City of Light

After our amazing time in Paris Disney, we were excited to explore the City of Light. We had a list of recommended restaurants that were close to our hotel, The Westin Paris, one of which was famous for having the best hot chocolate in Paris, we decided to try there first for breakfast.

Angelina was founded in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antione Rumpelmayer and named after his daughter-in-law Angelina. This charming eatery has been the favorite meeting place of Parisian aristocrats for over a century, including Coco Chanel and Proust. The decor, designed by famous Belle Epoque architect Edouard-Jean Niermans, offers a distinct blend of elegance, charm and refinement.

Mom and I got Croquet Monsieurs, and oh my goodness it was one of the best things I have ever tasted in my entire life. Every single bite was like a celebration in my mouth. It was so warm and buttery and melty cheesy, just everything that I love all in one sandwich. 

Dad went light and got an order of their famous hot chocolate and a fancy raspberry pastry. He was nice and let me have a sip of his decadent drinking chocolate, it tasted like melted candy bars, but not nasty, cheap chocolate bars, like super high quality, delicious chocolate bars.

I saw a picture of this raspberry macaroon masterpiece on the menu and knew I had to have one. To this day, I have dreams of this creation. The macaroon was so soft and chewy and flavorful, which is hard to find in macaroons, and it was filled with real raspberries and pistachio cream. I wish I had taken my slr out to take pictures of this food, cause these blurry phone pics just ain't doing them justice.

Then dad and I set out to visit and take pictures of the most well known landmarks in Paris, it was a busy day. Mom chose to relax and enjoy our gorgeous hotel and the wonderful views we had from our balconies off our rooms. The last two times I was in Paris, I wasn't into photography yet, thus I didn't have any pictures of the places I had visited, so I was excited for the opportunity to document our fun adventures this time! 

First up was the Arc De Triomphe. My dad hadn't ever climbed to the top before, so I was excited for him to see the amazing view you get from atop the arc. It was some sort of Parisian holiday, so access to all museums and landmarks was free that day! 

We climbed up the extremely narrow, spiral staircase with the rest of Paris, it was super busy since it was see-Paris-for-free day, but it was a fun atmosphere to be a part of. My dad counted how many stairs we climbed, I think it was somewhere in the 200's

And here it is, the stunning view of the entire city of Paris from the top of the Arc De Triomph!

Next stop was the one and only, Eiffel Tower! There really is nothing like standing in front of this well known, beautiful work of art. Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.91 million people ascended it in 2015.

Then it was back down to the subway to travel to one of my favorite spots in Paris, Notre Dame. While the church is gorgeous, the reason I love this part of Paris so much are the stalls that line the river, full of old books and prints for sale. They are so charming and I always manage to find a treasured keepsake, last time I bought four small etchings of different Parisian landmarks that now hang in my home. This time around, I found a hardback copy of a compilation of Jules Vern stories in french. The cover was gorgeous and I just knew it would be the perfect birthday present for my sister Bethy who adores Jules Vern.

While we were in the area, I thought it would be fun to visit Lovers Bridge. I had heard so much about this bridge, but had never had the chance to see it in person. It's incredible! It was so fun to walk along the bridge and look at all the sweet locks that had messages of love and represented cute couples.

Plus, you can't beat the view of Notre Dame from the bridge.

That night we dined at an adorable french bistro just a short walk away from our hotel. We were the only ones in the restaurant since we are Americans and eat dinner quite a few hours earlier than most European people do, so we had the entire staff serving us, and they were super fun.

They didn't have any Coke or Pepsi products, the only soda they had was Paris Cola, so obviously we had to get some to try. The bottles were super cute but it kind of tasted like coke with a weird twist to it.

To end our first full day in Paris on a sweet note, we all got chocolate covered cream puffs for dessert then walked home to our luxurious hotel for a good nights sleep.