I'd been in London for over three years and never taken advantage of the Eurostar. I'd walked past the boards on the way home from St Pancras and thought about how cool it would be to just jump on a train and head over there, but never had. Mostly because, unless you get tickets when they are first released, tickets on the Eurostar are really expensive. But I had planned and bought these tickets while they were still cheap - hooray! I left home at sometime around 5:30am, and my train was leaving at 7am. This meant that I had almost a whole first day in Paris!
The first thing I did upon getting there was walk to my accommodation to drop off my bags. I wanted to stay in Montmartre so I'd booked accommodation there in a private room in what was supposed to be a nice hostel (more on that later). It wasn't too far to walk from Gare du Nord. I dropped off my luggage then set off again.
My first stop on my meander through Paris was Printemps. I wanted to see the Christmas tree there as it always looks so amazing. Plus the whole area around there is lovely, and the Galeries Lafayette windows always have the best displays!
From there I walked past the Louvre, through the Tuileries and went to explore the Petit Palais. Even though I have been to Paris loads of times before, I'd never actually been inside.
The plan was to walk along the Seine to the Pont de Bir-Hakim, and I did that but the weather was really atrocious and I tucked my camera inside my coat to keep it dry. It was pouring. I had an umbrella but it was windy as well so I put my hood up and just trudged along. I made tit to the bridge, crossed and made a beeline for the Eiffel Tower, which I always enjoy saying hello to. I was going to go up to the Trocadero but it was miserable and I was hungry so instead I went to a cafe for some lunch and to dry off.
I had a little bit more of a wander around but I was wet and cold, so walked over to Invalides to catch the train. I had to go via the Cité station so I decided that, since I was there, I'd poke my head above ground and have a wander if it wasn't raining too bad. It turned out not to be and so I had a look around as dusk was setting in. Then it was definitely time to go back to my accommodation.
I went back to my hostel room to shower and clean up for dinner. A friend of mine from Australia just happened to be in Paris the same time I was so I was going to meet her at her hotel and we were going to find some dinner. We ended up at a traditional French restaurant, where I made her try snails for the first time (and ended up eating them all because she didn't like them haha). We had a lovely dinner and catch up before going our separate ways.
Now, I said earlier that where I was staying was supposed to be a nice hostel by all accounts, but it turns out that they hide or delete comments by people who complain. The hostel was Le Village Montmartre by Hiphostels and I have never stayed in a more stinky, dirty and noisy place. I paid for a private room with a bathroom so I figured it would be just like staying in a cheap hotel. I have never ever stayed in a hotel so bad. The bathroom drain stunk the whole room out with the smell of mould, so much so that I thought I was going to become sick with it. The bed was about 100 years old, lumpy and with no support. The sheets and towels were dirty and had hair on them (not mine). Then when I'd decided that I'd just go to bed and say something about it in the morning, the nearby nightclub kept me awake ALL night. The windows were only single-glazed so they not only let in the cold but I could hear and identify every single song that was played. I went to complain about it in the morning and the reception were unhelpful. I asked for a refund and they said they couldn't and to email the manager, who never got back to me. In the end, I shelled out another couple of hundred euros for a hotel nearby, which was absolutely delightful.
Le Village Montmartre, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Not only did I never hear from anyone, but you took my money and probably rented the room that I left to someone else, meaning you doubled up. Also, you keep deleting my reviews that I have added on Booking.com and Google. These are truthful reviews of my experience there. Avoid this place like the plague (actually, you'll probably catch plague if you stay there too long...).