Turning 30 in Paris

As milestones go, entering your 30s is a big one, so I figured what better way to mark the occasion than in true style and elegance, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: Paris.

Friday 

I couldn't quite believe I'd never made it to Paris before now, being just a short hop away on the Eurostar. While the Eurostar may not be as luxurious as it perhaps once was, particularly compared with the new high-speed rail links in Spain (the Ave), leaving St Pancras International in the heart of London and pulling into the centre of Paris just a couple of hours later is still pretty exciting.

Having located our hotel, (with the assistance of a passing man in a beret!), how else could we spend our first evening, other than strolling along the Seine. As night fell, we rounded the river's meanders, being treated to the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and drinking in the city's sumptuous architecture.

The Louvre by night

Saturday

Notre Dame

Saturday morning brought a bitterly cold breeze and we huddled amongst the crowds in Notre Dame to warm-up. Back outside, we began to see why Paris has such a reputation for romance - although we may have been shivering alongside the Seine, its myriad of elegant bridges make it simply beautiful to look at.

That afternoon we took some respite away from the river and joined the throngs promenading along the Champs-Élysées.

Passing the Opera House, the Place de la Concorde and onwards to the Arc de Triomph, I began to feel rather mind-blown at the sheer audacity of all these magnificent buildings. With every corner you turn, you are greeted with another expression of the endless quest for beauty and a spectacular show of wealth of splendour. In some small way, I started to understand why heads did roll...

At the Arc de Triomph, we took the opportunity to climb to the top of the gate for an almost unrivalled panoramic view of the city and the Eiffel Tower now right there beside us. Luck was on our side, as we had arrived just as dusk was falling and five minutes before the first light-show of the night. Taking our positions, we watched the tower change from its golden illumination to thousands of sparkling silvery-purple lights - the tower's special treat for five minutes on the hour after dark.

Never short of a panorama in Paris