It's just been a little over two weeks since I came back from my "around-the-world" trip, but haven't had the chance to do the recap of my last stop: Paris- the city of Romance. Well, in my case, it wasn't the city that made it romantic, but rather a very special individual who also happens to be French- the BF (yes, the friendboy had officially been promoted as of February during our trip in Myanmar). Anyway, aside from all the lovey-dovey moments, he made sure I had another view of Paris this time around. In 2008, on a Contiki tour, we visited the city of Paris and many other must-see cities in that European area. It was amazing not only because it was Paris, but because it was winter and just full of holiday spirits. Unfortunately, the tour ended with a disappointing memory, so Paris never came back during my reminiscing moments.
Regardless of what happened before, this time couldn't have been more enjoyable. I really looked forward to reacquaint myself with this historical place filled with traditions and habits of a whole different world- at least that's what it felt like for me anyway. Even though I grew up in the western environment, there's still that feeling of authenticity being there. The narrow stoned streets, the unfamiliar language, and intermittent looks- it really had the "Midnight in Paris" scene. So what did we do to make the most out of these 5 days? I'll let the pictures do the talking...
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(1st night dinner: tartiflette- very cheesy & filled with potatos; so begins my fear of potato-intake)
(bolognese for dinner no.2- really loved this simple dish & so delish!)
(random layers of ingredients for our lasagna- topped with a layer of bacon just because)
(okay, we didn't cook this but it's still home-made at his mom's place- if I weren't ridiculously full from apero, I'd have finished the whole thing!)
(our last dinner for my short stay: pesto- can't believe he asked me if I had forgotten salt. lol, it was just too garlicky!)
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[Tourist in Paris] The BF got me a really cute "I <3 Paris" shirt, except he obviously had a very skewed judgement of how not-a-stick his GF really is. So, we went to the famous "Galerie Lafayette "to exchange for my size, and dropped by the old Opera house "Garnier".
(the roof of Galerie Lafayette is just beautiful- such a tourist of me to be taking pictures of this again, but meh! I'm a tourist :P)
(the weather wasn't that great, but we're all sunshine inside enjoying the view of the old Opera House Garnier)
Then, uncertain where we were going, he led me to the chocolatier shop "Jean-Paul Hevin" for an afternoon chocolate indulgence. Actually, I was quite hungry by the time we reached the destination, but seeing how he understood my love for chocolate and really just wanted me happy, I enjoyed it nonetheless. (For those of you who remember, this was the chocolate he brought me when he came to KL to meet up for our Myanmar trip! Goes to show he remembers :P) Another thing on the program he had prepared was to watch two plays at the new Opera house "Place de la Bastille". It was my first Opera- thanks for helping me check off another item on my bucket list- so I was still trying to soak in the experience. As the play was in its original language, a translation board was prepared just above the stage to caption all the speech. Except, it was all in French, so it didn't really make that much of a difference with or without it. Nonetheless, I can watch and figure out the plot myself, though it would've been more helpful to Google the gist of the play beforehand. Then, we head to some must-see places in Paris, including the "Sacre-Coeur", "Hotel de Ville", "Palais de Justice de Paris", and "Notre-Dame". Yah, I think I've been to these places before, but it's just a totally different feeling being there with the BF again. Possibly because it's a part of him that we're exploring- the French part. It's funny because he's also quite a tourist himself as most locals don't visit touristy places, so with his huge camera, he became a tourist in his own country.
(honestly haven't had such a texture in any chocolate cakes I've had- soft chocolate sponge cake with a crunchy base coat. Perfection!)
(just look at their selection of macarons!! regret that we didn't grab some for to-go)
(jam-packed with people, we finally found our seat! love the live orchestra)
(Sacre-Coeur: such a beautiful building. If only it were sunny with fluffy white clouds that day...)
(Hotel de Ville: suppose it's the city hall, but not sure why it has the word "hotel" in its name! confusing-much~)
(Notre-dame: it never seize to amaze me how magnificent this place is! Just breathtaking)
(walked by a bridge full of locks. Suppose couples would put a lock here together to seal their fate. The BF totally didn't prepare. Tsk tsk tsk. Just kidding, no need la. I still love you)
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[Castles] When asked what I wanted to do in Paris, it was quite an easy answer. After reading all those European Royal History/Gossip, I just wanted to see castles. The BF had everything planned out to rent a car to go a little further out of Paris for these visits. Mind you, driving in Paris unnecessarily will cause insanity. Seriously, just take the public transit to save all the hassle. Back to what I was saying, as it turned out, I fell more in love with their gardens than the castles themselves.
(Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte: just as the sun decide to join us. Even though the dome was still under restoration, we were able to visit most of the castle. The whole feeling walking in from the gates was just grand. Rather peaceful at the same time)
(I would LOVE to study here)
(Just wanted to take a picture of the garden before we go for our morning walk)
(The view is just...WOW! Yes, I'm in almost all his photos because I'm always in front of him :P)
(Chateau de Fontainebleau: unfortunately, we arrived a little too late, so we could only tour the garden. Even so, the garden had some of the best views this trip wit the double rainbow!)
(Just look at this! I remember just thinking of nothing at the moment...)
(It felt like the sunshine came to make up for the closure of the castle! Haha, if only. But yes, we were blessed by the double rainbow scene)
(rule of thumb is that I never look back: but for him, I do)
(Château de Compiègne: where Louie XV called home, then later restored by Napoleon. Stayed by Marie Antoinette for some short visits as well. Pretty cool to be walking in history!)
(look at the details that Napoleon put in this place to brand it his...)
(just check out this room! can't be any more pinked! Yes, it's Napoleon's)
(for the ladies in waiting to...well, wait!)
(the grand ball room...just picture all of them waltzing in their gowns n suits. Nothing beats a good dance)
(our ride for the 2 day-trips of castle visits, which I didn't get to drive because I was not of 25, will have costed more if I drove for insurance issues. Boo!)
(Chateau de Pierrefonds: Built as a fort to hold off enemies, it was definitely not as fancy as the other castles, but nonetheless, one of the more "castle-looking" castles)
(exactly what I mean...)
(overlooking the chapel from the second floor)
(A meeting room, I presume, for the larger gatherings)
(this place got colder n colder by the minute as we ventured deeper into the castle. But seriously, someone should light up these massive fireplaces)
(ran in the rain to reach our car. Upon getting on the road, the sun comes out! Geez~ but fine, I do appreciate the after-the-rain scenery)
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[The Last Days] After a long day of driving, we've decided to head out for dinner instead of cooking at home- less mess created by me for him to clean. So we headed to "L'autobus Imperial". I have to say, I wasn't too impressed with their service as it took them forever to come take our order, but the food made up for their lacks. Then, as Saturday was the designated day to celebrate his twin brother and sister's birthdays, I didn't want to be the reason he missed out. So, we took the train to join the family in Verdun...
(Simmered for 6hours, the beef was tender and juicy. Just the way I like it)
(we should do apero more often :P)
(I can't remember the last time we had set places and glasses for any meal at home...possibly because I haven't been home for the longest time. So lucky to be there to celebrate and enjoy family time)
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Even though we missed out on a few iconic places, it really didn't matter where I went. The point was to see Paris through his eyes, to live in his world, to enjoy being "French". It's true, people are much nicer when you speak French- in this case, I just let him do the talking. There's no doubt about it: I enjoyed every moment of my stay in Paris from the moment he found me at Arrival until the moment I lost sight of him in the line of Immigration (yes, the sweet lad waited on the 1st floor not wanting to leave because he could still see me in the line up on the 2nd floor. Waving and doing hand signals, completely oblivious of the fact that there were more than 50 pairs of eyes looking down at him with mine. Lol, thanks bun, for making this trip so amazing, so worth the jetlag, so worth it all.
(until next time...)