PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA..

“Paris is a place in which we can forget ourselves, reinvent, expunge the dead weight of our past.” 

― Michael Simkins, Detour de France: An Englishman in Search of a Continental Education

Every year for the last six years I have gone, no matter what, to Paris. I've been in winter, spring and summer and every time that plane lands at Charles De Gaulle, my heart finally feels happy and I know I'm at home.

I've travelled a lot and believe me I have been to so many different, interesting and exciting places but for me there is nowhere like Paris, in my eyes you could try to compare it to anywhere else but nowhere would match up to it.

I have a lot of favourite places in Paris most of these have been found by accident or by people tagging locations on Instagram but I wanted to share a few of my favourite spots with you all:

• * Avenue du Camoëns, this a side street just right of Trocadero is a little gem for those that want to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower through the gaps in the Parisian buildings you can get some really nice photos from the spot and its hardly ever crowded unlike Trocadero.

•  * Le Squat, 59 Rue du Rivoli, this is a collective space nestled on a bustling street is a former squat now an artist's collective, you can enter for free and check out the artists work, I'd highly recommend going here for the doors alone, they are simply beautiful.

•  * Pizzeria D'Ampere, this is a restaurant again found through Instagram location, its location just round the corner from the Wagram metro (17th Arrondissement) I know its an Italian but oh boy is the food great! its a small restaurant and can get quite busy at weekends but if you want a decent pizza, pasta and a good glass of wine, please hop on the metro and swing by this place!

• * Château de Versailles, this palace perhaps most famous for the treaty that was signed there in the hall of mirrors signalling the end of the first World War, for me Versailles transports me back to a time of opulence and excites the historian in me and of course it reminds of two things, the amazing Sofia Coppola film 'Marie Antoinette' and the amazing Vogue shoot in 2009 at the Grand Trianon. This year I did something different and I rented a golf cart which was so much fun, it meant that I could gain a different perspective on the huge estate, it also meant we got to places a lot quicker.  I find the main palace at Versailles can sometimes be so overbearing, it is always busy no matter what time you get there, so I tend to spend most of my time at the Grand Trianon or wandering around the gardens. Don't be put off by the 40 minute journey to this wonderful place, admire the scenic ride.

• * Montmarte -I love wandering around this district especially on a weekend when its bustling with tourists and locals. This is the perfect place for those who are budding artists as art dominates almost every street corner here. For me, this place really came alive in the sunshine and I spent most of my Saturday morning on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur. There some quant shops that sell knick knacks and some amazing pâtisseries.  

Have any of you been to Paris? if so where are your favourite places?

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