Oh Paris. I fall more and more in love with this city every time I visit. After delaying our travel plans for a week in the aftermath of the attacks, we took a pre-dawn flight on Tuesday morning and made it to Saint Germain for breakfast. We checked into our beautiful apartment (seriously, does it get any more luxurious than this?), one of a number of sophisticated apartments offered by Special Apartments across the city. The next three days were a blur of pastries, pretty buildings and dreamy moments and even though the weather was a bit rainy for some of our stay, it didn’t matter one bit because Paris is beautiful no matter what the weather.
So what was it like in Paris two weeks after the terror attacks? It was a lot quieter than usual. Yes, there were crowds, but it wasn’t nearly as busy in Paris as it usually is. We had no trouble getting dinner reservations when usually we would have struggled. We didn’t visit any tourist attractions since we’d seen a lot on our last visit so I can’t say how busy those sites were, but generally there didn’t seem to be too many tourists around. There was definitely a high security presence around, with military personnel patrolling the airport and guarding particular buildings as well as police with dogs stationed outside of places like Le Bon Marche and the Musée du Luxembourg. The vibe was of course lower than normal, but I got the feeling that things were on the up. I felt entirely safe the whole time I was there, never feeling uneasy or tense once. So if you are still considering whether you should go to Paris, my advice to you would be to go. There’s a huge difference between actual risk and fear.
Other happenings? This week I’ll be at home in Berlin catching up on things, writing and cafe-hopping before packing for a ski trip to Val d’Isère in the French alps next weekend! Since I haven’t skied for about ten years, I fully expect to be making it down the mountain solely on my butt. Wish me luck!
Here are this week’s favourite links:
WATCH: Because I’m missing Paris already, this week’s video just HAD to be about my favourite city in the world.
READ: I have a severe case of mortgage phobia. Do you? It looks like I’m not the only one.
EAT: This pumpkin spiced cheesecake with salted caramel and candied pecans. Heaven on a plate.
MAKE: Instead of bringing a bottle of wine to your next dinner party, why not gift your hosts one of these cute homemade presents instead?
BUY: With Christmas less than a month away — who can believe it? — it’s time to start thinking about presents! For that traveller in your life who can’t seem to keep their feet on the ground, this would be the perfect gift.
GO: Have you been on safari? I’m desperate to go and these photos by Hand Luggage Only aren’t doing anything to help!
Wishing you a happy week ahead x
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