Paris: City of love and the Louvre



Gorgeous find in a little vintage boutique, Paris (I regret to say that no, for some unknown reason, I did not purchase these beautiful Christian Louboutin's, although from memory, they would have only been half a size too big for me...which, in the case of Louboutin's, is definitely fixable! So much lust...)

Visiting Paris felt incredibly surreal. From a very young age, I had revered Paris (as many others had) as the number one holiday destination...especially for shopping. The amazing city is famous for its beautiful language, indulgent pastries, incredible fashion designers and of course, it is known as the city of love.

The awe-inspiring Eiffel Tower

I definitely understand the well-deserved fame, as I saw and experienced each of these things in one small way or another during my stay. As lovely as it is, I think I will need to return to Paris at least once more in my youth, as I don't feel it was given a fair chance to become my favourite place. This was due to a number of small but significant drawbacks - firstly, the rain! It rained every day that my friend and I were there, except for the first day of our tour (when I chose to wear a t-shirt on a bike ride around the city, and consequently received an undesirable tan line which no Italian tan could later recover!). The main reason that the wet weather caused me some discomfort, is that I had developed the most horrid blisters on my feet from so much walking in London - and as a result, was forced to wear open sandals to hop skip and jump through the rainy puddles of Paris in. Wet and muddy yellow summer sandals don't make for the ideal entrance into high-end Parisienne boutiques!

In addition to this, I was generally feeling a little on the flu-ey side. I'd also had a few fairly average restaurant meals, but in hindsight, this can't be blamed on the city itself. We could have been much wiser about our choices. (Tip: DO NOT eat food at a restaurant on the Champs Elysses' where the waitstaff parade around in striped long sleeved tops, complete with red neckerchief and beret. This was an obvious mistake, but we were fooled by the allure of an English menu! Cue salty, unflavoursome pasta and slightly stale bread.)


That said, I still had a wonderful time there - and I definitely stumbled across some noteworthy purchases! In particular, a gorgeous vintage Balmain scarf in bold hues of red, fuschia and bright blue, snatched up for a bargain price of 20 euros! Also, a frilly-hemmed pair of Maje red shorts/culottes with an oriental floral design - that I have since spied on the famous derriere of Pippa Middleton! I certainly feel a little more special when I wear them now.


Other highlights included: discovering the cosmetic kingdom that is Sephora, indulging in sweets at Laduree', climbing the stairs to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and taking in the beautiful view of the city, admiring everything inside and outside of the Louvre, visiting the Palace of Versailles on a gorgeous sunny day, stumbling over the French language and pretending to understand their speedy responses (later to find that they spoke perfect English...), and wandering through the streets and boutiques!


These are a few of the photos I took in Paris.

(From top)

Tarte aux Fraises (From Laduree')
Pony hair heels, All Saints
Cinema billboard
Entrance to the Palace of Versailles
View of the Palace from the Garden at Versailles
Scenic bike ride along Seine river

xx

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