4 Days in Paris // the bargeron explorers.

 This summer, my family and I were able to embark on maybe the most unbelievable travel adventure of our lives up until this point: 2 weeks in the UK & Europe. Our first stop on this highly anticipated trip was London, England. And after spending three days there, we took an early morning Eurostar train for our next destination:

Paris, France

Before I share how we spent these days, I have to say...

It really is true what the say; nearly every corner in Paris looks like this:

Paris has always been a dream of mine to visit, especially after I watched Passport to Paris for the first time (my fellow MK and Ashley-obsessed millenial friends will understand). At the same time, it always felt out of reach, like a dream that would probably just stay that: a dream. But something shifted in me when I visited Disney World's Epcot for the first time as an adult in 2022; I can't describe the big feelings that legitimately overtook my brain and heart while riding the skyliner and seeing the faux Eiffel Tower come into view. In the moment, I vowed I would 1) find a way to see the real thing and 2) make sure my family was with me.

Three years later, that dream became a reality.

And it was a true "pinch me" moment.

These four days consisted of mostly wandering charm-soaked streets, eating as much gelato that we could stomach, shamelessly stopping for coffees and food at whatever corner cafe caught our eyes, and enjoying each other in the romantic, elegant, lively city of Paris. We held our days loosely and mostly let our heart lead, and it felt just right every single day.

We stayed all four nights in Paris at Hyatt Regency Ètoile, and we would absolutely return there. Our room featured stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, we enjoyed daily breakfast and evening hors d'oeurves in the Regency Club, and it was only a short walk to the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. 

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DAY ONE

- An early check in at our hotel

- Walk to Arc de Triomphe

- Continue our walk towards the Eiffel Tower,

stopping at Rue de L’University for a magical perspective of it

- Eiffel Tower & the Seine River

- Dinner at Popu Bistro a Pizza

- Wander the streets to get back to our hotel

-Enjoy a sparkly view of the tower from our hotel suite

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DAY TWO

- Tuileries Garden

- The Louvre Courtyard

- Shakespeare and Company

- Notre Dame

- Explore Latin Quarter

- Explore Saint Germaine

- Ladurée for coffee, ice cream & macarons

- Luxembourg Gardens, complete with a 30-minute sailboat rental to make more of those Paris core memories

- Les Deux Magots Cafe

- Trocadero

- Back to the hotel to rest of up the next day

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DAY THREE

Disneyland Paris!!

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DAY FOUR

- Rue de l'Abreuvoir

- Monmarte

- Sacre-Coeur

- Moulin Rouge

- Marcella cafe for a late (and beautifully nostalgic) lunch

- Eiffel Tower

- A slow walk back to back to hotel for packing & one last sleep in Paris

London made me feel like who I should be, and Paris made me feel like who I want to be. I'll never forget how this city made me feel.

What a gift to experience this vibrant city and her cosmopolitan culture.

Up next: Switzerland!

3 Days in London // the bargeron explorers.

 This summer, my family and I were able to embark on maybe the most unbelievable travel adventure of our lives up until this point: 2 weeks in the UK & Europe. Spoiler: it was even more incredible than I even imagined it would be. Our first stop for three glorious nights was...

London, England!

GETTING THERE
We flew direct from ATL to LHR on Virgin Atlantic, which was an 8-hour flight. This option was really appealing to us because it gave us a full day to explore after landing. Flying economy overnight with two young kids was 1) new for us and 2) a lot harder than our typical daytime flights, but it was really nice to arrive early and have more time to see this wonderful city.

THE FLIGHT
Our kids really did great given the complexities of an overnight flight, and we were quite proud of them (even while sleep deprived ourselves, LOL). They were so excited to have blankets, pillows, headphones, AND personal tvs waiting for them at their seats. This was their first non-Southwest flight, and they were amazed by all the "extras." We all loved how frequently we were served, too: a snack and drink shortly after boarding, dinner around an hour into the flight, breakfast around an hour before we landed, and frequent beverage cart visits throughout the flight.

The kids *maybe* got 2.5 hours of sleep, and TJ and I probably only got around 1.5 hours broken up into chunks. We hoped for more (and all took melatonin gummies to help), but it didn't work out that way for us this time. TJ sat across the aisle from us and the people around him were not shy in taking up as much space as they could, and our kids sat on either side of me and did the same.

The gist: redeye flights are hard but have lots of pros.

THE ARRIVAL
Upon arriving at LHR, we took a pre-booked taxi from the airport to our hotel that was about an hour drive. We were able to check into our hotel upon arrival thanks to my status with Hyatt, and we freshened up and quickly started our explorations.

I read from many people that staying awake on the first day after arriving is really important for jet lag, and it thankfully worked for us. We were all hit with exhaustion throughout the day, but we pressed on until an early bedtime. A 12-hour night of sleep followed and worked wonders for us, and we all felt mostly adjusted by the time we woke up on our second day.

OUR ITINERARY
We had three full days in London, and our days were filled with lots of wandering, wondering, and a few pre-booked activities.

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DAY ONE
-Arrive & drop bags off at hotel
-Walk to visit/see the following places: St. Paul's Cathedral, River Thames, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament Square, Victoria Embankment, Trafalgar Square
-Enjoy an afternoon tea aboard the Paddington Bus
-Back to the hotel for an early bedtime

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DAY TWO
-Breakfast at our hotel
-Harry Potter Studio Tour
-Ride the tube to The Black Dog for pictures (and singing in the street, of course)
-Play at a playground near The Black Dog
-Explore the Southbank area (carousel, shops, etc)
-The Blackfriar for dinner (fish and chips!!)
-Another early bedtime

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DAY THREE
-Sleep in again & enjoy another hotel breakfast
-Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
-Self-guided walking tour through/to St. James Park, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Queen Mary's Park, The Regent's Park, Gloucester Gate Playground, Primrose Hill, Paddingon Bear/The Brown's house from the movies
-Back to Buckingham Palace for lesser crowds & up close viewing/pictures
-Train from Buckingham Palace to London Bridge
-Borough Market for dinner
-Walk back to hotel to pack up and prepare for our next destination

Three days was not enough to see everything that makes London so special, but we gratefully left with no regrets and a whole lot of memories. The three nights we spent in connecting rooms at Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars were incredible, too, and we would return to stay there again with zero hesitation.

We all agreed that London was the best starting point for these two weeks abroad, and we genuinely loved everything about our time there.

Next stop: Paris, France!