To celebrate my milestone birthday which launched this website along with the announcement that my children’s book had gone into production stage (incase you missed the big announcement I turned 30 three weeks ago) Ricky surprised me with a holiday. On the day of my actual birthday I was told that we would be going away but I didn’t know where… all I knew was that I needed to pack my passport, a suitcase with warm layered clothing and that we would be going away when the school I work in was closed for the Christmas break. While the suspense has been almost unbearable for the last two weeks imagine my surprise when we got to Dublin Airport and I realised we are checking in to a flight going to Paris, France! Ricky has obviously been paying attention to me swooning over the idea of another trip to Paris – especially at Christmas time. I have been once before back in 2016 but it was a day trip to Paris from a five day trip to Disneyland and there was still so much I wanted to see and do. Only this time I wanted to do all of those things with Ricky by my side. We didn’t have much time to plan so as soon as we got checked in and cleared airport security we started to organise our daily itinerary and tick off all of the things we wanted to do on this trip. I know Paris is highly romanticised – it is the topic of an endless choice of songs and tales and features as the backdrop in so many movies and TV shows – but this visit was beyond my wildest dreams and I want to share with all of you lovely people reading this the reason(s) why… because there is so many to choose from. My only regret was not knowing we were going and having time to perfect my French using Duolingo!
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Bienvenue à Paris
@noelsmithstories On Boxing Day we flew from ☘️ Dublin Airport to Paris 🇫🇷🥂✈️ #travel #traveltiktok #travellife #traveltok #traveling #travelbucketlist #travelvlog #traveldiaries #travelling #Paris #France #Dublin #Belfast #fyp #frypシ #LeRecrutement #lerecrutementcafe #aerlingus ♬ Paris – Else
We began our journey on Boxing Day with a 2:00AM drive from Belfast to Dublin Airport – which takes roughly 90 minutes. We pre-booked one of the multiple short stay car parks and checked in at the airport with no issues or delays. Before we knew it the 06:15 AM Aer Lingus flight EI520 to Paris Charles de Gaulle was boarding and as usual the crew went above and beyond and delivered an outstanding service. Our hotel was the fantastic five star Hôtel Paris Bastille Boutet – MGallery (22 24 Rue Faidherbe, 75011 Paris) which is located in the 11th and only a short walk to Metro stations to access lines 1 & 8. The fantastic staff working at reception upgraded our room to include a balcony and offered us early check in where we were able to set our bags down and catch up on some much needed sleep before taking in all that Paris has to offer. The hotel also has a fantastic spa and indoor pool.
Arc De Triomphe
The Arc De Triomphe de l’Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris and stands 164 ft above the Champs-Élysées on the western end. The étoile or star is formed by the twelve avenues radiating from the monument and if you are brave enough to look down at the road the traffic can get pretty complicated. Opened in 1836 the Arc De Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its surface. Under the vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Solider which has had an eternal flame since its addition to the monument in 1920. To get to the top of the monument there is 284 steps but trust me it is well worth the cardio workout. The views it has to offer of Paris are incredible.
@noelsmithstories 📍Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile 🇫🇷 Paris, France #Paris #arcdetriomphe #architecture #architect #parisian #parisianstyle #travel #traveltiktok #travellife #traveltok #traveltips #traveling #travelbucketlist #travelvlog #fyp #fypシ #taylorswift #taylornation #taylorswifttok #taylorsversion #midnightstaylorswift ♬ Paris – Taylor Swift
Musée du Louvre
@noelsmithstories 🇫🇷 Musée du Louvre 🇬🇧 Louvre Museum 🖼️ The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch, The Winged Victory of Samothrace #louvre #louvremuseum #museedelouvre #muséedelouvre #paris #monalisa #monalisaart #monalisasmile #leonardodavinci #venusdemilo #art #artgallery #artwork #fyp #fypシ #parisianstyle #travelvlog #travel #traveltiktok #traveltok #travellife ♬ yes, and? – Ariana Grande
The Louvre Museum (or if you want to start practicing your French now Musée du Louvre) is a national art museum famed for it’s glass pyramid that is in the main courtyard and is the main entrance to the museum since it’s completion in 1989. The Louvre is home to some of the most famous art pieces and sculptures including Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Psyche Revived, Liberty Leading The People, The Raft of the Medusa, The Coronation of Napoleon, Michelangelo Rebellious Slave and approximately 500,000 other objects and 35,000 works of art. Louvre Palace was formerly used intermittently as a royal residence between the 14th and 18th centuries before Louis XIV chose The Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection.
Palace of Versailles
The Château de Versailles is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV and is located 12 miles west of Paris. As previously mentioned Louvre Palace was formerly used intermittently as a royal residence between the 14th and 18th centuries before Louis XIV chose The Palace of Versailles for his household. In 1682 Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. In 1789 the royal family and capital of France returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted. The palace and surrounding gardens were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for its importance as the centre of power, art, and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries.
@noelsmithstories ⛲️ Palace of Versailles 🇫🇷 #Versailles #versaillespalace #palaceofversailles #chateaudeversailles #versaillesfashion #versaillesrun #versaillesnobara #Paris #parisianstyle #parisian #parisfashionweek #travel #traveltiktok #travellife #traveltok #travelvlog #fyp #fypシ #saltburn #saltburnmovie #murderonthedancefoor #sophieellisbextor ♬ Murder On The Dancefloor – Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Eiffel Tower
@noelsmithstories When your best friends asks you to marry him 💍 the second floor of the Eiffel Tower for breath taking views of Paris 🇫🇷 #Paris #EiffelTower #TourEiffel #eiffeltowerparis #eiffeltoweratnight #eiffeltowerview #eiffeltowersparkle #toureiffelparis #engagement #engaged #engagementring #engagementday #fyp #fypシ #love #lover ♬ All of Me – John Legend
When we were sat in Dublin airport waiting to board our flight we booked the Eiffel Tower online to visit on Wednesday 27 December – however when we arrived on the evening we were informed the monument was closed due to strike action. We had no prior notice or warning and were slightly stunned when we first arrived. The next day we received an email with a full refund and advised to purchase tickets at the tower on another day which we saved for our last night in Paris… and it special! After an hour long wait to get the elevator up to the second floor of the tower we made it up by 10:00PM to catch the famous light show. We received a glass of champagne and overlooking the breath taking views 377 ft above Paris with a glass of champagne in hand my best friend asked me to marry him.
Happy New Year to you and those nearest and dearest.
I hope this year is full of good health and your wishes come true.
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