During my recent visit to Versailles, I couldn't resist a quick trip into Paris as it's only a 20 minute journey on the RER & metro into the centre of the city.
Having visited a couple of times previously & having already seen most of the usual sights, I decided to head the my favourite part of the city - Ile de la Cité & the surrounding arrondissements.
I couldn't not visit Notre Dame again, it's genuinely one of those places that was so inbuilt into my own childhood (& teenage)( & adult, if I'm being totally honest here) daydreams of Paris, that it never fails to take my breath away when seeing it in person.
Originally I wanted to visit a few of the art galleries I'd hadn't been to yet, but as I was fortunate to see Paris in bright sunshine, I thought it was a waste to spend the day inside so instead I picked up my first café au lait of the day from a cafe near the Cité metro, stuck my headphones in & just walked, for hours, down every little back street, through every public garden & sampled treats from each beautiful cafe I passed, I literally just café hopped around the 1st - 4th arrondissement, and it was wonderful.
I started out heading for Notre Dame, sitting to admire & people watch a few minutes (being mistaken for a parisian by tourists, asking me in broken french to take photos of them) while getting my bearings & heading through the garden behind the church & onto Île Saint Louis, picking up an ice cream from Berthillon (dark chocolate & caramel, it was dreamy, just fyi) and heading across Pont De Sully to wind my way back to Notre Dame along the Seine.
After a quick sit down in the shade of Notre Dame with a hot chocolate - that thick, melted chocolate type of hot chocolate that you can only find in Europe *drool* - I headed over onto the left bank, firstly to visit my favourite book shop, Shakespeare & Company, secondly to find the oh-so-instagram worthy patisserie, Odette & thirdly to find the longest route possible through the lovely streets of La Marias to the Luxembourg Gardens for one last coffee & a people watch before heading back to my apartment in Versailles with more mini pastries than one person should ever really eat in a day.
While one afternoon is not nearly enough time to spend in a place like Paris, it was a lovely way to end my time visiting Versailles, even if the amount of walking I did over the three days left my legs feeling like they were about to drop off.
I don't think I'll ever be over Paris, there's still so much I want to see there! I'm thinking my next trip to Paris will include a trip out to Fontainebleau.. Just gotta find the time & funds now!
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