April has been the fastest month of the year by far, as a matter of fact February-May has felt shorter than the single month of January. I can count the number of weeks I have left here on my two tiny hands now, and I am trying my best to make the most of every single day.
1. Going up the Arc de Triomphe
Going up the Arc de Triomphe has been number one on my Paris to do list since my first month here and we FINALLY did it. I’m not too sure why we hadn’t done it before, the line always looked too long or we wanted to wait for the perfect weather. I think I have been up almost all the tall viewing points in Paris now, and this one was hands down my favourite. It’s central, not too high so you can see everything well, and free for students.
2. Paris by night
As evenings get lighter and warmer it becomes far easier to motivate yourself to actually do something other than indulge in a Netflix binge after work. After a very cute easter fajita night a few of us went for a walk along the river by the Eiffel Tower at night. It was pretty idilic with all the lights and the boats going along the river, as well as being far less busy than it is during the day.
3. Bouillon Chartier
This month I was introduced to the Parisian gem that is Bouillon Chartier. It’s a restaurant which serves all the classic french cuisine you would ever want to try for exceptional prices. I would highly recommend the steak frites with peppercorn sauce, at only around 12€ for a properly decent sized portion, it literally feels like stealing.
4. Skiing in the Alps
It’s been three years since I went on the family ski trip, and since I’m already in France why the hell not. The journey to and from the Alps was long but entirely worth it and I had an amazing few days skiing with my family and other non blood related family. The weather was almost perfect, there was an epic snowstorm one morning, the snow was sensational and the aprés ski was epic. The trip was a little bittersweet as our dream team was missing a member, but I reckon we did him proud.
5. ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’
My actual dad didn’t write an actual porno, this is a podcast that I have become obsessed with this month. It’s basically a guy who finds out that his dad has written a porn book and decides to read it along with two friends. I have had to stop listening to it in public because it can actually make me laugh out loud, I’ve already gotten quite a few friends hooked on it and I will not stop until it’s a household name.
6. Venice
I visited Italy for the first time this month in the form of a little weekend trip to Venice and you can bet that I will be going back. It was an insane weekend but I won’t say too much about it because you can go on over and read my Mini Venice travel guide instead. That self promo is entirely shameless.
7. First class airport lounge
I am not posh, I just have a posh friend who happened to get me into one of those crazily extra airport lounges on our way back from Venice. There was an unlimited buffet and we had no shame in leaving our other two companions outside in the cafeteria with the commoners.
8. Hello sun
For a full week in April the temperature here didn’t drop below about 25 degrees. It was literally bliss, although it did make me realise how frustrating it is to have a desk job and be stuck inside on warm days. There were many lunchtime and evening walks and my legs were well and truly out constantly.
9. Champ-de-Mars
Speaking of sun, a group of us took advantage of a very warm Friday evening by trooping to the Champ-de-Mars, the big grassy area behind the Eiffel Tower. We sat and watched the sunset, drank wine from plastic mugs and listened to the extremely varied playlist of the group of people sitting beside us until midnight.
10. Burger Bus
Way back in February my friend and I were sitting outside a restaurant drinking mojitos and got our first glimpse of the wonder that is the Burger Bus. It’s exactly what you would expect, a bus on which you eat burgers. We vowed that day that we would take a trip on the bus ourselves, so I booked it as a little surprise for her birthday. It’s far cheaper than any other bus tours in Paris even though there’s a burger included, so a very fun option if it’s a bus tour you’re looking for. My top tip though would be to go on a less roasting hot day than we did. Sweat plus leather chairs caused us some problems.
11. Zara Dress
I wanted this white broderie anglaise dress from Zara for pretty much the entire month but it was sold out everywhere. They now stock this new version which is crazy similar. I had finally accepted my fate when one day, during an innocent shop browse, I found one IN MY SIZE tucked away at the back of a rail. Doesn’t have pockets but I am still in love, everyone has flaws.
12. Barcelona
As I write this I have just returned from a lovely weekend in Barcelona with my not so little little sister. Again I’m not going to say too much, instead you can keep your eyes peeled for the inevitable mini travel guide that will be coming your way in the next few days…
I hope your April was amazing and your May will be marvellous!
Best wishes from Paris x
Lauren Robertson 
ahh, paris is absolutely gorgeous! i have been a few times and it never disappoints <3! i have always wanted to visit venice! great post x
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It’s my favourite place in the world! I am yet to meet someone who doesn’t agree haha
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