Patisseries in Paris

Macarons, creme brûlée and chocolate eclairs: Paris is the place to go for the world's best patisseries!! With so many prestigious patisseries present in the capital, choosing where to indulge can be a challenge. You’ll find that most pastry shops in Paris have certain areas of expertise, and are often known for a specific type of pastry. It’s not uncommon for Parisians to visit one pastry shop to get a box of macarons, and then travel across the city to buy their éclairs at another place!

Whilst I have not managed to indulge in all of these amazing patisseries over my five day stay in Paris, I have certainly tasted some out of this world desserts and pastries. My favourite by far would have to be Josephine's Bakery (69 ave Marceau Champs-Elysées) which I found by accident. The chocolate eclairs were to die for and the shop displayed a large selection of freshly baked breads, salads and desserts. 

Saint-Germain Des Pres would have to contain the the largest selection of patisseries. I would recommend a trip within the Latin Quarters (in particular Beauvale Street) and indulging at:
1. Fromager 
2. La Parisienne
3. Hippopotamus 

Disneyland Paris

Today my younger brother (16) and I adventured out to Disneyland. Being our first time I guess you could say we had high expectations - after all Disneyland is every kids dream. 

We purchased our tickets online through Paris City Vision as they provided transport to and from the park. For those you do not know Disneyland is located at Marne-la-Vallée, 32 kilometers east of Paris, which is approximately a 50 minute drive. Our bus departed from Paris City Vision's office at 8am and returned to the office at 8:30pm. Upon check in at 7:30am we were given all the required information and tickets for our return bus later that evening. Disneyland does not officially open until 10am so we found ourselves at the park an hour early which we were not overly thrilled about. We brought a 1 park pass for 1 day however in hindsight we should have spent the extra 10 euro for the 2 park pass as by 2pm we were bored. Do not get me wrong, Disneyland is great however it's main audience is children under 14 and being 16 & 19 there were not enough thrill rides to keep us going all day. Food is another issue at Disneyland - I would recommend packing lunch and snacks as everything was so expensive and the food is mainly fast food. 

A downside with Paris City Vision is they only provide one pick up time this being 7pm. This makes the trip a very long day especially for the young ones. I would recommend trying to find a company that provides a service at 5pm as well as 7pm for those customers who would like to return earlier. Whilst there is a train station located at Disneyland, I would not recommend trying to find your way home this way unless you understand French or you are familiar with the Metro system. Trains in Paris are very confusing and the French do not provide much assistance - even if they know English some will choose not to speak it. Our bus also took an hour and a half to return back to Paris due to traffic. 

For any information on tours provided by Paris City Vision here is the link: http://www.pariscityvision.com

York, England

York is rich in ancient history, romantic ambience and fun activities as it is renowned for its exquisite architecture, tangle of quantity cobbled streets, iconic York Minster and wealth of Visitor attractions. York is only two hours by train from London and would have to be my favourite city outside of London. In hindsight I wish I had spent two or three nights in York rather than just the one night as there was so much to do and see. Although The Tour de France Grand Depart starts on the 6th of July in York so I am glad I missed the chaos of 180,000extra visitors. 

York is the kind of place that makes you wish that the Industrial Revolution never happened, as it reminds us of a world before the machines. York is enclosed by an historic 13th century wall that has carefully maintained heir to its heritage. I enjoyed wondering down the narrow streets of York, drinking coffee in the chic cafes along the tree-lined river as well as some quick shopping. 

                                               York Castle at 11pm at night

Bath, England

For thousands years Bath has been a popular tourists destination as it is famous for its beautiful architecture and fascinating history. I was lucky enough to spend a few hours exploring this iconic city however there was still so much more I wanted to see. I did manage to visited the magnificent Roman Baths as well as relax in the Thermae Bath Spa. 

The Roman Baths date back to the 70AD and were founded upon natural hot springs. They boost four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from the Roman Baths. The Roman baths lie in the heart of the city and are one of the best preserved Roman remains in the world. Tickets are cheap and an audio guide is provided to give fascinating commentary as you slowly make you way around the site. The audio guides are available in 8 different languages, with special guides for children to make it more interesting and less "boring". 

The Thermae Bath Spa were the prefect way to relax after five busy days of sightseeing in London. I spent two hours floating around in the natural thermal waters that have brought health and vitality to the city for centuries. The spa session includes the use of the open-air roof top pool, the in-door Minerva bath and the aroma steam rooms. The roof top pool displayed an AMAZING view of the city's scenery in all directions. Towels, robes and slippers can be hired upon entry and lockers are provide to store your belongings. I would defiantly recommend The Thermae Bath Spa for all ages.