The Paris Diaries Christmas

Chapter 1

Bonjour from Paris! The Paris Diaries started as a nod to my grandma, who loved my travel adventures and storytelling. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do writing them.

(wearing La Ligne grey sweater *gifted)

The flight was uneventful, aside from a delay leaving Chicago. I eventually fell asleep before dinner and somehow slept through breakfast?! Blame it on long days of work leading up to my departure.

Initially, I planned to be in Paris just for four days, which is extremely short, but with work and my anniversary with my husband, there wasn’t a ton of time to squeeze in.

As I sorted through my schedule, I added an extra day for a few reasons. I wanted to discover Hotel Balzac for a night. It is newly opened, and they are the sister property of Saint James and Relais Christine, two favorites. It is close to the Champs Élysées, and this destination, at least for me, is a little far from where I wanted to be for the rest of my trip—one night at Hotel Blazac made sense to be able to experience Christmas here and then move to the Left Bank.

(The dress is Sézane paired with Blondo boots)

I showered, got situated, and changed to hit the ground running.

I strolled down Avenue Montaigne to catch the Dior Christmas display and windows with a coffee in hand. It is cold, but not as cold as I initially expected.

As I mentioned in my bucket list post, tea at Plaza Athénee was on the agenda, and it is a quick walk from Hotel Balzac. Katie and I laughed and ate our way through my first croque (filled with chicken and comté), and she had a club followed by Christmas-themed pastries and tea.

(tote is Cuyana (gifted) and Sézane coat)

We parted ways so Katie could return to her family for the evening. My stay is not sponsored at Hotel Balzac, but I was given an upgrade for one night. Luckily, I have a lovely balcony view of the Eiffel Tower. While I write this post, I am using the table on the other side of the balcony as my desk with a view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour on the hour starting after dusk, and I could catch it.

After backing up my photos from the day, I returned to Paris for a solo dinner. I love bringing a notebook with me to jot down ideas from the day. Next to the restaurant, there was a pharmacy, and I popped in because I always forget at least one thing, and I needed a restock of my favorite lip conditioner from Caudalie.

I will shoot with Katie at a dream location tomorrow and move to the Left Bank. It will be nice to be settled for the weekend at one hotel and focus on shooting Christmas in the city.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Paris Diaries. Please feel free to share with other Francophile friends. I would love to know what you would like to see in the city as I explore over the next couple of days.