A Study in…Paris

In March of 2014, I was lucky enough to take off on my first trip to Europe. I spent 7 days in London and 3 days in Paris.  When we were planning the trip, I knew Paris would be beautiful, but I kind of thought it would be a quick 3 days to do some shopping and head back to London.

I could not have anticipated how much I would fall in love with this city in just 3 short days.

We arrived in the city in the early evening, stopped by the hotel to drop off our bags and hurried out to catch up with a friend. After our Parisian dinner of red wine and cheese, it was getting close to 10 PM. We made a snap decision to dash off to the Eiffel Tower so we could see the lights flashing on the hour. We made it just in time for one of the most memorable experiences I will ever have.

Ah, that’s better.

We stayed at the Westin Vendôme just off Place Vendôme. We were just a few streets away from the Louvre, a short walk from the Champs-Élysées, and right behind our hotel was the holy land of Chanel at 31 rue Cambon.

Our first day in Paris was spent doing nothing but shopping. Which was basically a dream come true. Shopping in Paris is one million percent better than shopping anywhere else. Everyone was speaking French to me, so I just said Bonjour and smiled a lot. They happily accepted my credit cards.

The one most important purchase I had to make was a gorgeous pin from Chanel. My mom, sister, and I have a bit of a Coble girl tradition of getting a Chanel treat when we are in New York together. Obviously, this has added up to be a somewhat expensive habit. We usually get a pin because they are timeless and you can wear them with just about anything. It’s just a really special thing between the three of us. So I knew I had to bring back a Paris Chanel treat.

Usually at the Chanel store in New York at 5th and 57th, they have about 1 tray of 10 or so pins. At the rue Cambon store, they brought out 2 full trays of about 30 different pins. I knew I had to get something we’d never see in the States. I immediately picked this classic bow pin because it was just gorgeous and I couldn’t imagine a better way to remember Paris.

Having spent my entire Paris shopping fund on Chanel treats, we decided to take a dinner cruise along the Seine on the Bateaux Mouches. It sounds kind of cheesy and tourist-like, but seriously if you aren’t willing to play tourist, you’ll miss out on some pretty cool experiences. The Bateaux Mouches was so much fun and a great way to get to see the highlights of Paris since we were only there for such a short time. Fair warning, lots of people in love on this boat.

I know her!

The cruise ends just in time to see the Eiffel Tower light up on the hour!

Our last day in Paris was spent just wandering the city taking in the sights. We were headed back to London on a late train, so we had the whole day to explore the city.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, without one cloud in the sky. We started by walking to the Louvre.

#TOURIST

The best part about Paris, is that it seems like everywhere you turn, you can see the Eiffel Tower.

After the Louvre, we walked down toward the Tuileries Garden. It was just on the verge of spring, so it wasn’t as green and lush as it is in the spring and summer, but it was still gorgeous.

Oooook.

There were cats on leashes.

And people in love strolling along.

From there, we kept walking down toward the Champs-Élysées.

I’m going to need these doors when I buy a house. Also cropped out of the bottom of this picture is a tour group of about 50 segways. I can not even make that up.

We walked by the studio for Saint Laurent and some girl was just walking in like no big deal I just work here. I have never felt so much envy.

We walked back over towards the Eiffel Tower to see it during the day.

Snackies!

I turned around and saw this little car which provides tours around Paris. So cute!

We decided to stop for one last wine before heading to the train station. And maybe a Nutella crepe…

The cafe we found just happened to have this view. Like seriously, how do people even get to live here?

Paris was one of the best adventures of my life. I absolutely fell in love with the city from the moment we got there. I can’t wait to get back and feel so jealous of all the people who get to call this beautiful city home.