Paris & Italy – 25th Anniversary Surprise!

PARIS??!! What? If you remember, back in November … my amazing husband surprised me with a 25th anniversary getaway that I was TOTALLY NOT expecting! You can read about the surprise HERE along with the video he recorded when he announced where we were going. People have asked how he kept it all a secret – and I honestly have NO idea how I didn’t find out and did not have even an inkling! I am even shocked at this fact, because I am pretty much “super sleuth” when it comes to whats going on and who’s going where in our house. Neither of us had ever been to Europe at all, so this was an adventure of a lifetime!

We took some beautiful photos and stayed in some amazing places, and life has been a bit of a roller coaster since November, so I’m only just now getting to sort through photos and can’t wait to show you some of the lovely places we saw! For someone who loves antiques and beautiful furniture – oh my!

Our Paris Airbnb

Many of you were following me on Facebook as I posted bits and pieces along our way, and I’ve had several people ask about the amazing Airbnb places we stayed during our visit. I truly think we were blessed with the standard of excellence and the quality of accomodation we stayed in, so I have no problems sharing where we stayed (and no, I’m not an affiliate for Airbnb either).

Our first apartment was near Le Marais and Musée National Picasso. A lovely, bustling part of Paris, but felt safe and secure as we entered the locked courtyard area to head up to the apartment.

Entering the front door, check out the living area (below) – and that’s me peeking my head through from the bedroom on the other side. This view is taken from the kitchen space. The bathroom featured a claw foot bathtub and the shower and toilet areas were seperate – in fact, I thought the shower was a linen closet till we opened it and voila – a shower! The bathroom was HUGE.

Bedroom:

Take a look at these bedroom walls!! I couldn’t tell up close if this was wallpaper, or some kind of fabric or even antique paper, but the details on the walls were beautiful. The whole bedroom was painted in the most beautiful green paint that really reminded me of Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint – in a colour like Kitchen Scale. But the texture was a very matte finish with that beautiful vintage milk paint feel with variation in the colour. The whole apartment had that newly refurbished feel, so the paint work really seemed fresh, but old world in style.

Lounge/Living area:

Here you can see back through that end bedroom door I was peeking out of earlier, into the living space and the beautiful fireplace.

And opposite the fireplace, you can see across to the kitchenette and that little door to the right, is a laundry/wet area/coat closet.

We pretty much crashed upon our arrival late afternoon after an all night flight from Melbourne to Dubois and across to Paris the next day! I felt like I’d been awake for 48 hours!

We did however, wake for a first walk around town and to find our first meal! Of course, we had to try escargot!

The meal was delicious and the restaurant was a little “hole in the wall” authentic French cousine, family owned business, that made us totally feel like we were in another world – oh, hang on, we WERE!

By this stage I was still pinching myself that I was actually in Paris!And that was only our first night!

I totally recommend this place for a romantic getaway or honeymoon. You can see more images via their Airbnb posting and the rave reviews they’re receiving. Here’s an image for you to Pin to your Pinterest board:

Day 2 – Chateau de Versailles

Due to light shower forecast the following day, we took a trip to Versailles (Pron: ver-SIGH). The Palace of Versailles is a royal Castle in Versailles, France. It is now a museum and huge tourist attraction. Thanks to my Facebook followers for recommending this one to us! I was in antique furniture HEAVEN!

Versailles was the seat of political power in the kingdom of France from 1682, when King Louis XIV moved the royal court from Paris. In 1789, the royal family was forced to return to the capital, shortly after the beginning of the French Revolution. It contains so many beautiful items from the royal family, including Marie Antoinette. You can click this link to take you to the official site for more info on visiting Versailles.

I’m going to leave you with a sneak peek of the gates outside the Chateau de Versailles, because this place really needs its own blog post as there was so much to see and you are going to LOVE the furniture it beholds!

Want to shop the French Provincial look?  French Provincial Home Decor

For Part 2 of our European Vacation, head over here: Versailles, France – French Provincial Heaven!

Part 3: An Antique Store in Versailles, France

Part 4: Who Knew there was Furniture at The Louvre?