Paris: Our dream trip in Europe

Visiting Europe had been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I mean, every girl dreams of standing in front of the Eiffel Tower with the man of her dreams. Mine was always to visit Paris solo, just like Rani does in Queen. But I can say this loudly and proudly, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Paris trip than the one I had. It truly felt like every girl's dream. All I had to do was look pretty and follow him, while he took care of every little detail. The planning on his part was simply perfect.

In 2022, my partner was studying in the Netherlands, pursuing his master's degree. I knew this was my chance to visit him and also make a trip out of it. I started saving money because, for a Schengen visa, you need to show sufficient funds in your bank account. You can also show an FD or use your parents' bank account if they are sponsoring your trip. I saved for around 6 to 8 months and then applied for the Schengen visa on my own. More on how to do that yourself soon.

I had kept only a two-weeks buffer between submitting my visa application and my flight, which turned out to be the biggest mistake of this trip. My visa arrived at the end of the third week, and I had to reschedule my flight. It was stressful at the time, but looking back, I think it is part of the whole going to Europe experience.

The entire trip was planned by him because, by then, he had figured out how everything worked in Europe. He had been living in the Netherlands for almost two years and had travelled to many places within and around the country. He planned our stays, places to visit, how to get around, every bus, every train, and every station. Everything was planned to perfection. Sometimes this blog may sound more like an appreciation post for him than a travel blog, but believe me when I say his planning deserves every bit of appreciation.

Day 1

I took a morning flight from India and reached Paris at night. My partner was there to receive me, and he had booked us into the tallest hotel in Paris. The views were incredible. You could see the entire city, including the Eiffel Tower.

As soon as we reached the hotel, we freshened up and headed to the rooftop bar on the 34th floor. It was such a beautiful feeling to see the whole of Paris from up there. I simply couldn't believe I was sitting in Paris with my partner, sipping cocktails.

Day 2

The next morning, we woke up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and did the first thing everyone does when visiting Paris for the first time.

As soon as we reached the Eiffel Tower, we were welcomed by the famous queue. Thankfully, it wasn't too long, but we still had to wait for about an hour. We spent the time chatting with people around us. There was an elderly couple from Canada who owned farms back home, and it was lovely talking to them.

The Eiffel Tower has three levels. The first floor has restaurants and the famous glass floor sections. The second floor has the open-air viewing platform with outdoor walkways wrapped in the iconic metal fencing. The summit has two sections. The lower section is enclosed with large glass windows, while the upper deck is open to the sky and surrounded by safety wiring.

Many people skip going to the summit because the waiting time for the elevators is long and the second-floor views are already fantastic. Since we were under 25 at the time, our tickets were available at a discounted price, so we decided to explore all three levels.

We first took the elevator to the second floor and spent a long time clicking pictures. Then we went up to the summit, which is only accessible by elevator. Finally, we came down to the first floor, where we had a baguette sandwich at one of the restaurants. It was extremely dry. Honestly, food kept disappointing us throughout the trip.

Afterwards, we explored the area around the tower. We walked through Champ de Mars, the beautiful garden you see in almost every Paris photo, and then made our way to Trocadéro, which is around a 10 to 15-minute walk away. The view of the Eiffel Tower from here is absolutely stunning and perfect for photographs. There were several groups performing there, and we spent some time simply standing and enjoying the performances.

On our way to Trocadéro, we crossed a bridge where a street food cart was selling kebabs with bread. Hands down, it was one of the best kebabs we have ever eaten.

Since we had an evening dinner cruise planned, we spent some time sitting by the banks of the River Seine, enjoying the cool breeze.

The dinner cruise itself felt incredibly dreamy. We were seated at a table and served starters, the main course, and dessert while sipping wine. There were both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, but once again, the food was average. It looked amazing, and you expected it to taste equally good, but it was surprisingly bland.

After dinner, we boarded another cruise, this time a sightseeing cruise. By then, it had become dark, and we got to experience the City of Lights at its best. We were served complimentary champagne, and the city looked magical. Every building, every bridge, and every monument was beautifully illuminated. At that moment, we truly understood why Paris is called the City of Love.

Once the cruise ended, we walked back to the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle at night. You see videos of it all the time, but witnessing it in person is a completely different experience. There is excitement everywhere as everyone waits for the lights to begin. When they finally do, it feels absolutely magical.

Completely exhausted after such a long day, we returned to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 3

This was our checkout day.

We took a cab, which is quite expensive in Paris, and dropped our luggage at a storage facility. From there, we headed to Café de Flore for brunch, one of the most famous cafés in Paris. We managed to get a table, but by the time we finished, there was already a long queue outside.

One thing that definitely didn't disappoint us in Paris was the desserts. While we weren't impressed with most of the food, the desserts were absolutely worth it.

Next, we visited the Louvre Museum. We are not really art lovers. We enjoy beautiful architecture, but spending an entire day in a museum isn't usually our thing. The main reason we wanted to visit was because I had read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and had always wanted to see the Louvre and its iconic glass pyramids in person.

As soon as we entered, we didn't spend much time exploring the galleries. We went straight to see the Mona Lisa.

Later, we wandered around a little before stopping at McDonald's for a late lunch. The French fries definitely lived up to the hype.

One place I had seen countless times in videos was the famous pink house in Montmartre. It felt like the true essence of Paris. Our evening there began with a walk through the souvenir shops before heading to the iconic La Maison Rose.

After clicking plenty of pictures, we found ourselves sitting at a small corner bar with a cold beer in hand, watching the Paris sky slowly turn the most beautiful shade of pink. It felt like the perfect place to say Au revoir to Paris.

Afterwards, we collected our luggage and headed to the bus station. Our bus was delayed by almost two hours, but eventually we boarded it, and our next stop was the Netherlands.

Some Observations About Paris

• Visiting the Eiffel Tower was more fun for the views and the experience than actually going inside. First-time visitors should definitely explore it, but next time we would probably skip going up.
• One thing that surprised us was that many of the security staff at the Eiffel Tower didn't speak much English. We often had to use Google Translate to communicate.
• I made the mistake of keeping only a two-week buffer between my visa application and my flight. Keep at least three to four weeks to avoid unnecessary stress.
• Paris becomes even more beautiful after sunset. Every building, bridge, monument, the Louvre, and of course the Eiffel Tower look ten times more magical at night.
• Do not skip the cruises, especially the evening sightseeing cruise. It was one of the highlights of the trip.
• If your budget allows, book the Hyatt Regency. The room views and the rooftop bar made our stay unforgettable. Hotel Link - https://booking.stay22.com/twogetherlost/0gcDgxJwWdtwo

Wrapping Up

This is the perfect way to spend two days in Paris. If we had more time, we would have loved to explore the French countryside, but that's something we'll save for our next trip.

Google maps for the places we visited -

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