Paris the city of love

Paris holds a special place in my heart, some of this is due to familiarity having visited a number of times. The other reasons, it shares my love for fashion, beauty, shopping and food. Four of my favourite things. 

But the main reason why I love Paris most of all is that it is the centre of one of my favourite books The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The wonderful blend of history and code cracking makes it my perfect book. It shares some of Paris's favourite landmarks.  

So when I booked a weekend in Paris for my mothers special birthday it made Foodieforce well a little bit excited. 

You can't visit Paris without seeing one of its most famous landmarks the Eiffel Tower. 

The metal structure stands proud in the City's skyline at 906ft. It really is a sight to behold. 

For those that are fit amongst us you can walk up to the first level of the tower 345 steps. This wasn't really an appealing offer for us, so we opted for the lift. This gives superb views of both the metal design of the tower and the views of Paris as you ascend. 

The views at the top are breathtaking even when it is pouring with rain and bloody freezing. 

Top tips are to buy your tickets in advance if you can. Be warned though they do not release lots and many go to tourist companies and tours. If you can't get a ticket in advance don't panic arrive at 8.30 am and begin to queue and when it opens at 9 you won't have to wait to long. 

You have seen it in the day but don't forget that it looks even more beautiful in the dark with its twin search beacon's that light up the Paris sky. Every hour for 10 minutes the whole tower sparkles. I wouldn't want to change a light bulb on this beauty. 

It was a little bit windy at the top and after all that fresh air what is a foodie to do. Yes you know me too well by now, Eat. We opted for a sweet little

restaurant in Opera.

One of my favourite soups is onion and no one does it like the French. Looking at this picture is making me want to be there right now. Huge bread croutons, topped with yummy gooey cheese. Oh so good. 

The afternoon was spent at the Louvre, such a beautiful museum with of course none other than The Mona Lisa. 

I'm not really sure that I buy into the amount of fuss that is made about The Mona Lisa. Yes it is a cool painting but compared to the many beauties in the museum I certainly wouldn't say it is the best thing to see. But art is all down to personal interpretation. 

After the miles we had done walking we decided to call it a day. But what a wonderful first day in Paris. Plenty more to follow for Day two in Paris. 

Have you been to Paris? What is your favourite part? Any top tips to share with others?