So Much to Do, So Little Time

Today was by far the most exhausting day I've had in Paris since my arrival. We walked all day starting from 9:30am until 7pm. For breakfast, I ate a raspberry croissant from a popular bakery around the corner from my hotel. After that we went to the Louvre, where we walked through the surrounding garden. The weather was hot today, so it was so relaxing sitting beside the garden's water fountain. Our first stop was at the Orangerie, where we got to see Claude Monet's Water Lilies. My personal favorite was definitely the day version, since it had more colors and details.

As a quick snack we stopped by a macaroon shop, called Pierre Herme, afterwards. They had so many colorful and unique flavors, and I ended up getting the apricot and pistachio flavor and the lychee, rose and passion fruit flavor. Along the way we walked throughout the Palais Royal area, where we saw so many luxury department stores, like Chanel. My professor also introduced us to the oldest coffee shop in Paris where Coco Chanel used to go to. There, they have a very rare Indonesian coffee for the cheapest price, so I plan on trying that one of these days. 

Once we got free time the girls and I went back to the Louvre garden to grab some flower-shaped gelato. I treated myself to the grapefruit, passion fruit and cherry flavors. The highlight of my day was when we visited a carnival in the garden, which had several fun rides. Because the prices were so expensive, we decided to only pay 5 euros to go on the swing carousel, which was so much fun. From up there, we got to see a spectacular view of Paris and some of its most popular monuments, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. 

At 4:30 we had to visit our professor at the Moulin Rouge stadium, and from there we walked to Montemartre, which is the highest hill in Paris. It had the most beautiful view I've ever seen, and there, I got to see a skyscraper view of the city. All I could make out were thousands of white rooftop buildings. At the very top of the hill was a gorgeous bleach white church that was surrounded by many cute little shops. I had the chance to try a chocolate and banana crepe, which was my very last activity for the day. As much as I loved this area I was so exhausted by that time that I just wanted to go home. I wanted so badly to have enough energy to further explore the area. However, I unfortunately have to visit again another time when my schedule isn't so jam-packed. So far, I can safely say that I love Paris so much, and it definitely stole my heart more than London!

Paris, je ta'ime

This past weekend I went to Paris and fell in love. I know that people overly refer to Paris as "the city of love" or "the city of lights," but in all honesty, it is true. It got me thinking about what it was exactly in Paris that I loved and I have yet to put my finger on it but the fact of the matter is I did not want to leave and I know that I will definitely be going back. I have always dreamt about going to Paris, every since seeing Passport to Pairs with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (for those of you who know me, you know that I am a little bit obsessed with the Olsens.) To put it simply, there is an essence of Paris that makes it just like you see in photos and movies, there is the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre as well as the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs de Elysee. It is pretty much impossible not to recognize the beauty in Paris.

Paris, I love you.

There I am, lusting over Hermes!

On our first night in Paris, Eliza and I went to dinner at a cute little place called Au Clair de luna. Contrary to my preconception of the French, they were all very nice. Even though there is a very apparent language barrier, I was able to understand what I needed to and everyone that we talked to was willing to help us. After dinner, we happened upon a night trolley that took us from our current location at the top of Montmarte where a beautiful church is to Moulin Rouge. The ride was so pleasant and we were able to enjoy our gelato as we rode down a beautiful mountain.

On Friday we decided to go shopping at Champs de Elysee. First we treated ourselves to a delicious breakfast where I got a crepe with ham and cheese. To accompany our food, we got ice coffees that tasted like melted coffee ice cream, I was in heaven…until we got the bill and they cost 7.80 euro, and we got TWO each! We didn’t dwell on it too long because right across the street, the Louis Vuitton flagship store was calling our name. We admired the beautifully designed window displays featuring dinosaurs along with Louis product such as trunks and bags. After standing in line just to get into the store, we went to the book section where most things appeared to be in our price range, even those were a little pricey. I ended up getting a book called Parisian Chic  as well as DVDs about Marc Jacobs influence in the company and two others about the days leading up to fashion week. At this point, it was time to get out of the store before we did any more damage so we headed to the Louvre.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, AKA Nike of Samothrace 

The Louvre is pretty much what I expected, a lot of tourists and not enough space. Everyone told me that the Mona Lisa was overrated, but of course I had to see for myself. I must say that pretty much everyone was right in telling me so, but I am happy that I got to see it in person. It is actually pretty funny how excited people get to see it; I can’t even explain the number of “selfies” were being taken with it! After the Louvre, we headed over to the Musee Decoratifs where there is an amazing exhibit going on about lingerie and its’ history. I am happy to say that after taking Costume History, most of the information acted as a refresher and it was nice to have prior knowledge and then actually see things that I have only heard about. There were even corsets and wire skirts that museum goers could try on in order to experience the feeling of wearing them firsthand.

Friday night may have been my favorite because we went to the Eiffel Tower to see it light up. With full stomachs of fondu, we took a bottle of wine to the tower and were able to relax and enjoy the beauty of Paris. Even with all of the different languages we heard and people trying to sell us stuff, the sheer magnificence of sitting in a place that I have only dreamed of was enough to be ingrained in my memory forever.

Breathtaking night view of the Eiffel Tower.

On Saturday, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to get a sense of how it looks during the day and I must say that it is just as beautiful. We took a boat ride from just near the tower that lasted about an hour and we were able to see Paris at a glance. We passed Notre Dame as well as the Ponts Des Arts bridge where lovers place a lock and throw the key into the river (we went back and did so the next day!) among other landmarks. The boat tour was a great way to still enjoy seeing sites without actually having to do anything other than sit and listen. Our last stop was La Duree for macaroons, believe it or not it was my first time trying them and I certainly was not disappointed! Now I must begin my detox from all carbs and sweets, the "baguette" stereotype of Paris is no joke, I must have consumed at least three whole ones during my four day stay, maybe even more!

Overall, Paris was beautiful and I can’t wait to go back some day! Between the fashion and the energy, I just can’t get enough!