Le Tour Eiffel from the night sky....as our plane took off... it was difficult to leave Paris.
So, yeah, actually I'm supposed to start the blog in accordance to the entire trip plan which was first Berlin and then Paris but since I managed to upload half the pictures from my iPhone of Paris first (those being the latest), I figured, what the heck.
We touched down in Orly at roundabout 10am on boxing day after a super early morning plane ride from Berlin. Still groggy from a quick shut eye on board, we loaded our heavy suitcases onto the taxi and went on our merry way to Rue Faubourg St Honore.
Getting into our rented apartment for the week was a breeze and we were super happy to enter into this...
Our humble abode for the entire eight days in Paris, yo!
Mind you, it was quite a task heaving two large suitcases and a cabin bag up a narrow, spiral staircase but I had my big, strong, handsome husband to do the job so I shall not compain! Natalie, the owner of this place (whom we connected with through Airbnb - check out their site if you want to rent holiday apartments), had left enough information around the house so we can quickly be acquainted and comfortable with it and in less than an hour, we were already unpacked and ready to venture into Champs Elysees. yay!!
Since my blog is to be focused more on places we stayed, here's a little on Natalie's place. It's situated right at the end of Rue St Honore intersecting with Boulevard Haussmann. The loft is located on the third floor of the building (1st floor being the ground) so it's just two flights of stairs. Though as I said, the staircase is narrow and it's spiral. But her loft is worth the climb as it opens out to an airy dining and lounge area. As you can see, Natalie had decorated her apartment with the necessary modcons and she had some nice art pieces adorning her walls. Anything that you'd need, Wifi, washer, dryer, oven, microwave, coffee percolator, cable TV (flatscreen) with plenty of cupboard space are all there. She's also one of the few owners who also made the effort to also include other amenities which most owners don't, which is a plus for us. We didn't have to unnecessarily spend on shower gels, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquids and also other kitchen basics such as coffee, tea, sugar, salt, vinegar etc. Awesome!!
You can see the staircase in the picture and this led to both the bedroom and bathroom which are separated by a "walkway." This design, I thought, was pretty cool coz sometimes I would leave something at the living area and all hubs need to do is to pass it on to me at the walkway without my having to go all the way down again to get it. haha.
I forgot to take a picture of the lounge area where she had really huge windows that open out to the courtyard and though it was cold, it was still lovely to open them up so that we can enjoy the morning and evening skies.
The bedroom was just big enough for the two of us and she had nice linen spread out on a really comfy bed. Made it difficult for us to get up every morning to venture out!! The entire top portion had tatami flooring all the way to the bathroom where a nice hot and strong shower awaits us. That was a plus point because most of the apartments we stayed previously had trickles (old buildings, old pipes and all that). We figured Natalie must have also had the plumbing modernized when she remodeled this apartment.
So yeah, that's the apartment. It's only about 7 minutes walk away from this...
Arc de Triomphe from the festive Publicis building
There are plenty of nice and affordable restaurants around with a couple of boulangeries and two grocery stores nearby. Aaand, most of you would be familiar with Le Champs so I don't have to tell you about all the restaurants and shops there, right? :)
Hihihi...
So anyway, Paris is always a good idea whether or not you get the latest coveted LV. So I'll be dreaming of yet another trip soon... I hope... if i can convince the hubs! Bon chance to me!
Au'Voir for now.
I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles....
AWESOME!!!!
