PARIS IN PICTURES // KID IN THE CITY // PART ONE

It's officially over a week since I've been back in the comforts of home rather than the luxuries of our Parisian bolt hole and it's taking some getting used too. Forgotten are the lazy mornings, slow wakes and gentle starts to the day, being replaced by the stark reality of beeping alarms, mad dashes and to do lists. After such a long awaited return to the city of light, I must admit it didn't disappoint. We arrived seamlessly at Gare du Nord fresh faced and full of smiles from our train journey, lugging our bags into the back of a taxi we headed for our first stop, our home away from home.

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When travelling with F in the past, we have opted to rent an apartment but this time we wanted to treat ourselves with a bit of luxury and decided to book into a wonderful hotel situated between Le Marais and Republique. As soon as we arrived at Hotel Mareuil I knew we had made the right decision, the staff were super friendly and gave F a warm welcome to his first stay in Paris. Armed with complimentary pastries, we headed up to the second floor to check out our new pad and were delighted by the contemporary urban design and attention to detail. We stayed in two superior double rooms connected with an internal corridor to create our own haven in the middle of the city.

The bustling neighbourhood surrounding the hotel was full of boutique shops, cool bars and restaurants, including a short walk to the beautiful Saint Martin Canal. I would recommend anyone travelling to Paris to take a Sunday stroll along here when the roads become pedestrianised, allowing a taste of Parisian life as families spill onto the streets.

We were very fortunate with the weather, as the sun shone down across the city casting shadows on the beautiful rooftops and enticing us down hidden streets, where we discovered luscious vertical wall gardens, street art and vibrant painted steps.

We took a lightweight buggy with us but on using the Metro system we decided we were better off leaving it behind. The stations are not built with buggies in mind, but we didn't let this phase us. we were determined to take F everywhere, see all the sights as well as visit some places from our first trip way back in 2006. So F swapped the buggy for Paul's shoulders – which took a bit of a hammering over the 5 days we were there – and started off our trip with the Pompidou Centre and the interactive Frida Kahlo exhibition designed for kids. F had a great time running around, trying on masks as well as taking a look at some of the amazing contemporary art works shown here.

After a hectic first day of running around in our excitement we headed to a super cool pizza & cocktail restaurant which had been recommended to us though Instagram (oh the joys of social media) and were kindly squeezed in by the front of house to eat at the bar. I felt a little unsure how people would react as F was out quite late and sitting at the bar eating pizza while the guys did their thing with the cocktail shakers. But the staff could not have been friendlier, chatting away to F offering him a job as he tried to reenact their moves, his eyes lit up with all the excitement of the after hours fun. Treading on tender feet we slumped back to our hotel rooms, wiped out and ready for bed, grateful for the soundproofed walls and the state of the art NightCove experience.

Valentines Day started with a bang but not in the way we expected. On waking I found that the vision in my left eye was extremely blurred and my eye had become red and swollen – not the type of face you want to see when you wake up. I quickly got directions and headed out to the emergency eye hospital, where I confidently used pigeon French to convey my dilemma. I think the receptionist took pity on me as he pushed through the paper work even though I hadn't brought any ID –which apparently you need before being treated – and within 40 minutes I was sent away armed with an alarming amount of medication in the hope that this would do the trick.

Shaking off the mornings dramas we set off into the heart of Le Marais to try out the best falafel in Paris and check out the David Lynch Small Stories exhibition. So close to the hotel we stayed in all those years ago, it was such a buzz to breathe in the busy city air, which so cooly breezed by. As dusk settled in and the street lights started to hum we decided to jump onboard a tour boat and take in Paris by night. On boarding we were handed a rose and champagne at no extra cost – the French know how to do romance – and headed for the open deck up top. As we silently glided down the Seine, F's head spun from side to side taking in the beauty of the illuminated buildings and uplit bridges, and suddenly there it was. As we came around the bend, the Eiffel Tower in all it's glory shone out in the night. F gasped and jumped up and down on my lap announcing it to the rest of the dreamy eyed couples on the boat. He got a giggle from the passengers and my heart swelled to see his amazement shine through as the light lit up his face, this truly was my favourite moment from the entire trip.



Look out for my Paris in Pictures // Part Two post.

Thanks to Hotel Mareuil for providing us with an additional supreme double making a most awesome and spacious stay.All words and thoughts are my own and I would truly recommend this hotel to anyone travelling to Paris.