro was a tuk tuk type vehicle which, after some thought, we couldn't resist. All six of us piled in, connected our phones to the speaker on board, and blasted out music as we were taken through the streets of Paris. It was hilarious and a great way to travel back. We'd decided to cook tonight at the Airbnb as it was so lovely, so after supplies were picked up we put together a Tapas type meal which went down a treat with the wine and G&Ts we'd brought. We played our favourite board game (Ticket To Ride ... or the Train Game as we like to call it) and then drifted off into a well earned sleep.

Day 3

It was our last day but it felt liked we'd done so much. This morning we wanted to treat ourselves to a last breakfast out and oh my did we hit gold. The Hardware Société originated in Australia (so they have two in Melbourne if you're ever over that way) and is run by the loveliest Australian guy (not very French, I know, but the food we ate there would give a Michelin star chef a good run for their money)! The coffee was unbelievable, and the food melted in your mouth (my mum actually ended up having two breakfasts because it was that good)! With full bellies we took a last wander into the Sacré-Cœur (which really is breathtaking) and then hit the road.

The Hardware Société: https://hardwaresociete.com/

It wasn't long before we were driving through Boulogne-sur-Mer which we had plotted to visit when we initially arrived in France. Why, you're probably thinking. Who on earth would voluntarily leave Paris early in order to visit another French town? An aquarium enthusiast, that's who.

We had seen signs for the largest aquarium in Europe when we'd driven out the channel crossing two days ago and there was no way we were going to miss out on that. It really was fantastic, with everything from sharks to seals which played around in the sun, squawking at each other and demanding food. It was a wonderful way to finish up the trip but we still had a couple hours to kill yet.

Boulogne-sur-Mer is a beautiful area so we found a lovely little restaurant where every single one of us ordered mussels (they were delicious)! With the sea air filling our lungs, we gobbled up our final French meal before a quick stroll on the beach and then home.

I really loved the trip; the food, the drink, the sights, the accommodation, the scooters but most of all, the company. We had such a laugh and I really do think that can make or break a holiday. Paris is beautiful but it is a very large city and I still stand by Copenhagen and Budapest when it comes to my favourite. However, I am so glad I've finally visited such an iconic area and I will always remember this short break away very fondly.