Travel Photography: Paris (March 2015)
Springtime in Paris
My first time in Paris was 10 years ago on a work day out! We got the flight out at 6am and on a flight back home the same day at 10pm… this was also my first travel experience with a camera, my good old panasonic film SLR and though i have some results i am proud of i can’t really remember much about Paris other than it raining… a lot.
So when Elaine threw a hit that she would like to go for her 30th i was scouring the internet for flights before she had even finished her suggestion.
Now i love Elaine to pieces and was all for the Paris trip but the added bonus of Euro Disney… no thank you, i apologise now but the thought makes me shiver inside….
So! 3 days in Paris it is for Pam, George and I while Elaine and Katie added Euro Disney too.
After the huuuuge maze that is Paris airport we hopped onto the train to the city, a simple change at Chatelet Station (or Chat Le Hell as we came to know it) then onto another metro and we would be there… simple! Kind of wish someone had warned us how big Chatelet was though… especially with every sign in the whole station saying ‘only 8 mins away’… how many more 8 mins to go?
Once we had checked into our rooms quick change and we headed out, first stopping by the Notre Dame which was just around the corner from our hotel then over to the Sacre Coeur… now i am certain i have not made this up, i read people flock to the Sacre Coeur for sunset. Well… the sunset alright but it was around the side behind another building that was cordoned off. The girls had great pleasure in laughing at me when i thought we would be sat in front of the basilica watching a beautiful sunset in front of us… so i was disappointed indeed. We decided to make up for this by going inside the basilica… until we saw the sign that said no photos or noise…. HA! as if either of those wouldn’t happen… time for a new plan!
Here’s everyone flocking… to not watch a sunset….
But it is a blooming brilliant view from up here… so we will let Paris off for this one…
With Paris being the weekend after Rome Pam and i were still all hyped up on how successful the early morning photography trips had been in Rome, so the mission was on again.
Pam was totally up for it, George, Elaine and Katie had been to see the sites before and thought i was mental. Then curiosity sprung George out of bed with us at 6am on Sunday morning ready to conquer the sites…. first stop a strong large black coffee for George!
With the help of Pam’s ifit band we worked out we had walked 7 miles before breakfast. So we hot footed it back to our hotel before inhaling as much cheese and bread as humanly possible.
Pont des art, also known as the bridge with the original love locks has now been replaced by graffiti in a bid to stop the locks being the main thing Paris is known for… i blooming love graffiti…
Once we had digested all the cheese and bread in the hotel we had a quick spruce up before hitting the metro to meet up with Elaine and Katie at the Eiffel Tower.
After a few more much needed jumping photos we got ourselves into the queue to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower… before you get in this queue on the hottest day of the year so far – my advise to my future self… get a drink!
The wait was well worth it and allowed us to have stunning views over the city on a gorgeous day but as an added bonus meant we were also up at the top in time for sunset. A very lucky moment.
Pam’s glass bottom photo was a must…
And a chance to get back down to the bottom in time for the sparkly light show (this happens for 5 minutes on the hour every hour after dark – until 2am)
And on the way back we hopped off the metro at the Notre Dame to see this illuminated beautifully too.
One last photo to tick off the list was the Arc De Triomphe… our little legs did us proud on the walk up and i managed to capture the photo i have always wanted.
Now it is a good job we did do all this walking as this weekend was meals sponsored by carbs… there was no getting around it, it was carb heaven… even when we tried to avoid carbs by ordering french onion soup… it came with cheese on toast dunked in the bowl.. Paris we love you and your carbs!
French onion soup…
Many a croque monsieur…
and croque madame
No European trip would be complete without a trip to H&M so off we popped on our last afternoon in Paris, right next-door was galeries lafayette – a beauuuutiful department store which is definitely worth a visit, the interior is stunning and the views from the rooftop take your breath away. (It is free to go to the top of the store)
You can also view my vlog, for a recap of our weekend too.
Paris went way over my expectations and i would love to go back, firstly to go to the top of the Notre Dame to see the views but also just to mooch the streets, relax and drink wine, and spend more time on Île Saint-Louis too.
If you have any tips on anything to see, do or photograph in Paris please leave a comment below, your recommendations will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Emma