Paris may be the city of love and one of the most romantic places in the world but today I’ve been having a little romance with the city itself. It turns out I LOVE PARIS. I love the French architecture, its unique museum, the French dessert, the people of France and most importantly with the vibe the city has to offer. When I was a little girl, the Eiffel Tower is among the places I always wanted to visit, and I remember telling my mother that someday when I am in Paris, I will take a stroll through the city and see the sparkling lights of Eiffel Tower and drink a cup of coffee under the Paris Bridge. And today, it became a reality and the feeling seems surreal. It was like a historical moment for me in my life – being in P-A-R-I-S!

I am on a European gateway for the month. I started my trip from Germany and took a road trip because I wanted to see more and, … road trips are more adventurous and financially reasonable for me (watch my Youtube channel to see my experience too France).

Traveling through the German cities and highway had shown me how beautiful the suburbs of European countries are and one could realize the transitions between these 2 countries almost immediately. The signboard was different, the language, coffee, pastries and sense of fashion is almost the real ‘Parisian‘ show stopper.

My Journey

I wanted to be in Paris like immediately! Throughout my journey, I was reliving my childhood wishes and imagining the Eiffel Tower. The trip started off in Germany (we took a road trip) and it was about 7 to 8 hours away however we did take breaks in between to rest and before continuing our journey. I must admit though, the Europeans have a scenic countryside and they are rich in agriculture and reserved nature. Throughout my journey, the countryside is mind-blowing and brings so much peace to the heart. Pretty much the weather throughout our travel seem sunny from Germany and it started off drizzling while we were approaching France. The travel seemed worthwhile. Even though it was a rather long drive, it was totally worth the effort.

Arrived in Paris!

We checked into the hotel late evening and parked our car in the basement of the hotel and left out to grab dinner as it was almost dark and cold. We walked this time as the hotel we lived in and the city was just 10 mins away. I really wanted to have something warm and soupy for the rainy weather so we ended up to a Chinese restaurant and, it was relieving my Asian soul (watch my Youtube channel and check out the details).

The first Parisian Morning

On the first morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel (it’s complimentary) and brought out the map from the lobby and sat down to understand the city’s route and subways so we will have no problem getting lost because we didn’t have any internet nor roaming.

We set our path for 3 locations: Notre Dame, Musee D’Orsay, Eiffel Tower (we saved the best for the last).

It was indeed a cold rainy winter morning, the wind never fails to amaze me so we had quite a pit stop to Caffe houses just to wait for the rain to stop. The first stop was to Notre Dame & can I just stop and tell you the marvel of this beauty? It’s insanely gorgeous! Insane. We went in and learned about the history of the building and headed to the Notre Dame cafe house right opposite the building to grab a quick coffee and use the WiFi to confirm back on the routes.

Next, Musee D’Orsay

On our first day, the first stop was the most iconic piece of Paris, the Eiffel Tower. The iconic landmark was quite a distance from my hotel, but it’s worth the walk because I get to see the streets of Paris and technically speaking that’s the whole idea of visiting Paris! From my hotel, I obtained some information from the maps leaflet on the shelve and begun mapping out my day-walking trip and oh boy it was so much more helpful to know there is inter-city train that goes to the places I wanted to visit. This made my day even easier.

The season I arrived in Europe (in general) was on a cold winter season so I had to always be sure to keep myself warm and always take time to find a coffee shop from time to time. Coming from an Asian country, I felt pretty much different from the cold winter weather because we don’t have such weather shifts in Malaysia much but truly, it was an outstanding experience of winter!

Paris, is a city of light, a modern city with a very deep sense of history. The people, the language, the buildings, the tasty yummy croissants and cheese, a definitely the Eiffel tower! Everything is historical here. As the saying goes, ‘you gotta be a Parisian in Paris’ and I truly had a great experience in this city.

Subways in Paris city

My first impression of getting into the local train was somewhat unexpected. The metro train station was not well kept and that was a culture shock to me, I expected more on Paris but seeing is believing they say – The reality is a lot more different than what I had expected.
There’s a lot to see in Paris by way of attractions, but you will soon find these are spread widely apart and a better plan of action is to wander at leisure, stumbling across the big names as you venture on. Starting off you will find plenty of charming cafes as you stroll around.

We grabbed our lunch at the Cafe La Petit Pond, it is a French cuisine near the Notre Dame, this spot is a buzzing atmosphere and we were welcomed with a warm smile and quickly shown to our table. After grabbing lunch, I continued wandering the Parisian streets before making my way to the Eiffel Tower.

I can’t help but gaze in amazement by the French architecture, which made me feel as if I just walked back into the Middle Ages. The walk was by the La Seine River and in between, my tour winds through the narrow medieval streets of the Ancient Cloister Quarter on the Ile de la Cité and the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank. It includes Notre-Dame, one of the city’s most famous Gothic buildings.

Approaching Eiffel Tower

I will never forget the feeling when I was walking close approaching Eiffel Tower that first time. The butterflies, the overwhelming sense of freedom that I felt as it’s still with me today. It is a dream come true! I believe that when you work hard towards your dreams and goals, you will get to be where you are supposed to be in no-time. When I stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, the moment felt like a lifetime, it is surreal! When I was a little girl, I always told my mother that when I visit Eiffel Tower I am going to drink a cup of coffee and watch the beauty of it. Today, it happened.

The Eiffel Tower is divided into 3 levels and the first 2 floors can be reached by steps or elevators. The top of the Eiffel Tower is accessible with a purchase of a roof-top access ticket – However, I decided to have a view from below, becaaaaaause it was super duper cold!

Have you guys visited this beautiful iconic city? Share your travel story with me in the comments below, I would love to know and travel along with you.