Photo taken by Photo Perfect Paris
Bonjour Bonjour!
Last month my husband and I ventured to Paris and Amsterdam to celebrate our first year wedding anniversary. Our flight from BWI to Iceland was six hours long and from Iceland to Paris our flight was about three and a half hours. We flew WOW Air which unfortunately wasn’t the best experience. They charge for everything! You would think that you could at least get a free cup of water while on a nine hour flight…..nope! Even in our XXL legroom seats we still felt cramped.
But nonetheless, our trip was amazing!
We stayed at Citadines Montmartre Paris, which was pretty cool. We had a kitchenette and the shower felt amazing. One down side was that our only form of air conditioning came from a desk fan and bay window. Apparently this is common in France, as most cars don’t have AC either. Lucky for us, the weather was comfortable.
Montmarte Citadines is within walking distance from the Moulin Rouge. In this area, the 18th arrondissement you can find a number of bars, restaurants, and weird sex shops lol. An experience to say the least lol. Our commute around town was very easy and convenient as we were 5 minutes away from the metro, Blanche stop, and Ubers were readily available.
On day one, after we checked into our room, the first thing on our “to-do” list was to take a NAP! We smashed our food from Quick (which is similar to a McDonalds) and then passed out! The six hour time difference and nine hour flight had our bodies super tired! When we woke, we walked the streets of the town, took pictures in front of the Moulin Rouge, and tried an authentic crepe! **If you ever go to Paris be sure to try a chicken, egg, cheese and mushroom crepe, with extra sauce….I don’t know what’s in the sauce lol but it’s pink and its gooooood*
On day two, my husband and I had a photoshoot with Photo Perfect Paris. Sophia, our photographer was amazing! We met in front of the Musee Guimet, along with Tom and Monique, creators of Discover Paris and walked to the Eiffel Tour. The two companies Discover Paris and Photo Perfect Paris offer a number of tours and activities to do while in Paris. Discover Paris is best known for their “Entree to Black Paris Tours”. These tours include, but are not limited to “Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden”, “Josephine Baker Tour in Le Vésinet”, and the “Black Paris Portraits”. Black Paris Portraits is a combo package with Photo Perfect Paris.
This package offers tourists a portrait session around the theme of African-American history in the French capital. While taking the scenic route around Paris, your photographer will accompany you, capturing memorable moments! Although we did not take a tour with Discover Paris, we did get to know a little more about the owners and what their mission is. So if you’re ever in Paris and truly want to learn more about our culture in France be sure to book with Discover Paris!
Following our photoshoot, and another nap, we hopped on a Big Bus Tour and went sightseeing. These hop on hop off bus tours are super convenient because you can hop off at famous attractions, take photos or tour the museum, and then wait for the next bus to arrive. Some sites along the route are the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Champs-Elysées to name a few. In all, there are 11 historical sites to see. We also toured the Lourve Museum and holla’d at Ole Mona Lisa. That museum is HUGE! So if you go be sure to set a couple hours aside and bring comfortable shoes.
For our actual anniversary celebration, we went on a late night champagne cruise along the Seine River. It was so calming and beautiful to see the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle at night. The cool breeze along with the breathtaking views were worth the panic attack that I had when I thought we missed the boat! haha We also ate dinner at Caratello Ristorante where we swirled and twirled our pasta, and sipped on some amazing red wine.
Overall, our four days in Paris were great! The architecture of Paris is beyond beautiful. The vintage stone buildings, the immaculate gold decor, and the captivating monuments were all breathtaking! We had no trouble getting around town (although those hills are a beast!) and the language barrier wasn't too complicated. We went there only knowing about five words and never got lost or treated unfairly. I always heard that the French were pretty rude to Americans, especially those who didn't know their language, however that was not the experience that we had. In a few years, I can definitely see myself traveling back to Europe and going back packing. There's so much to see and so many things to experience. Hell, I might stay over there for a month just to see everything........seriously lol.
Until next time....Au Revoir!
Click here to check out my Paris vlog