Paris | Day Two | Dome of Les Invalides

After a rest at the cafe we walked to Les Invalides, a collection of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans.

As we arrived rather late in the day we decided to visit the Dome of Les Invalides which we had spotted from the top of the Eiffel Tower earlier in the day.

The golden dome can be see from across the city and is the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte and other notable French military heroes.

The building is spectacular, with beautiful marble floors, stained glass windows and paintings across the inside of the dome.

It was the most breath taking place we visited in Paris, and the walk from Saint Germaine took us through winding roads filled with antique shops, classic restaurants and independent boutiques.

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Paris | Day Two | Le Deux Magots

After the Eiffel Tower we travelled back to Saint Germain to visit the notorious Le Deux Magots Cafe (French pronunciation: le dø maɡo) for a coffee and croissant after hearing glowing review from Russell's Father.

Throughout my stay in Paris, I have to say this is the best chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) I had - and I ordered plenty! It was as if a chocolate bar had been melted down and mixed with milk. It wasn't too sweet and had the most amazing texture - I would recommend a visit just to try this drink, however the rest of the menu is extremely overpriced.

The cafe once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city, and is now a popular tourist destination.



Over the years the cafe has been a regular haunt to intellectuals and writers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Bertolt Brecht and the American writer Charles Sutherland.

The shop originally sold silk lingerie and took its name from a popular play in the1800s 'Les Deux Magots de la Chine' ("Magot" literally means, "stocky figurine from the Far East). Its two statues representing Chinese magicians are still in cafe to this day, gazing serenely over the room.

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Paris | Day Two | The Eiffel Tower

 

The second day of our trip was my birthday. We woke up and had breakfast in the courtyard of our hotel, and then headed off the the Eiffel Tower.

It was really simple to travel round the city on the metro line as we're used to using the tube at home. We planned our journeys outside of peak times so we weren't travelling with commuters, and the longest journey we took was around 20 minuets.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower early in the day but the queues were already extremely long for the lift entrance - however, if you're up for walking the stair entrance was a lot less busy.

One thing I would recommend you to do is wrap up warm, even if it's a hot day. Underneath the Eiffel Tower is completely shaded and seems to be a bit of a wind trap - it was much colder down there than it was on the top floor of the tower.

After travelling to the second floor you're required to buy another ticket to the top floor. Remember most places in France give huge discounts (or allow you administration for free) if you're under 25, so carry a form of ID around with you.

The view was spectacular and surprisingly the platform wasn't too busy, allowing you take multiple selfies with a long selfie stick.

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