Top 5 things to do in Paris!

If you happen to be lucky enough to find yourselves in Paris then here is, in our opinion, the 5 must-do's. We lived in Paris last year and we saw our fair share of beautiful places and inevitably, some of the not-so-beautiful places (*Cough* the METRO!). Please feel free to comment your favourite things as everyone's experience of Paris is different!

*Edit - This guide appears to contain a lot of alcohol and we would like to stress that we are NOT alcoholics. 

5: Sit down and relax - Ideally, you'll wait for the rain to come down. Now, all you need to do is sit outside on one of the many heated restaurant patios with a bottle of wine and watch the world go by. Nobody likes getting soaked after all, its the sensible thing to do.

4: Mix Club,  Montparnasse - In our opinion, the best club in Paris. Definitely cannot be missed whilst you're there. On Thursday nights there is free entry for tourists before 12, which is always a bonus as Paris can be expensive. Aside from all that is the fact that there is a SLIDE between floors. we know - we couldn't wait either. Not to mention they host the biggest light-boards in Europe.
- Unfortunately we have no suitable pictures for Mix Club. The majority contain an innapropriate amount of alcohol or are blurred beyond comprehension.

3: Try the local food - We can almost guarantee that on your return back home, people will ask you whether you tried snails and/or frog's legs. Dissapointment will quickly spread if you reply no to either. We were reluctant at first, but once you get to grips with the strange utensils provided with "escargot" you'll find that they look a lot worse than they taste. In fact, they're rather nice! Frog's legs or "'cuisses de grenouille" are equally not as horrible as you might think. Think of a chicken wing and you're almost there!

2: Don't just climb the Eiffel Tower... -  Embrace it. We love the Eiffel Tower, it's by far the most iconic part of Paris. We aren't saying not to climb the Eiffel Tower, you almost HAVE to, what we are saying is climb it (or get the lift) but have a picnic with you, maybe some wine - again, and enjoy the great buzz around the area. There are street performers and ice cream and candy floss (Barbe a Papa in French - literally meaning dad's beard). Lots and lots going on and if you're still mobile after the long climb up, you can walk up to Trocadero for some fantastic views of the area. 

1: See Paris by night - When the sun goes down Paris comes alive, the Eiffel Tower twinkles (actually pretty much the whole of Paris twinkles), Café's and restaurants are buzzing with conversation and laughter, bars are open and playing music and life is generally great. The sort of stuff you imagine when you think of Paris. Walking around Paris at night is easily our favourite pastime and we really think you should give it a go. We guarantee you will not regret it, we were regularly seen wandering around at night like a pair of nomads, drinking in the atmosphere and just generally appreciating life. (We can not accept responsibility for blisters and/or tired legs)

In the entire history of the city, there has not been one single person that hasn't thoroughly enjoyed being in Paris* so throw caution to the wind and go and we promise that you'll love it!

*Fact may or may not be true and has no official citation.

Loseley Park

Loseley Park is a historic manor house situated just outside of Guildford, Surrey. Before we go too far in this blog post it's important to point out that currently the house is having a new roof put on, a scaffold, some builder's etc.. you know the drill (Hence the lack of house pictures). However, the gardens were open, the skies were blue-ish so we had a mosy round. The gardens were lovely, very colourful and well maintained. It's sort of divided into a grid of separate gardens, each with their own identities, some with ponds and fountains and others with eye-watering displays of topiary. We'll let the pictures do the talking but we both agreed that it was one of the best we've seen so far. There's a cafe on site, the queue was pretty phenomenal and slow moving (Bank holiday's eh?) but the food that was coming out looked really, really good. Just away from all the humdrum there's a lake and a field with some animals in, which we quickly made friends with, Dr Doolittle eat your heart out! Can't really leave this post without mentioning the famous Loseley ice cream which is available in the gift shop. Katie, who knows a thing or two about ice cream, said it was delicious. All in all we were very pleasantly surprised, this place makes for a lovely (albeit short) day out!

Fun Fact - Loseley Park is regularly the setting for period films and dramas.

La Promenade Plantée, Paris, France

One of the lesser known, but by no means less beautiful, attractions in Paris, La Promenade Plantée is best enjoyed on a sunny day in spring. Stretching 4.7 kilometres from Bastille to Bercy, this beautiful little pathway gives you some of the best views of Paris that you're likely to find. Bring a water bottle, comfy walking shoes and don't forget your camera! 

Fun fact: It was the worlds first ever elevated park. 

Notre Dame, Paris, France

Unfortunately, no hunchbacks. However, it is always brimming with tourists, street performers and the infamous pigeon man (don't get too close). We actually sat for about an hour, watching a man mimicking passer-by's, announcing them as the Director of the CIA etc. and generally being an ass - it was hilarious. The queue can be, and usually is, huge. It can snake round and round and you may think you'll never see the inside. Luckily, it moves nice and quick. The contrast between the back and front of the iconic cathedral is striking - gargoyles on one side and carved angels on the other. Inside is just as beautiful as other big cathedrals, it really is an architectural delight. For a small donation you're allowed to the very very top, the views of Paris are beautiful and we really suggest making the trip up. The cathedral attracts more visitors annually than the Eiffel Tower, so if you are or aren't religious, to just go and see the beautiful decorative inside is definitely worthwhile. And best of all - It's FREEEEE!

Fun Fact - In 1804, Napoleon invited Pope Pius VII to the Notre Dame to crown him emperor. However, at the last second, Napoleon took the crown from his hands and crowned himself.

Bruges, Belgium

We decided on Bruges on the basis that Mikey loves the film "In Bruges". He also loves Colin Farrell, and if it's good enough for Colin, its good enough for him. So, we thought to ourselves, what better time to go than Christmas? It's a well known fact that Bruges goes cray-cray for Christmas, with markets and ice-skating and hot dogs galore (more on this later).

First things first, for those who have seen the film, we can confirm that Bruges isn't in fact filled with gangsters, prostitutes, drugs and midgets. It is however, rich with culture, history and beer. Not to mention really old buildings and cobbled streets. The cobbled streets should be a point of note; if you intend on getting the train to Bruges, as most people do, a pull-along bag might seem the most convenient. However, making the relatively short distance from the train station side to the side with our hotel on, was slow, tiresome and deafening (And, like us, you may find yourself startling a few residents with your invasion-esque bag-rumbling).

It quickly becomes apparent that Bruges is very, very small. The canal trip takes about half an hour, and don't expect it to be a round trip, you go up one canal, turn around, and come back down the very same canal. Obviously you have to do it though, because you're on holiday, and that's what holiday's are for (and to listen to a man tell the same joke in 17 different languages, appx. €10 each). Another one of those standard holiday must-do's is to climb the 366 steps to the top of the Belfry Tower. It is single file only, so if you happen to be painfully British, then please prepare to apologise and thank people continuously during both ascent and descent. We would also like to note that if you value your ability to hear, start climbing just after the bells at the top have finished ringing. "The Basilica of the Holy Blood" is a minutes walk from the bottom of the belfry tower, they claim to have a vial of Jesus' actual blood, which they present at different times throughout the day, it's free to get in so even if that isn't your sort of thing, its worth having a peek inside like we did.

The stalls were charming and sold anything from complete and utter crap to 14" hot-dogs (Mikey's personal highlight). There was mulled wine and mulled cider, and a chorus of christmas songs, horses and carriages, dodgy dancing and all round great spirit. The food was nice but, as with everywhere, some places are better than others and a general rule of thumb is to avoid the most touristy area's if you want the best food. We can't leave this post without a quick mention of the plethora of chocolatier's, from chocolate willies to life-size dragon's they really do make anything out of chocolate, but if you want the best - make sure you only go to the shop's with "handmade" on the door or window.

Fun fact: Wally de Backer, better known as the pop star Gotye, is originally from Bruges.

Eton, Windsor, Surrey

Eton is possibly the most quintessentially British place imaginable. When we first walked round this quaint lil town, we were surprised to see a wedding taking place on a Wednesday afternoon, or so we thought. Turns out, Eton boys wear three piece suits and dickie bows on a daily basis. Yes, we felt severely under dressed. We popped into the Chocolate Theatre Cafe for a bit and after we'd eton (sorry - couldn't resist) some lunch, we went for a stroll up Eton's 'high street' - complete with Eton stationers and a fair few tailors. If you've ever wondered what 1940's Britain was like, you'll get a pretty good impression here. 

We're not entirely sure if the grounds of Eton are open to the public (despite a public footpath sign at the opening), but we ended up strolling round a really cute little garden without being pursued by security. It would make a really lovely picnic spot if you ever find yourself here on a sunny day.

You won't be bowled over with things to do here. However, it's a stones throw away from Windsor castle and if you're in the area it might be worth a little look about. Not to mention the pretty swanky riverside Cote restaurant which we've promised ourselves we'll visit soon.

Fun Fact: 19 of Britain's 52 prime ministers have been educated at Eton.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Can you believe that the Eiffel Tower was originally a temporary structure made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution? No? Neither can we. Now one of the most iconic and recognisable peices of architecture in the world, nothing symbolises France more than this 'iron lady'. A hubbub of tourists, locals, street sellers and Romanian scam artists, the Champ de Mars is never empty. The queues to take the lift up can get lengthy, but if you're happy to plod up the first few flights of stairs - you'll cut your wait time in half (if you don't mind breaking into a sweat). 

 One thing to note: The only problem with climbing the old Eiffel, is that - go figure - you're ON the old Eiffel, meaning it won't feature in any of your aerial pictures of Paris. If you want a beautiful view of Paris WITH the Eiffel Tower, we suggest you try Montparnasse tower instead (which is cheaper, and houses the worlds fastest lift!). 

In short: you can't come to Paris and not see this baby, but you knew that already didn't you? It's one to tick off the bucket list.  There's also a pretty swanky restaurant at the summit "Le Jules Verne" - As you can probably imagine, its expensive. Very Expensive.

Once night falls, every hour on the hour, the Eiffel tower twinkles and it really does look so incredibly beautiful and a perfect Kodak moment.

Fun fact: The popular French author Guy de Maupassant ate in the Eiffel Tower restaurant every night. Why? It was the only place in Paris that he didn't have to look at the 'monstrous' thing. 

The Oak Room @ Appleby Manor, Appleby, Cumbria

This is the beautiful (AA Rosette) Oak Room Restaurant at Appleby Manor. Firstly we need to mention the view, rolling hills for miles to see, it's simply beautiful and a great setting for a wonderful meal. This is more of a dining experience than a meal, the staff are friendly but not over-bearing, there are different wines accompanying every meal, a great selection and most importantly, beautiful food. We lost count of the number of courses involved (maybe to do with the wine), although there were canapés, an amuse-bouche and fresh bread rolls before we'd picked up the menu. There is a broad menu covering almost all tastes. Our plates were an easel and the chef was the artist (I know, Shakespeare right?). You can see the time taken to make sure every plate that left the kitchen was a vision (and taste) of perfection. The food really is AA rosette standard, cooked beautifully with great accompaniments. We can whole-heartedly say we recommend The Oak Room and their fantastic dining experience. The price is middle of the road, but worth it.

Make sure you try the - Supreme of Lakeland Duck

Chateau de Versailles, Paris, France

It's hard not to feel like a teeny tiny ant when walking round this elaborate and expansive wonder. One of those places where pictures won't do enough justice, it really is a palace fit for a king (Louis XIV to be precise), no wonder the French revolted. If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in Paris then it simply must be on your list of things to do. They really did get creative, and somewhat overzealous, with the gold. The highlight of the inside, once your eyes have adjusted to all the gold, is the Hall of Mirrors. It is absolutely immense in every way you can imagine. Although it's not just the inside, the grounds are vast, with what must be a small army (cue French army joke) of gardeners tackling the immense 2000+ acres of palace gardens. You'll need at least a day here to really take it all in, we suggest taking a picnic, some sort of baguette (when in Rome..) and really make a day of it. Alternatively, there's a La Durée (see La Durée blog post) or an Angelina inside that will probably top your day off if you're a fan of macarons and/or pastries. €15 is a really reasonable price in our eyes, there's plenty to see for an entire day! (roughly 0.007c per ACRE!)

Fun Fact - Kanye and Kim were not considered distinguished enough by the palace to be married there, and were refused.