Paris for the fourth or is it the fifth time?

I persuaded my husband to spend a week in Paris despite the fact that he believed our time in the UK too short. I first went to Paris when I was eleven and then I believe twice more prior to leaving school and again at University and my husband went just once for little more than 24 hours to run the Paris marathon. I wanted the chance to show him why Paris is so revered and with the Eurostar making it so simple and cost effective it would have  been rude not to as we were so close.

We love our independence when travelling and as we like to spend most of our time out and about enjoying the surroundings we don't tend to splurge on accommodation, except for maybe the last night or two as a treat. We decided as we would rather book an apartment via airbnb than stay in a hostel this time as we wished to cook and wanted a little space. I love Montmartre, despite the fact that the area has many tourist traps there are some quiet little spots that are beautiful, genuine and honest. Staying in the 18th arrondissement was perfect as it was only a maximum of a 10 minute walk from our top floor petite one bedroom apartment.

The French summertime was not completely in agreement with our itinerary and I was excessively glad of my vintage Aquascutum mac that I had splurged on in a tiny shop in London. To be fair I paid less than a fifth of that of a brand new mac and it is in perfect condition. We had a real mixture of weather and did manage to enjoy everything on our itinerary; Versailles, Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, the Catacombs, Sacré Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, the Tuileries, le pont neuf, le Petit Palais, Palais Garnier, the Moulin Rouge and a trip out of Paris to see Monet's garden. Many of the places I have been before but some were new. We always walk miles upon miles when we travel and avoid checking maps and being the typical tourists that suddenly stop in the middle of the street because they are lost and you nearly fall over them. Getting lost is half the fun.

The architecture was stunning as always. The pale stone is so beautiful set against the dark black iron railings of the balconies and the grey roofs. The magnificence of the palaces is exceptional, opulent, but exceptional. It was wonderful to walk around and see the different lifestyle in the city and the initiatives that have been taken along the Seine to encourage people to reclaim the public spaces, be active, be outside and to enjoy their city. Seeing in excess of 30 people salsa dancing on the banks of the Seine is quite a sight.

Holidaying in Europe was more expensive than our usual trips and I confess I missed my snowboarding, hiking and beaches. I also missed the challenge of being somewhere completely unfamiliar. I best get planning our next trips.