I went to Paris, and boy did I love it! With a compilation for the car (which, I hasten to add, included 'Foux du fa fa' of course) and a handful of euros for a baguette and pomme pot as soon as we were on French land, off we went!
Firstly, we went to the Sacre Coeur ('Sacred Heart'), which was beautiful. The locals were sat on the steep steps over looking the spectacular view of the city, with a beer or a picnic, playing music, reading books.
Paris is a wash of cream:
It was here that I first spotted the Eiffel tower. I gasped with joy!
On the last night, we returned to this spot to see the Eiffel Tower lit up, and circle the city with it's lighthouse beam. Magical.
I took a photo of the Sacre Coeur on that night. Grainy, but I like it alot:
The next day, we went to the Eiffel tower. I was just amazed by the fact that here I was, standing under the tummy of this massive architectural icon that you see in photos over and over again, and can't quite believe is a real thing. Being the magpie I am, I had to grab a tacky fuchsia pink model before I left Paris, oh yes.
We went to the second level and the view was amazing - the gardens, the ants, the familiar financial district:
We didn't go to the top. The distance was hazy and the queues were long - we had so much more to see and I'm sure I'll have another chance. I started to walk down one of the legs, but with my knuckles white on the hand rail and my tongue wedged to the roof of my mouth, I had to go back and take the lift. What a wuss.
We then went to the Galeries Lafayette, eek. The smells, the lights, the dome...fabulous. Though I have to say, my favourite thing, was the view from the top:
Now, when it came to the Moulin Rouge, I always imagined it to be pretty huge, and set apart from everything else. It was very strange. Very colourful, but very strange.
Now I've probably walked past 2 storey sex shops before, but none quite like this Parisien one, with it's garish flashing red lights and 'SEXODROME' capitals. Made me blush! he he
The trip to the Louvre is one to remember. So so surreal. I've seen famous paintings, but none with it's very own paparazzi...
I found it hilarious. Notice the photo's blurred - from me being pushed and shoved and winded, ha ha ha - Mona Lisa has her own moshpit. Here I am with her (as close as I was allowed to get):
When we went to the Avenue des Champs Elysees, the sun came out for us. The rows of horse-chesnut trees looked so green under the mass blue sky and everything seemed to shine! Maybe it's always sunny down the avenue. The view of the Arc de Triomphe was fantastic...
I went to LaDuree, to see if I could be convinced to like macaroons...
Menthe, Reglisse, Framboise et Violet Cassis. Divine. I've promised my mama to go back and get her a rose-petal macaroon one day, he he.
So there I was, surrounded by Europe's most expensive real estate, with pink and mint coloured crumbs round my mouth - couldn't be happier!
I'm not really a big fan of Louis Vuitton (although I'm sure the new shoe range is determined to convince me otherwise), but I am a big fan of the gorgeous window displays...
So it's safe to say, I loved the city. The Baroque architecture, the mint coloured trains, the old Metro signs, the electric bikes, the candy coloured stand-out terraced houses, the views, the french whispers, the graffiti (the Parisien Banksy) and stickers (NY loves me, ha ha), and crepes (sucre citron s'il vous plait) and verdigree and perfumeries and old antique shops with exquisite old perfume bottles. I LOVED it. I nearly bought a beret, ha ha.
When I came home, I caught the just-released trailer for the new Gossip Girl. Two months too late, aherm, but just IMAGINE if I'd ran into Chuck Bass. Swooooon. Sacre BLAIR! ha ha ha
The day we returned home, I had to unpack, then repack, for adventure number 2. I was off to Tenerife. At first, I didn't fancy it, simply because I had flown in to Los Christianos on my way to La Gomera (you have to get a boat over from there), and it had been very dry (obviously - as it's a volcanic island) but also very touristy.
Being a family holiday, my mama successfully enticed me with the promise it would be lovely, and I'd enjoy some sun, swimming, reading, sleeping and ridding of my silly white sock mark...ha ha
And, as she promised, it was divine! We stayed in the most beautiful villa, with the most beautiful views and stunning weather. No tourists, just the great noise of people tee-ing off from the golf course. I would have been STUPID to say no.
The villa had African decor with huge great vases of bamboo, and water fountains and ornamental gourdes and massive, beautiful lamps. I just loved it - being somewhere beautiful, somewhere new, with a dramatic change of scenery...I think just below the moon, that's Venus -
I swam lots, laughed lots, dive-bombed a few times, read lots (Goddess Experience, Gisele Scanlon, long overdue), ate lots (mainly my body weight in water melon), drank lots (of mint tea), slept lots (and lots and lots), my skin went silky and my hair went blonde. I loved the plants, the shade, the day bed, the evening delivery of ferrero rocher (ha ha ha), learning to play squash in the evenings, a kopperberg (or two) in the pool. I'm a lucky thing.
One day, we walked to the nearest town, which was bang on the coast. On the way, I took this picture:
And I couldn't help a creative shot:
My Diana f+ actually broke when I was in Paris, but I continued to use it, so see if any 'happy accidents' became of it. We'll see!
Tourist:
Even dog's head paid a visit.
On the way home, I couldn't wait to say this little face:
It's blurred because he was so excited to see me tooooo (of course!)
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