Enjoying Paris Like a First Time Visitor! 🥖✨

In this vlog, we are enjoying Paris like a first time visitor! 🥖✨ I’ve taken a few trips to Paris but my family hasn’t, so today, I’m sharing all the best things to see, eat, and do in Paris, France. It’s a special trip for my Mom’s Dream Birthday in Paris!

So that secret is out – we’re in Paris celebrating my mom’s birthday! It’s her first time visiting Paris and I wanted to show her all the best attractions in Paris. After a long flight and some travel drama, we started our 5-day adventure with an amazing bike tour around the city. We visited Le Petite Palais, the Pont Alexandre III Bridge, and the Musée du Louvre, soaking in beautiful fall weather and fascinating history. We wrapped up the day with a luxurious birthday dinner at Le Train Bleu. 🍷

We continued exploring the iconic landmarks of Paris, including the Seine River, Notre-Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. We also enjoyed a delightful cooking class at Le Foodist and indulged in pastries at Angelina. Despite some changes in our plans, we discovered beautiful parks and the stunning Galeries Lafayette. Stay tuned for more adventures and don’t forget to subscribe for more travel tips 🌍✨

Enjoy!
Antoinette | Frolic & Courage

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 DAY 1: Arrival in Paris
00:00:45 Bike Tour Around Paris
00:04:15 Le Tren Bleu
00:05:25 DAY 2 – Louvre
00:09:15 Angelina Lunch
00:10:13 Reflection
00:12:15 Seine Dinner Cruise
00:14:52 DAY 3 – Baguette Making Class
00:17:50 Square Louvois
00:19:40 Shopping + Galleries Lafayette
00:23:01 Au Bourguignon du Marais

MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO
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VIDEOS
Planning a Trip to Paris Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl0Gx5WgtQ15diht2VfWOJ1BNlrlMDLly&si=Fjz2iXzis9wL3A2M

ACTIVITIES
Louvre Museum – Exclusive Guided Tour (Reserved Entry Included): https://www.viator.com/tours/Paris/Skip-the-line-Private-Guided-Tour-Louvre-Museum/d479-6353P7?pid=P00050571&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=Paris23

Angelina Paris: https://www.angelina-paris.fr/adresses/paris-rivoli

Explore Paris – Things to do and see in Paris, France: https://www.viator.com/partner-shop/frolicandcourage/Explore-Paris-France?medium=link&medium_version=shop&campaign=ExploreParisCollectionShop

PARIS TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
– Luggage Tracking Devices
AirTags (iPhone): https://amzn.to/3xuRove (15% off!)
– Tile (Android): https://amzn.to/45D0D97
– Easy French Phrase Book: 1500 Common Phrases For Everyday Use And Travel: https://amzn.to/3KXSPFm
– StreetSmart® Paris Map – Laminated folding pocket size city travel and Metro map with all attractions, sights and hotels: https://amzn.to/4cap6Fq
– Rick Steves Pocket Paris: https://amzn.to/3KTtUTB
– Full list of Paris Travel Essentials: https://amzn.to/3XAOEXD

WHERE WE STAYED
Hotel Charles V: https://prf.hn/l/ngRmj0o

MUSIC
Like the music you heard in this video? Download it for yourself here: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/685j1b
– Paris After Dark by Moins Le Quartet
– Sunset Martini by Magnus Ringblom Quartet
– Fumes by [ocean jams]
– Living by Say3
– Vivaldi: The Four Seasons by Michelle Ross, Eric Jacobsen

CHECK ME OUT
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📩 CONTACT me (Antoinette) for business inquiries: Antoinette[at]frolicandcourage.com

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hi everyone and welcome back today we are traveling with a few special guests to celebrate a very special occasion after a long flight from Dallas to orle in a stressful potentially trip disrupting situation that we’ll talk about later we jumped on the Orly Val train to terminal 4 where we were one step closer to finally starting our 5day celebration please the train and make sure to collect all your belongings and so you know we have the special occasion y’all we took my mom to Paris for her birthday I’m going to show her all the best things to do see and eat in Paris France I’ve been to Paris a few times now and I’m excited to be her and your tour guide to the City of Lights so of course I’ll be enjoying Paris like the first time visitor on this trip too so let’s kick things off by exploring the city on a bike tour here we go on our bike tour mom’s cuddling there we’re doing it this is such a gorgeous gorgeous day yay happy birthday to Mom yay our guide took us around the city to get familiar with the layout and attractions in Paris we stopped by Lu P which was created for the world fair in 1902 and is now Museum of Fine Art and Pont Alexandra 3 Bridge our guide shared interesting pieces of history based on our location like did you know Leonid the site here houses the tomb of Napoleon bonapart and used to be a hospital and retirement home for War veterans how interesting we continued our 3-hour tour in the most beautiful fall weather imaginable if you’re planning a trip to Paris definitely consider going in late September or early October for lovely [Music] weather gorgeous sh we have the s River our gorgeous gorgeous day continuing on WE pedal on one of the many designated bike Lanes in Paris and took a quick break at the sen river flowing through Paris the S has been a vital commercial route since ancient times and remains Central to the city’s layout and identity the river is renowned for its picturesque embarkment which are aligned with historic landmarks such as notam Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower one of the best things to do in Paris as a firsttime visitor is to take a bike T through the city and we enjoyed riding through the streets to catch a glimpse at what a normal day in Paris looks like for its residents before stopping at the largest museum in the world the Muse de originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II it was transformed into a royal palace in the 16th century and became a public Museum during the French Revolution in 1793 we’ll be back at the Loop later in this video so let’s jump back on our bikes and keep riding through Paris passing by the loop crazy [Music] we’re going to go to the eiel tower for our so let’s just head back into this little here we are going by the S cycling by here we also learned that a lot of the region buildings were built up in the hosman style where you have your shops on the first floor you have your shopkeepers on the floor above and then you have the rich people in the apart large apartments above the shopkeeper because not a lot of stairs so they didn’t have to work that hard and then you have your maid staff at the very top in the smallest 100 ft rooms but look there’s people painting over here it’s a gorgeous day oh I love Paris our last stop on the bike tour is the Eiffel Tower built in 1889 for the world’s fair to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution the tower was originally an iore for the people but it’s now the iconic symbol of Paris afterwards we scrambled to find clothes for our next event my mom’s celebratory birthday dinner at latran Blue an opulent five-star restaurant located within the G de Leon train station I’m going to create a whole video dedicated to where we ate in Paris and what we ate in Paris so subscribe so you don’t miss it but but for now let’s enjoy a luxurious plastic French dinner in honor of my mom’s birthday and watch her get a year wiser in style finally special that looks really good lamb oh my goodness just cut [Music] fresh make a wish make a wish y oh don’t blow you got a blow go yay now that we’ve indulged in both Savory and sweet French cuisine let’s return to our hotel to rest and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure to three mustsee spots for every first time visitor to Paris [Music] since we’re enjoying Paris like a first-time visitor how could we not stop by the iconic Muse deou the museum is over 654 th000 Square ft contains 500,000 objects 35,000 works of art including the famous Mona Lisa and Venus Milo statue and is divided into eight major sections it is easily accessible via metro stops pet Royale Muse duu like you see here and Lou rioli if you were to walk around the museum you’d easily walk 9 miles you can purchase individual and guidor tickets on the website and through reputable third parties since tickets often sell out I’ll put those links in the description box below once you arrive there are many entrances but let me show you one that’s a short walk from the main entrance at the pyramid that can save you hours of waiting in line instead of going to the main entrance come over to the Carousel D go down these stairs and it’s so much faster to get in that’s what we’re going to do now is follow the signs down be all kinds of shops so and that’s how you can get a little shopping in and potentially cut your waiting time in half or more by entering via Carousel duu in at the main glass pyramid entrance let’s quickly get through security so we can explore the museum and just like that here we are through a quick little group security with maps available over here he have the cloak room information desks on the way out information Museum membership group reception area to the right auditoriums we’re on our way to go [Music] see you can always pick up a free map of the museum while you’re at the Museum in addition to downloading it on your phone but this thing will be your best friend because it is so busy and crowded once you find a section of the map that you’re interested in flip it around once you flip it around you actually get more of the day-by-day layout here so you could see which rooms you want to go in and then you know plan accordingly and I suggest you have a plan before visiting the museum because you can easily spend hours getting lost in all the artifacts for more inside tips including what to see how to get free admission and more watch my LOF video video in the planning a trip to Paris playlist at the end of this video in the meantime join me as we check out these Masterworks of art together at the most visited Museum in the world [Music] [Music] on this trip I’m enjoying Paris like a firsttime visitor so when in Paris eat lunch at a French Patisserie also known as a pastry shop Angelina in Paris is known for its historical te- room and Patisserie and is within a short walk from the louv museum their signature hot choc is considered one of the best in Paris along with consistent high quality tea pastries and other Savory Delights reservations are not available so seating is first come first serve and there will likely be a line but it will be worth the wait really what do you think of the hot chocolate smooth and delicious and it tastes like a candy bar yeah straight up candy pretty much we made it to Paris in one piece it has been such a whirlwind today and as you can see this is day two and Paris The Bike Tour was phenomenal and apparently I’m wearing the exact same clothes as yesterday and you want to know why because the airlines lock lost our luggage that’s right lost our luggage y’all so we have been a full day even went to my mom’s birthday dinner at lren Blue we had to buy something and then wear it for the night and I had no toothbrush no none of that y’all but what I did have were air tags y’all I cannot stress this enough if you do not have air tags go out and get you all some air tags if you don’t know what air tags are I’ll put a link in the description box below if you have an Android phone get a tile because when our bags were lost had to immediately file a claim so that they can go look for our bags and deliver them to our hotel but first they had to locate the bags it was so easy I told the attendant I said we don’t have our bags and he says okay we’ll search for them and I said no no no sir it is right here this is the location we are in Paris our bags are still in Terminal 1 at the Lisbon airport right at this exact location he wrote it down and within 24 hours later we had our bags delivered and there said bag straight to us so moral of the story get air tags for your checked luggage and also carry around with you just a small day bag if you are bringing a carry-on bag on the plane or just a personal item maybe put in a spare pair of underwear and maybe a shirt just in case and maybe a quick little toothbrush toothpaste little kit and a comb because that’ll get you really far trust me now we just got back from the louv museum it was phenomenal my second time there everybody had a great time and now now we’re going to go to BAU peran which is really the Paris boats for a nice sen River dinner cruise let’s go I need to change clearly it’s been two days in this outfit I want to get out of it let’s go I’ll see you there my parents enjoy Scenic views spending time on the water and great food so for their first visit to Paris we’re grabbing an Uber to take them to BAU Parisian BAU pisen or Parisian boats provides a unique perspective of Paris allowing guests to see the C’s iconic landmarks from the sen River they offer short sightseeing cruises and longer lunch and dinner cruises like this one that combine sightseeing with fine dining and jazz music the boats are comfortable the service is excellent and my typically motion sick mother didn’t experience any unpleasant symptoms at all with a long-standing presence in Paris BAU pen has built a reputation for Reliable service and quality experiences that’s enough chatting for now grab your glass of Rosé and let’s toast it creating Unforgettable memories and car is [Music] n [Music] no [Music] was our boat back there and T ends right at the Eiffel Tower brilliant [Music] all right everyone we’re up bright and early and on our way to our next activity via the Paris Metro my mom only wanted to do a few things in Paris eat great food visit a castle and as a bread connoisseur learn how to bake french baguettes so off we go to one of my personal favorite things to do in Paris and highly recommended for firsttime visitors to Paris attend a French cooking class at LEF foodist LEF foodist offers immersive cooking classes and culinary experiences that allow you to learn French cooking techniques and recipes in addition to cooking LEF foodis provides cultural insights and stories about French culinary history and traditions which enriches the experience and makes it more than just a cooking class classes are typically small fostering a more intimate and personalized learning environment with the chef and a more hands-on experience [Music] you can leave all your belongings you’ve seen that you have a r SW on your way and I prepared some [Music] coffee Le foodist offers classes in making three course French meals croissants macarons and other desserts and of course French bread oh and it looks like we’re here and these baguettes are not going to bake themselves so put on an apron and let’s get to work [Music] cl to the bottom with the scissors you need to tilt your scissors because if you are like this short spikes I want longer [Music] in the yes you would put the spice in the soaking liquid would vanilla or do you want to use a cinnamon cinnamon but in France we hate cinnamon yeah I don’t know why but in past we never put cinnamon because we think it’s overpour the rest of the taste and because we absolutely want the taste of butter we forget about this 4 hours and many laps later we have have a full spread of not just homemade baguettes but Rosemary infused dinner rolls chabata pan Purdue or french toast and cocon Shure bread to pair with butter cheese Jam tea and coffee everything was going so well today until I received some disheartening news about our Eiffel Tower visit let’s say goodbye to the foodis and come up with a plan of action we have a little good news and a little bad news today good news is that we had an amazing baking class we baked so many breads baguette it’s Brio chabata Rosemary and fuse chabata it is so so good and we have so much to go that we wrapped up in plastic crap so we could take on the plane back home cuz it is amazing the bad news is that our Eiffel Tower tickets were cancelled due to technical glitches I suppose and so we’re getting a full refund so we’re not going to go all the way up to the summit like we had planned but that’s okay so we’re pivoting and just browsing around and doing some shopping my sister and my mom are at in this long line to see if she can get a new purse because her cheap bag broke literally while we’re in the Metro can you see her the one right in the middle yep there she is waiting in line and the line is long y’all it is long brought the PO on R so good luck to her while she’s waiting good luck and while we’re waiting for them I don’t need a bag neither does my dad or my husband so we are just hanging out at a nearby park it’s really really uh relaxing so we’ll be here for a little bit and then make our way to Galler Lafayette Paris osma so yeah join us for that okay so we had to change plans but that’s not entirely a bad thing what makes Paris a beautiful city are its lush green well-manicured Parks squares and green spaces had it not been for the cancellation we wouldn’t have found this quiet Square in the Heart of the City to relax I call it a happy accident [Applause] Plus on the way to gallery’s Lafayette we can see more quintessential things to do in Paris like walk past the stunning Paris Opera building a few minutes later Galler’s Lafayette emerges Galler’s Lafayette is a renowned French department store chain with its flagship store located on Boulevard hosman in Paris this store is famous for its stunning architecture including a remarkable glass Dome and art Novo design luxury goods fashion accessories home decor and gourmet food while in Paris don’t be fooled into thinking Gallery lafay is just one large department store building it actually spans multiple buildings with three different focuses [Music] you see follow the signs that say Terrace this way we’re in the Copo building which focuses on women’s fashion beauty products jewelry and accessories plus Copo has one of the best views of the City of Paris that you can climb up to at the top deck for absolutely free check it out I love you I love you I you I you [Music] [Applause] the cool things that galleries laugh is if you go to the sixth floor or the CM you can go past all the shops follow the signs to where it says the rooftop or the Terrace and there are great views of the city you have a wonderful view of p g the opera house you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance and behind me there is the famous Paris JM Paris I love you sign which people are patiently waiting to take photos at just like we are it is sunny up here for sure adjacent to Capo is LOM which is the men’s store that carries men’s fashion accessories from both high-end designers and contemporary Brands across the street from LOM is maon Gourmet which focuses on home decor from furniture and gourmet food if you plan to spend at least $100 here be sure to bring your passport and pick up a vat form to drop off at the airport so you can get 12% back on your taxes how cool is that as you can see galleries left fette is more than just one building so many galleries La there’s a gouret so where you get Gourmet goods and there’s Lau where you can get your vat tax refund and there’s also Lum which is the did you notice how much walking we’re doing in Paris today yeah we’re burning calories together and now it’s time to refuel with a hot steamy pot of beef Bon a classic French slow cooked stew at oor D in the great neighborhood of La in [Music] Paris stay tuned because next week I’ll show you what it’s really like visiting the Palace of ride but for now enjoy this Savory pot of beef bouron [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]