Postcards from Paris: Angelina's, Eiffel & Arc de Triomphe
After a glorious 10 hour sleep in the comfiest hotel bed, we were more than ready to take on the day's adventures that lay ahead.
Our morning started - as I believe all Saturdays should start - in Angelina's café. If you have never been to Angelina (or Paris, for that matter) it absolutely needs to go on your bucket list. I know that sounds dramatic for a café, but the hot chocolate (ask for L'African) made here is like nothing you have ever tasted, I promise. It's basically chocolate melted and mixed with unwhipped cream and it is to die for (yes, it is €8.20 but you get a whole jug of it and I promise it is worth it).
Angelina (the location on Rue de Rivoli) has been around since 1903 and became the place to be for the elite of the time - including Coco Chanel herself! They now have a few different locations around the city and in Versailles, but the original building holds the magic.
After filling up on a giant jug of hot chocolate, croissants, pain au chocolats and a crepe, we rolled out of there and made our way to the Musée d'Orsay, stopping on the Rue de Saint-Honorés for a look in all the fancy designer stores (pretending we were among the rich and famous fashion week goers) and Pont des Arts (more informally known as the Love Lock bridge) on the way to add a lock with our names and make a wish, throwing the key into the Seine (and narrrowly avoiding a boat of tourists, might I add).
The Musée d'Orsay is amazing and has all the different types and periods of art split up onto different floors so you can easily get to what you want to see most. It has a really chilled atmosphere - much different to the frantic queues of the Louvre - and is a really enjoyable place to have a wander.
Before jumping on the electric Lime scooters (scattered freely around the place with a QR code scan & ride system), we grabbed a drink on the riverside just underneath the Pont des Arts in this cute little bar café in a porto-cabin with seats outside looking on to the river and the locals skate-boarding and chilling.As we were running out of daylight hours and still had more to see, we jumped on the electric scooters, cutting our 38 minute walk to a 14 minute "scoot" and arriving promptly - and somehow in one piece - at the Arc de Triomphe.
Next up, we made a mad dash to the Eiffel Tower - the dash being mad due to the fact that sunset was happening and ... you know ... nothing like a Parisian sunset. Rather than going to the area directly beneath the tower itself, the Place de la Trocadero nearby is the perfect viewing point (and photo-taking point) and you can sit on the steps and chill while the sun sets. THREE couples got engaged in the space of 20 minutes when we were there (Ed kept pretending he needed to tie his shoelaces which of course he thought was HIL-arious, classic). There is a super fancy hotel on Place de la Trocadero too which looks out on the Eiffel Tower and there was a L'oréal party on there for Fashion Week at the same time (we could see all the cool people in the outdoor area).
(peep the side-eye at the people getting engaged)
As our energy levels started to wane due to our jam-packed day of exploring, climbing and scooting while dodging traffic, we made our way back to our hotel where we collapsed on to the bed and only managed to drag ourselves up three hours later to grab a McDonald's (only thing open close to our hotel - we were staying in La Defense which is the financial/business district so not a super touristy area, therefore no late night restaurants) and promptly passed out again until the next morning.
Thank you for reading,
S ✗
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