Paris, Versailles, & Giverny
My incredible photographer Julia, @paris.instatour captured my dance in front of the Eiffel Tower
Paris was a dream come true. It surpassed my expectations in every way and I cannot wait to be back. I had a very narrow window to book this trip, but because of how long I’ve been conceptualizing (MANIFESTING) my time in the City of Love, everything went absolutely perfectly.
Getting down to Mariah with new friends in Le Marais!
I arrived on a Friday afternoon. My plan was to watch The Bodyguard (1994) for the first time (!) before exploring Le Marais, the gayhorhood in Paris.
It did not disappoint- Le Marais, OR the movie! Le Freedj (35 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie) was my first stop of the evening. The DJ played BOTH Chaka AND Whitney’s version of I’m Every Woman! The club had three floors and the music and dancing was so amazing I ended up staying here the whole night.
The next morning I moved to my new lodgings in Versailles, which is about a 45 minute train ride outside of Paris. (Here’s a bit of advice for navigating the public transit in Paris: I’d highly recommend purchasing all your tickets on the Mobilites app. Map out your routes on GoogleMaps a couple times (at different times) because I found that several times I didn’t get the fastest or most direct route the first time plugging the address in.)
The full moon over the vineyard in Versailles on my last night in France was to absolutely die for
At first I was hesitant about staying outside of Paris, but I quickly realized that Versailles suited me very well. Café-Hôtel Le Bout du Parc was a really good choice: super friendly staff, close to a variety of public transit options, recently remodeled premises, and while I was out exploring most of the time, I usually felt like I was one of the only ones in the hotel! Plus the restaurant and the cafe on premises were excellent!
I wiped away tears seeing the Gardens of Versailles for the first time. A literal dream come true. I would highly recommend purchasing your tickets for the inside of the Palace online, in advance, but there is a lot you can see for free.
I felt like a kid in a candy shop exploring the Palace of Versailles- French espresso rushing through my veins, gushing in all the brilliant gold, green and blue- I’d hop on a flight to France just to skip through the gardens of Versailles one more time! But as much fun as I had running through the gardens at the break of dawn, my favorite part of Versailles had to be The Swans: and I believe a huge purpose of my visit to France was to receive their blessing.
The Louvre: I don’t think I did this correctly, haha
I have to give a shout out to my amazing photographer Julia! She gave me both a tour AND a photoshoot- the true highlight of a visit that was nothing BUT pure magic! Make sure to book with her @paris.instatour to see and experience the most exclusive parts of Paris!
My last full day in France, I went on a tour of Claude Monet’s estate. This excursion was a great value: it included a bus ride to and from Paris and there was an optional audio tour that you could listen to as you explored the gardens and home. I also made a few friends on this tour! Here is a little peek of the view from the front of the home. Since I was already staying in Versailles, I opted to not do the Palace inclusion, but that is an optional add-on: Monet’s Home & Gardens in Giverny.
Paris is an absolutely magical city and I cannot wait to be back!
I had a dream to dance in the middle of the street on three different continents in 2025 and my visit to Paris was the cherry on top. Paris has to be the most diverse city I’ve ever visited and I will absolutely be returning very soon to revel in the magic of the City of Love once again :)