A couple of weeks ago I went on a daytrip to the City of Lights… aka Paris !

Paris really is my favorite city. It oozes elegance and charm and I really like to stroll around and just soak up the atmosphere.

Now this last time, I went with my 2 daughters Charlotte (18) and Elizabeth (12). So it really was a girl’s day out ! The sun was shining so we took advantage of this beautiful weather and walked for miles and miles. We saw heaps of beautiful spots and places, but this time I will tell you about 2 things that really stood out for me that day and aren’t the typical tourist spots : afternoon tea at Hotel Daniel and a visit to Parc Monceau.

Parc Monceau is a beautiful park in Paris, situated in the 8^th arrondissement. The park has quite an English feel with its informal layout which differs a great deal from the French which is more about symmetry and beautifully laid out borders. There are heaps of benches to read your favorite novel or magazine or to just soak up the sun. If you want to escape the hordes of tourists, buy a baguette, some brie and a bottle of Shiraz and enjoy a picnic on one of the many beautiful lawns in the park. There are beautiful statues (of Guy de Maupassant and Chopin among others), an Egyptian pyramid, an archway of Corinthian pillars,… there are several play areas for children and you’ve even got free WIFI in the park… So what’s stopping you to enjoy the real Paris ? Off you go !!

The second thing of our day trip I can recommend is having afternoon tea at Hotel Daniel (Hotel Daniel), a very beautiful hotel close to Champs Elysées. I made a reservation by e-mail to be sure of a table in in the beautifully decorated hotel lounge, which has an oriental theme. We really let ourselves be pampered by the friendly staff. There is a wide variety of teas : green, black, Chinese, herbal infusions,…  We indulged ourselves in our afternoon tea : 3 finger sandwiches followed by 2 scones with cream and a selection of jam. The best was saved for last… we had a choice of the most delicious pastry ! My youngest went for the strawberry tartlet, my eldest took a lemon tartlet and I had a piece of Saint-Honoré, which is typically French. Need I say we left the hotel as three happily filled ladies ?!

 

As you can imagine, we really enjoyed ourselves in Paris and we are already looking forward to our next visit… because I really must agree with Audrey Hepburn… Paris really always is a good idea !

Love, Kathleen