Interrailing Chapter 1 | Paris

So just a couple of weeks ago I embarked on a two and a half week trip around Europe by train and what an experience I had. Along with my best friend, we visited a total of 8 different cities (some of the best cities in the world some would argue) and saw a multitude of sights that I could only once dream of.

Why I decided to bring this hat along I will never know...

Starting off in Paris, the Fashion capital (along with London and Milan of course), our journey began. We stayed in an apartment in the Noisy-Le-Grand area right next to Disneyland Paris and only a short walking distance from the Bry-Sur-Marne train station. It was a quiet area with not much going on, perfect if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. We had a very pleasant stay here at the City Residence apartment. There's no denying that it wasn't the most 'glam' of apartments but as we were essentially being 'travellers' for the week we did not expect anything more. In terms of having somewhere to lay down after a day of tiresome sight seeing, this was perfect.

Our not so glam apartment

Now for those of you who haven't visited Paris before or are not in touch with the underground service, you will soon realise that getting around at first can be a bit tricky. However, after a couple of interesting journeys to say the least you will soon get the hang of things. I have to thank my best friend Erica for most of the navigating though! In fact one of the most stressful things about this trip was the constant lack of direction after we had arrived in a new city. We had to rely on locals to find our way round which isn't the easiest of tasks when they can't speak a word of English! Yet for me one of the best things about Paris were the people. They were so kind and welcoming, not the sort of reaction I expected really. A big shout out especially to the little man outside the train station selling the delicious fruit (I didn't catch your name). You were a very happy chap indeed and enabled us to find our first accommodation and the supermarket. For that I am forever grateful...

In terms of getting into central Paris, this took us around 15 minutes in total which wasn't too bad considering how far it looked away on the map! During our stay the weather of course decided to take a turn for the worst but this didn't surprise me one iota. As we were essentially living out of a small rucksack for a couple of weeks, there was no chance of me fitting in any warm clothing hence why I nearly ended catching pneumonia sitting on an open top bus. Not the best idea we but all part of the experience I guess. An open top bus of course being another great way of getting around Paris and making sure you don't miss any of those all important sights. In terms of cost we definitely found Paris was up there with the most expensive city we visited on our travels, but again this was expected from such a popular tourist attraction. 

We did start off trying to budget opting for the cheaper meals (not so cheap in comparison to the UK) including a McDonald's and a very basic steak and chips from a Bistro. However, we found further into our trip that paying that little bit extra for food was definitely worthwhile.

Everybody needs a bit of Louis Vuitton in their life

The joys of our open top bus- Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

The infamous Eiffel Tower

Lock your love away on Lovelock bridge

So all in all Paris was truly amazing. I fell in love with this City from the moment I set eyes on it and even after spending a couple of weeks exploring the likes of Rome and Barcelona for example, I have to say this was possibly my favourite place we visited during our trip. Not only did it have so much history, there was such a vibrant atmosphere and so much to do, much more than you expect. You could easily spend a week here and not get bored which is probably what I am going to do next time I visit, once I have saved up the pennies again! I have heard so many great things about Paris in my time but it's not until you actually visit it for yourself that you realise how truly beautiful it is. 

Is it better than London? I woild say so. Its very similar in terms of size and things to do but its just so much prettier and the people are much more sophisticated, the men especially ladies. What's not to like? From the tacky musicians on the underground hoping to catch one of the tourists vulnerable eyes to the luxury shops and extortionate restaurants, the city of love is a place for everyone to enjoy. 

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