A little over a month ago, Sam and I decided to take a last minute trip to Europe. Sam was about to start a new job and was off for a week, and we all know how I like to take advantage of time off. So I proposed a trip to London and Paris, two cities Sam hadn't been to before. I had gone right after I graduated with my mom and knew how easy it was to travel by train between the two cities. So, I booked! And we even ended up having a surprise guest for the first part of our trip.
4 Days in London
We landed at Heathrow early on Saturday morning and made our way to the hotel via a very expensive ($100+) taxi ride. In general, we found taxi's to be very expensive because the rates are based on time spent, and the roads are quite jammed most of the time. Our hotel, The Standard, was right by Kings Cross Station. Sam booked it through his Amex card since you get $200 off a hotel stay once a year (as long as it's in a certain collection). The hotel was quite comfortable and reminded me of a spaceship.
The breakfasts each day were an excellent buffet in the cozy 'library' area of the main level.
Here are some highlights from our time in London...
Ate at:
- Honey & Smoke Grill House - this place was found shortly after realizing most places aren't open between 2pm and 4pm. This one came highly rated on Google, and I greatly enjoyed it.
- Darjeeling Express - this was in a really fun food court area. The food was good, although not what we typically get at our local Indian restaurant.
Explored Regent's Park - we spent about an hour walking around the gardens and exploring the park. I also ran here one day and it was an excellent place to get some miles in.
Saw Tower of London - we just walked by this area and didn't actually go in. I had gone previously with my mom. It is certainly something to do while in London.
Hopped on and hopped off the Big Bus tour - did I mention Mazz joined us? Yes! We explored many areas of the city thanks to this method of transport.
Attended mass at Westminster Abbey - this was one I hadn't thought to do previously. But since it was a Sunday we couldn't get in otherwise. So we sat through about an hour long mass and then Mazz showed me where all the royals sit during events.
Went to Bath, Windsor Castle, and Stonehenge - we did one of those bus tours, which was fine. I would have much rather found a smaller transport method, but couldn't seem to find any. Either way, I LOVED Stonehenge. I wasn't expecting to like it so much but thoroughly did, and we had a beautiful day for it.
Got smart at some museums - I'm not a big museum goer, but absolutely love the museum buildings. We went to the British Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum. All of which were free!
Took the chunnel over to Paris - it's basically like taking a plane but a lot less stressful. They check your passport and you go into a waiting area before your track # is called. Then you jump into your assigned seat and are off! It only takes about 2.5 hours.
4 Days in Paris
We took a much shorter taxi ride to our hotel in Paris, New Hotel Roblin.
I had booked this through hotels.com because I had reward dollars to spend from past trips. I really enjoyed the hotel and the location was good for solid walks to many major tourist areas. There was no breakfast with this hotel, but we figured we're in the patisserie capital of the world and would have no problems finding breakfast. Here are some highlights from our time in Paris...
Climbed the Eiffel Tower - oh how I LOVE the Eiffel Tower. I find it to be so cool, and this time I even climbed up the many stairs to go to the second level. I personally like the views looking at the tower versus the ones from it, but still cool regardless.
Went to the Louvre - yet another museum for me to meander through. Again, not a big museum-goer, but you juts have to when you're in Paris. I saw the Mona Lisa for the second time, and was yet again surprised at its smallness and huge popularity.
Saw the tombs at the Pantheon - I hadn't done this previously so figured why not. We paid our entrance fee and walked around the main floor for a while. Then we went down into the tombs where many famous folks are buried.
Biked around Versailles - We spent a few hours exploring Versailles on a guided tour, and then on our own in the gardens. We decided to rent bikes and explored even more - and that was extremely fun. The day was beautiful and there is plenty to see all along the grounds.
Explored Shakespeare & Co - we went to a few book shops while walking around, but this one was hands down the coolest.
Walked/Ran/Biked for hours - to see Notre Dame (still under construction) and Arc de Triomphe. There is so much to see in Paris, and it is all within a few miles so walking is my preferred method. Though we did end up getting electric bikes to zoom home one night, which was a lot of fun.
Took a night river boat tour - This was about an hour long and was a bit hectic. However, it gave us a great viewing of all the sites along the river, including my favorite (I'm sure you can guess).
Ate at:
- Mado a Paris - don't get me wrong, these little bread things were extremely overpriced. But we were looking for some coffee and this shop was adorable.
- Milagro - This was right by the Eiffel Tower and had some delicious items on the menu. I'd definitely go back here.
- Francette - we ended up getting a whole bunch of appetizers here while enjoyed the STUNNING view of the Eiffel Tower.
- L'Acanthe - we really liked this place. We ate outside and found the food to be fantastic.
I had forgotten how much I absolutely love Paris. The Eiffel Tower is just the coolest. Our time in Europe was so much fun and we really made the most out of it. I'm sure we will be back very soon for another European holiday!
Movie stars!! 🤩
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