Sisterly love at the western end of Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe.
I can't believe it actually took me almost 2 months to finish my entries from my trip to Europe. :/ In case you missed it, I'm currently in Sydney, Australia as of writing this post for a study holiday. Moving on, this entry will be about our last stop in Europe which is Paris, France.
The trip from Belgium to Paris took forever as expected. Don't judge me but as a travel blogger, I'm not a fan of looooong road trips. If money wasn't an option I'd fly to my next destination. Time is gold guys!
We arrived like way past our dinner time. For our last hotel accommodation, we're staying at Mercure Paris La Défense Grande Arche.
The hotel feels a little old but at least our room was spacious and has free wifi.
#BathroomMirrorSelfie
Bathroom looks old too but clean and had nice lighting.
The next day, it was May 1, my 20th (LOL) birthday. We had one day to go around Paris and our first stop is the Arc de Triomphe.
Paris city center was so beautiful I can't believe I was actually in Paris at that time. Sadly, May 1 is a holiday meaning all shops are closed so plans of shopping along Champs-Élysées didn't push through.
Of course we went to Paris' most iconic structure, the Eiffel Tower.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Rakso Travel and Tours failed to coordinate with their European counterpart when we were supposed to visit the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museum in Stuttgart on a Monday and it was closed. It was replaced with a one-hour river cruise along the Parisian river Seine. This wasn't part of the original itinerary but I'm glad we did it. ;)
Our last stop was to go on top of the Eiffel Tower which again I didn't appreciate that much because weather was soooo bad, it was raining and it was cold and wet at the top. Heck, I didn't even last for 10 minutes and decided to go down. I just wish it was sunny though, it had a nice 360-degree view of the city.
Our day tour ended in a Chinese restaurant somewhere in Chinatown where we had Asian buffet dinner. LOL. It was like celebrating my birthday for free since I didn't have to treat everyone in our tour group. Looks like the gang enjoyed "my treat". Hehehe.
The next day, my sister and I decided to skip the last part of our tour (which was a visit to the Palace of Versailles) and just go on an outlet shopping spree at Val d' Europe and La Vallée Village before flying that night back to Manila. In all fairness most items were cheap, specially the bags from Longchamp where the cheapest Le Pliage probably cost ₱2,000.
Of course we went to Paris' most iconic structure, the Eiffel Tower.
I think I may be the only person who's not that impressed by the tower. Probably because I've seen Tokyo Tower first (which kinda looks like a replica of this one) or I didn't like the view from this side. Hehe. Anyway, it's Paris so who am I to complain?!
Notre Dame Cathedral
We were given time to roam around the area of Notre Dame but didn't go that far since weather was bad at that time. We just grabbed a cup of cappucinos from a nearby cafe to keep us warm. It was bloody cold that day that I had to borrow my sister's blazer since I didn't pack any winter clothes with me. Spring weather kasi dapat! Hehe.
Rakso Travel and Tours failed to coordinate with their European counterpart when we were supposed to visit the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museum in Stuttgart on a Monday and it was closed. It was replaced with a one-hour river cruise along the Parisian river Seine. This wasn't part of the original itinerary but I'm glad we did it. ;)
Our last stop was to go on top of the Eiffel Tower which again I didn't appreciate that much because weather was soooo bad, it was raining and it was cold and wet at the top. Heck, I didn't even last for 10 minutes and decided to go down. I just wish it was sunny though, it had a nice 360-degree view of the city.
Our day tour ended in a Chinese restaurant somewhere in Chinatown where we had Asian buffet dinner. LOL. It was like celebrating my birthday for free since I didn't have to treat everyone in our tour group. Looks like the gang enjoyed "my treat". Hehehe.
The next day, my sister and I decided to skip the last part of our tour (which was a visit to the Palace of Versailles) and just go on an outlet shopping spree at Val d' Europe and La Vallée Village before flying that night back to Manila. In all fairness most items were cheap, specially the bags from Longchamp where the cheapest Le Pliage probably cost ₱2,000.
Paris is beautiful but sadly we arrived at the wrong time. At least I have a reason to go back, best time probably is around June noh? What do you think? ;)
