Have you ever gone to a place that makes you feel as if you belong, as if it is meant for you albeit it was your first visit there?  I’ve never thought I’d consider Paris as my favourite city — it just seemed such an overrated touristy city that I needed to pass through while on Eurotrip.  I was dead wrong — I fell in love with Paris, and here are the reasons why:

1) Architecture

I’ve always wanted to wander in a place rich in history and culture, and never have I imagined that Paris has retained both.  It is indeed one of the most preserved cities, from French Gothic architecture like the Notre Dame Cathedral up to the facade of every establishment that you’d walk into.

2) Eiffel Tower

The iconic tower is sometimes said to be overrated — I beg to disagree, it is captivatingly beautiful, especially when it shimmers at night. Indeed, Paris is the City of Lights.

3) Louvre Museum

There are two reasons why I’ve grown interest in the world’s most visited museum: the mysterious Mona Lisa painting and because I am a Da Vinci fan.

4) Language

Believe it or not, French is the only foreign language (aside from English) that I tried to learn. I used to have these silly dreams of watching Amelie without English subtitle and reading Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables in French.  Not that I’m fluent, but I find it rather fascinating to travel in a distant place and not feel as if I’m ‘lost in translation’.

5) Food

Of course, you ought to try something distinct in a foreign land. As they say, when you’re in Rome, do what the Romans do, eat what they would eat..ok, might have gone overboard especially on crepes 🙂

Crepe: Call me crazy but I ridiculously eat crepe everyday.  Don’t blame me, though — they’re just everywhere!

Duck Confit: This French dish, which takes four to ten hours to be cooked, is a must-eat.

French Bread: After wandering inside Notre-Dame Cathedral, we saw a food fare in front on the church. Suddenly, I went gaga. Why? All types of bread were laid out, prepared right in front of our eyes!

6) The ‘Old Vibe’

While I appreciate modern cities (like where I currently live in) for the stunning modern and futuristic architecture, I’ve been drawn lately to old places, those rich in history and culture where you’d feel as if you are time-travelling.

7) Moulin Rouge

Another silly Parisian dream is to see the famous cabaret from one of my all-time fave films, Moulin Rouge.

***** I’ve had some fair share of crazy moments in Paris, from suddenly seeing random hot topless French guys parading around the city to feeling giddy childish on my last night while Eiffel suddenly lit up.  In five days, I got attached to the city, it didn’t feel foreign anymore. I could even migrate here if I have the chance.

Travel Tips:

1) Travel/Pack Lightly.

This is beginning to sound like a cliche, but the reason behind this is that some Euro train stations do not have escalators, so yes, it will be a challenge for you to carry/drag your luggage/s on the stairs.

2) Buy train (Metro) tickets by bulk.

Aside from the hassle of queuing only to buy single journey ticket, buy 10 tickets (or split it amongst your travel buddies) as this will cost you less and can even consume in the coming days.

3) Try the hop-on hop-off tour once in a while.

We spent five days in Paris, three of which, we explored on our own while the remaining two days were spent on a hop-on hop-off tour via CitySightseeing.  I know I’m Ms. DIY/explore the foreign land on your own but this tour is quite fun, you get to learn significant details on history and culture and it somehow saves you on transportation cost as well.

4) Skip the hotels. 

Hotels are so yesterday (well, at least for Europe). While I’m currently living in an expensive city, it still seems that the cost of almost everything in Europe is double of what I have here. The answer to this is AirBnB, not only because it’s cheap, but you get to feel how it is to live in a local home.  There was an instance, we get to stay in a beautiful old French home and I have fancied the quaint elevator so much.

***Paris is the 4th leg (and longest) of our two-week Eurotrip.