Sreelekha strikes a sexy pose at Avenue Des Champs Elysees

Paris, je t’aime. Paris, I love you. I have never fallen in love with a city more than Paris. It truly is a dream destination. And it was doubly special because it was an all-girl trip!

My friend Chandreyee (Ghosh, actress) along with her two friends, my daughter Maiya and I headed for Paris on June 6. Though it was a short trip for only a week, we had the time of our life. It was awesome!

On Day One, we took the hop-on-hop-off city tour. We visited the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, and took a walk along the river Seine, which was so romantic.

Sreelekha takes a selfie during her train ride to Montmartre

What I loved most about Paris is the people. They are so friendly and eager to help. And everyone is so, so well dressed! The one thing that’s common between Paris and Calcutta is that they too love long addas like us. The Paris streets are dotted with cafes. People smoke, sip on red wine and champagne, laugh, talk and just laze around in those cafes.

If you are in Paris, a visit to the Louvre museum is a must. But a day isn’t enough, it’s so huge and there’s so much to see.

One evening we went to Moulin Rouge... and what an evening it was! My daughter was with us but she didn’t mind watching the show where girls danced topless. She said, ‘Mamma, their performance is great!’ Moulin Rouge is thriving with energy, so full of life, brightly lit... it just transports you to a different world.

Sreelekha and Maiya in front of Eiffel Tower

The next day we wanted to laze and relax. So we took a trip to the countryside, to Loire Valley. It’s like a picture postcard. Beautiful vineyards and chateau. We spent an entire day in Loire. If I could afford it, I would have bought a small villa and lived there for the rest of my life!

In front of a painting inside the Louvre museum

Versailles and Nice are equally pretty, if not more. Nice was our home for a day before we took a flight back to Calcutta.

Paris is also a foodie’s delight. For all the seven days, we dug into cheese, ham, wine, croissant.... But being typical Bengalis, after three days, we started craving for rice! Someone pointed out a shack near the beach. A Bangladeshi man runs a biryani counter. We rushed in and pigged out on some yummy biryani for lunch! It was the most amazing thing because we spoke in Bangla with the owner.

Mom-daughter in Disneyland

Paris is also a city of lovers. People walk holding hands, smooch whenever they want to, hug, kiss.... It’s a different world altogether. I will go back to Paris, soon. But this time I won’t leave in a hurry. I want to stay there for a while and explore the city like a romantic!