TRAVEL // Paris, je t'aime

Paris is a love affair that will last a lifetime. I could never get bored of hopping on the Eurostar and then about 2 hours later, stepping off the train hearing that all familiar bah-bah-bah-bah sound announcing arrivals / departures at Gare du Nord. 

At silly o’clock in the morning, I boarded the Eurostar equipped with a French inspired breakfast and a very apt book

Arrived at the hotel in Paris expecting a bog standard room (which in Paris is usually tiny and like living in a broom cupboard) but was pleasantly surprised by an unexpected upgrade to an Executive room.

All excitable, I skipped down the (very pretty) corridors in search of the room.

Nothing could have prepared me for this. I was speechless.

Every last detail was beautiful.

Ever since losing my single bed at home and gaining a double, I can only sleep in doubles now – they’re just so comfy!

Bathroom was a little weird though. There was a blind so anyone in the bedroom could look in at you showering ~kinky~ … and oddly enough, the blind couldn’t be controlled by the person showering – full control went to whoever was in the room.

Thierry Mugler shower goodies!

The Executive key card also gave you exclusive access to the roof. Coming out of the lift, I could already see the Eiffel Tower

There were amazing views of Paris

Notre Dame - only a stones throw away!

Then time for a well deserved 3 course lunch. Warm goats cheese salad to start.

Followed by red wine (cheaper than soft drinks - no joke!) and one of the best beef bourguignons I’ve ever had in my entire life

With mousse au chocolat to finish

Feeling very full, it was then time to start finding some Christmas markets

One was even pumping out real ice / snow!

And you could hire shoes to go walking on it!

One stall was selling the cutest jewellery

I loved the patterns on their bracelets

Then moved on to the Champs-Elysees

Which had massive woks of food

And very pretty lights that I may have to track down and buy next year!

Back in the room, Thierry Mugler pampered me and I made full use of the freebies

The next morning, ventured on to admire Notre Dame’s architecture

Then went in search of a third Christmas market

Here, the cognac and liquors stall caught my eye. After some cheeking tastings, I bought two bottles of liquor - one biscuit and the other chocolate flavoured 

Feeling quite tipsy and in need of sobering up, had a lovely Corsican inspired hot sandwich with chicken and lots of peppers

The speciality Christmas decorations stores in Paris were amazing

I could have spent hours there

Time was running out, so I visited the Louvre

Alas, then it was time to head back to the Eurostar and check in. So that was my trip to Paris in a nutshell. I can’t wait to go back... à bientôt Paris!

A British girl in Paris: Part trois

On your final day in Paris, you have to make it count. Go big or go home. Which inevitably you'll be doing at some point anyway... but no need to think about going just home yet...

When faced with less than 24 hours in Paris, one of my musts is Versailles. I didn't think I could love a place more than the Louvre, but oh how I was wrong. I first visited Versailles in 2008 / 2009 back when I actually lived in France. And it just took my breath away. So much opulence, so much extravagance, and gardens that seem to go on forever.

To make the most of a day pass, we went there early (ish). En route we stopped at Laduree to pick up some macarons, in case we ran out of time later. Turns out they have a Laduree shop at Versailles... but at least we know for next time!

 Right from the front gates of Versailles, everything is magnificent. Versailles is oh so beautiful.

My favourite room is the la galeries de Glaces (Halls of Mirrors). The way light catches in there is just beautiful.

I purposely haven't included many photos of the Palais interior because I wanted to keep it a surprise for those of you who haven't been before. For me personally, part of the magic of Versailles is the surprise and wonder you get when you are stood inside a room and see first-hand the amount of detail, craft and love that went into it's design and upkeep. After pretty much a whole day there, we bid Versailles farewell and made our way back to the station, macarons in tow.

However... the station was closed. All services from Versailles to Paris were suspended, and our Eurostar from Gare du Nord was due to leave in a few hours time. "Panic" is an understatement. Never have I felt so stressed. We were instructed to walk roughly in that direction to another station which may be able to get us back into town. It was stress that no one needs on their last day of holiday. We'd been up early that day and hadn't eaten yet, so we were tired, hungry and irritable. En route we managed to find a patisserie and grabbed cakes to have on the train. This other station was supposedly just down the road. The French's version of "just down the road" is very different to ours. We were walking for ages - in a town that neither of us were familiar with - with no helpful street signs pointing out where this so-called gare should be. As luck would have it, we did find it. But lots of train services were cancelled. I understand French well, but I couldn't make sense of the departure boards and which of the few trains that were still running were suited to us. Luckily there was a ticket office open, and even better still, the chap there spoke excellent English. When time isn't on your side, you want everything to be crystal clear - so English at this point was great. Thankfully we managed to find another train that went to Paris. It arrived in the South of town and although it wasn't where we wanted to be, we were in Paris and that was relief enough. It only took a few minutes by Metro to get to Gare du Nord. Cake tastes extra good when a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

We even had time to spare so I managed to get some souvenirs for my family, and some madeleines for work. We stopped for dinner at Buffalo Grill which is just opposite Gare du Nord. As we hadn't had a proper meal all day, we opted for a meat feast sharing platter which did the job.

After that, we hopped straight onto the Eurostar - the last crossing of the day.

And that concludes my Paris posts. I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have writing them. It's truly amazing to travel the world, experience different cultures, and write about them.

Gran Canaria in pictures

The Canary Islands aren't somewhere you can just visit once. When I first booked a holiday to Tenerife a few years ago, I didn't expect that I'd love it so much that I'd be promptly returning 12 months later. The same with Gran Canaria. Last year I found the hotel of hotels and was blown away. If you want sun, good food, the mother of all tanning opportunities and cocktails, the Canary Islands are definitely for you.

The hotel we've stayed in for the last couple of years is quite idiosyncratic from all other hotels in the area because of its African theme. With animal figurines in the grounds, members of staff in safari style outfits, and a Rainforest Cafe-esque soundtrack when walking through the front entrance, you feel like you're on safari.

A short walk down the road and you will find a couple of supermarkets for food staples, luxury boutiques such as Lacoste, and the beach. If after Spanish brands like Mango and Zara, Las Palmas further north of the island is your best bet and is only a 30-40 minute drive away. If you follow the coast round, you will pass several beaches: one rocky - typical of the Canary Islands! - and others with sand imported from the Mediterranean (apparently). Playa de Ingles has the most packed beach and is a tourist hot spot. If you're after buzzing night life, Playa de Ingles may be more for you. If you can be bothered, walk on the beach further past Playa de Ingles and you will see the sand dunes. Things of beauty, but bloody hot to climb.

The beach along this part is much quieter - people are too lazy to walk that far! - and makes for far nicer photos.

Be wary though: when you walk further along you'll hit the nudist section. If you're a bit funny with nudity, maybe avoid this bit! I am not a prude, but seeing a - very naked - old man bend over to get something from a cool bag has scarred me for life...

Our walks on the beach was an afternoon thing to walk off lunch where we indulged in local breads, meats and olives.

Some mornings we chilled by the pool. And by "the pool" I mean "a pool" - our hotel had 7 of them(!) As nice as it is to sit, burn a bright shade of red, read and swim, I get fidgety and it's not something I can do all day long. Especially when you see the British couple next to you who have developed a tan which can only be described as "tangerine". A prime example of too much time in the sun.

When it's that hot, ice cream is a necessity. As soon as we saw that temperature gauge hit 31 degrees, we'd look at each other and not have to say a word. ICE CREAM O'CLOCK.

Only in Gran Canaria can you see Ice Age in sweltering heat!

We'd tried some excursions last year, but weren't impressed with any of them and felt they were a bit of a rip off. 50 euros to go shopping in Las Palmas? Erm, no. One benefit of going on an excursion to Las Palmas last year was that we stumbled across a museum which wasn't on the itinerary - so we made a mental note of it. Taxi's to Las Palmas were extortionate - about 60 euros - whereas a bus would only cost 6 euros. Our holiday rep was a bit useless when it came to knowledge of the local area / transport, so somehow with my VERY limited Spanish, we managed to get to Las Palmas and back in one piece! The museum Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnologia was only 5 euros and was a lot like the Science Museum in London as there was a lot of interaction and activities like the launch pad bit. My favourites had to be the green screen and the biology section:

We mainly ate at the hotel, but did treat ourselves to tapas on a couple of occasions:

The resort had everything you could ever want - entertainment, food and cocktails - so there was no reason to go anywhere else in the evenings

I miss our comfy bed and the massive floor space our room covered (something you'll never get in Europe!)

Oh Gran Canaria, I miss you.