The Travel Diaries: Paris

Early on this summer, I went on a two week trip to Paris, The Hague and Amsterdam. It was a very different traveling experience than I am accustomed to because 1) I was traveling alone for the first time ever, 2) This was my fourth time in Paris and so I did less touristy things and more chill, walking around discovering and 3) I stayed at my sister's place in Paris and my best friend's place in The Hague, which felt so much chiller than staying in a hotel. It was also pretty cool getting to see their insider points of views into these cities.
Here is what I did/my recommendations for you if you ever go to Paris, and another post will follow soon for The Hague and Amsterdam. Enjoy!

I took this picture with a disposable camera. It's of St. Paul Street, the street parallel to where my sister lives. 

I've never had so many eggs benedict and cafe cremes in one week and honestly, I'm not complaining. This is kinda how I imagine my future adult self being like (Going to cute brunch spots in a killer outfit all whilst avoiding work? Yes please) I discovered three amazing brunch places during this trip, two of them in Paris: First one is Marcelle in Les Halles, I had really good eggs benny there but what really surprised me was the side salad. I'm not usually a huge salad fan so you know it was nice if even I liked it. I was super full after the eggs but still managed to squeeze some french toast in, it was that good.

Marcelle. Excuse the horrible pic.

The second place I went to was Benedict, and like the name suggests, it's known for its eggs. It's located in Le Marais, where I was staying, which is the hypsterish quarter of Paris. The restaurant actually opens at 12 but we got there at 11:50 and there was already a huge queue all around the block. I really appreciated how nice the waiters were even though they were obviously in a hurry to get to everyone (Not kidding, by 12:01 the place was fully packed). I also loved that they serve a side of fries with the eggs. It's the small things guys.

Benedict

This restaurant doesn't specialize in eggs (Shocker, I know) and is more on the pricey side, but it's a good place for a nice dinner date or even for business. It's called Miss Ko and is located in the Champs Elysees, Paris' fancy quarter. I went with two friends and we got some sushis and sashimi to share and I've got to say, it was one of the best sushis restaurants I've ever been to in my life. The fish was super fresh and the combinations of flavors, although a little unusual, worked wonderfully. My friends also say they have amazing moshi, if you're into that (I'm not). So if you're in the mood to splurge and treat yourself to a nice dinner, you should check it out. 

Miss Ko

One place I discovered during this trip was Le Bon Marche, a luxurious department store located in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris. It's so big and labyrinth-like that you can easily spend 2 hours in, just browsing around looking at gorgeous clothes you could never possibly afford. My one goal during this trip was to find relatively cheap (compared to Lebanese prices) eyeglasses because mine are super broken and I did! I got a pair from Jimmy Fairly that are round with very thin edges and legs, a nice change from the thick ones I had been donning for four years. But I digress. Point is, if you are into fashion and trends, Le Bon Marche is a nice place to have a mooch around and pretend to belong between racks of Fendi and Prada.

Picture taken from HiP Paris Blog

One last thing I would advise you to do, specifically if you're going to Paris in spring or summer, is to spend an afternoon at a park. Maybe it's because we don't really have parks in Beirut or maybe it's because even when I'm traveling I feel the need to lay down and chill anywhere and everywhere, but I make it a point to try to spend time in a park anytime I travel anywhere. Although I went to the Parc Montsouris (that has an amazing waffle stand for those afternoon cravings, btw), you could choose from a multitude of spaces: Les Jardins du Luxembourg, le Jardin d'Acclimatation (which is next to the Louis Vuitton Foundation, a definite must-see in Paris), Jardin des Tuileries, etc etc.