Day 9: 27 October (Saturday night)
(we have started to get chubby... haha)
(we have started to get chubby... haha)
Our flight from Venice landed at Beauvias Airport. Time check: 10.30pm. Collected our luggage without hassle and we were eager to be on the way to our hotel. Waited for the shuttle we had arranged back home but it didnt arrived! I was pissed cos they had already deducted payment from our credit card.
We managed to get on the last bus to Porte Malliot and from there take a metro to our hotel. Porte Malliot was the equivalent of Singapore's Expo. There was a huge convention hall and it was swarming with people. Riverdance was going to be in Paris! The metro ride to Luxembourg was smooth and uneventful.. and i was amazed that the Parisians were late sleepers. The metro was pretty crowded at midnight!
I heard alot of stories that the French aint friendly nor helpful. Even Zack didnt have good experience on his 1st trip to Paris. So i was braced for any lukewarm response. However, i was pleasantly surprised when a guy offered to carry my luggage up a long flight of stairs. (While waiting for zack to come back for my luggage, i was trying to carry it myself.. step by step. I must have looked pretty pathetic.) I said i was good but he insisted. That was very kind of him :) wow... Paris was turning out to be great!
Managed to navigate our way from the metro to our hotel in the dark. I know zack was really tired from lugging the luggage and all, but he was a good sport about it. He had it harder cos he helped me with mine at certain points. With all modesty, i'm no princessy traveller expecting ppl to handle my stuff just bcos i got a pair of boobs. But my hero was always there to carry my luggage whenever i needed help :)
It was close to 1am when we arrived at our hotel and it was such a welcoming sight. You'll see why!
Aint it gorgeous?!
As requested, they gave us the most magalicious room! Look on!
sure is huge for an european hotel
twinking lights above our bed!
open toilet.. ahahaha.. It was clearly a honeymoon room.
no door to the shower area too.
Warming rack. We have warm towels at all times!
and... and.....
JACUZZI!!!!!!!!!!
Woooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
and designer toilet accessories.... that's a toilet bowl flush.. hahaha
chic right?
Wasnt til 3am before we went to bed... But i was a tad wired up, did abit of reading before i could sleep. I'm in Paris!! :)
Day 10: 28 October (Sunday)
We managed to get on the last bus to Porte Malliot and from there take a metro to our hotel. Porte Malliot was the equivalent of Singapore's Expo. There was a huge convention hall and it was swarming with people. Riverdance was going to be in Paris! The metro ride to Luxembourg was smooth and uneventful.. and i was amazed that the Parisians were late sleepers. The metro was pretty crowded at midnight!
I heard alot of stories that the French aint friendly nor helpful. Even Zack didnt have good experience on his 1st trip to Paris. So i was braced for any lukewarm response. However, i was pleasantly surprised when a guy offered to carry my luggage up a long flight of stairs. (While waiting for zack to come back for my luggage, i was trying to carry it myself.. step by step. I must have looked pretty pathetic.) I said i was good but he insisted. That was very kind of him :) wow... Paris was turning out to be great!
Managed to navigate our way from the metro to our hotel in the dark. I know zack was really tired from lugging the luggage and all, but he was a good sport about it. He had it harder cos he helped me with mine at certain points. With all modesty, i'm no princessy traveller expecting ppl to handle my stuff just bcos i got a pair of boobs. But my hero was always there to carry my luggage whenever i needed help :)
It was close to 1am when we arrived at our hotel and it was such a welcoming sight. You'll see why!
Aint it gorgeous?!
As requested, they gave us the most magalicious room! Look on!
sure is huge for an european hotel
twinking lights above our bed!
open toilet.. ahahaha.. It was clearly a honeymoon room.
no door to the shower area too.
Warming rack. We have warm towels at all times!
and... and.....
JACUZZI!!!!!!!!!!
Woooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
and designer toilet accessories.... that's a toilet bowl flush.. hahaha
chic right?
Wasnt til 3am before we went to bed... But i was a tad wired up, did abit of reading before i could sleep. I'm in Paris!! :)
Day 10: 28 October (Sunday)
Located at the 6th arrondissement, our hotel was ideally located on the Left Bank. It's almost smack in the middle. (Eiffel Tower: 7th Arr. to our left, Notre Dame, Seine River, St : 1st Arr. - up north, Latin Quarter: 5th Arr. to our right) Just a short 10mins stroll from our hotel and we reached the PANTHEON. Luxembourg Gardens was also a nice 5mins stroll.
PANTHEON
We arrived just in time for the scheduled tour up the Pantheon. More climbing. We were more conditioned by then :D
Didnt post many shots cos we got better ones. Soon to come.
More gorgeous dome ceilings in Paris..
Walked on in search for Notre Dame! I was just itching to visit. I cant believe Zack didnt visit the Notre Dame or the St Chapelle during his previous visit. I was like.."Then why did u go Paris for?!!!... hahahhha" Oh yeah, he went to see Micky Mouse. I cant help teasing him about it.
hey.. a Smart car!
a Patissier
(this shot is for SY :P)
THE SEINE RIVER
And here we are... NOTRE DAME!
a service in session!
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden - The Fall of Man
Zack said women is the cause of the fall of man
THE SEINE RIVER
And here we are... NOTRE DAME!
a service in session!
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden - The Fall of Man
Zack said women is the cause of the fall of man
Ju said men's dick is the cause of the fall of man!
Notre Dame: Our Lady in french
Ju's favourite Gothic Cathedral
zack took this, so i have to post it.. heh
SAINT CHAPELLE
Filled with stained glasses.. depicting 1000s of parables from the Bible.
Each panel is from a book of the Bible.
Honestly, i was a little disappointed with St Chapelle. I expected something more than just a narrow hall. There was some restoration work at one end of the hall which was kind of a downer. We couldnt quite get the full effect of the stained glasses when the sun shines in.
From St Chapelle, we just walked on.... and we found this! Looks like a Palace.
i reckon it might be the back of Palais Royal, where the Louvre is.
OH THE LOUVRE!!!
It was mid noon so we didnt bother to visit the Lourve, just hang around outside for some shots.
Down from the Louvre Palace is the TUILIERIES GARDENS.
It is the most central park in Paris. It is part of the "historical and spectacular perspective" from the Louvre, Concorde Square (Ferris Wheel), Champs E'lysees and Arc D'Triomphe. You'll see a nice shot of it later from the Arc D'Triomphe.
Didnt manage to take a shot of the Concorde Square. Its huge and only a paranomic shot can do it justice. There, we saw 3 wedding couples (chinese) taking photos! 28/10/2007 must be a good date for wedding. Not forgetting 1 wedding couple we saw near the Notre Dame. What surprised me were their wedding gowns! You'll think their gowns would be totally mag.. why it's Paris for goodness sake. But i tell you, their gowns were really hideous. Seriously.
We veered off course and walked into the streets. Found a shopping street (dunno the name)! Unfortunately ALL the shops were closed - it was Sunday. After Florence and Venice, Paris seemed a tad noisy with all the cars blaring. We hopped onto the metro and head back to our hotel for a rest.
Paris METRO was one heck of a network. Efficient yet confusing. We make rounds in the interchange like hamsters on a wheel. Chatelet was our 'favourite' interchange.. we had tons of fun there.. haha.
As it was a Sunday, many shops were closed and that include restaurants. So we got a recommendation from our hotel and the restaurant was near our hotel. Said to be good!
LE PETIT ZINC
"Whilst retaining its fabulous 1900 décor, this St-Germain des Prés institution, with its "Art Nouveau" style, has retained its exceptionally beautiful ironwork façade and ceramic décor, and has added a luminous terrace with large openings onto the dining room. Its sober and elegant design provides the touch of modernity that only establishments of character can reproduce. The intimacy of the dining-room is a perfect accompaniment to the classic dishes proposed on the menu, the reason for the Petit Zinc's success: the slices of calf's liver or the roast shoulder of Limousin lamb will delight even the most gourmet palates."
Now this is what we tagged... 4 wine glasses! The kind where they take your coats off and bring it to a coat room.. offer you wine and puffy pastry before you even order!
French fish soup
We had entree+plat+dessert
Damage: €70+!
After a nice EXPENSIVE dinner, we went back out into the chilling parisian air. Shioks! But i wasnt feeling too good.. and was almost sleeping on my feet. I later realised it was because i took took 2 panadols before dinner. Panadol + wine = LETHAL. However, on our walk back to our hotel, we found this little shisha cafe. Zack looked keen so we went in. Imagine how cosy it was with the fragrant smoke and peppermint tea.. not forgetting the cold air outside. Didnt stay too long cos i was literally sitting there with my eyes half closed.
That night... zack got on to the net to check out all the Louis Vuitton addresses and marked them on the map! hahahahhaa!
Day 11: 29 October (Monday)
Today is Louvre day!
It's huge... it's packed... there were 3 wings: SULLY, DENON, RICHELIEU.. and i so wanted to see the greek sculptures.
Ambulance? Someone fainted??
Napoleon's quarters
Napoleon's Josephine
I saw a Rembrandt!! but sadly Monet's Waterlily series arent at the Louvre. After 2 hours of roaming the halls.. we got a little restless and went in search for Ms Lisa!
The room with the largest crowd obviously..
That small she is...
we were one of those buggers snapping away! Arghhhhhh..... We've conformed....!Oh my gosh!! *embarrassed*
Dear Ms Lisa
Who exactly is she?
She is the wife of a florentine merchant. Oil on canvas by Leonardo Da Vinci. She was one of the paintings he brought over from Italy to France. He died in France shortly after completion.
oh yes.. we were here too!
next up for the day...
ARC D'TRIOMPHE
Napoleon commissioned the Arc D' Triomphe to commerate the soldiers who fought in the wars, particularly Napoleonic wars. But it couldnt be completed in time for his wedding to Archduchess, Marie-Louise of Austria so he constructed a mockup model. What happened to Josephine? You'll see in Part 2. He died before completion of the structure.
more climbing....
Eiffel Tower!
Lovely lovely view.. it was drizzling..... but who cares! Even better, lesser crowds.
Peppermint tea was good! Served in an authentic tea set. Zack thought the shisha aint as good as the cafe near our hotel. But nice ambience.
walking along the Latin Quarter.....
In the 5th arrondissement, it was a quieter neighbourhood with more residences. We enjoyed seeing where the parisians live..
oh, and i bought my Avene facial wash at a pharmacy for only €9.90! Singapore is selling at $30.I should have bought more.. dammit.
it was nice.... just walking hand in hand along a Parisian neighbourhood... :)
we came out of the neighbourhood and start walking towards St Germain Des Pres. Along the way we bought the all famous Crepes! One of our most unforgetable experience in Paris, that is enjoying warm nutella oozing out of the thin fragant crepes.. in the brisk cool air... with the amazing sights along the streets... AWESOME.
Seine River at night...
on one of the bridges spanning the Seine River. Oh yes.. we definitely kissed.. *winks*
As it was a Sunday, many shops were closed and that include restaurants. So we got a recommendation from our hotel and the restaurant was near our hotel. Said to be good!
LE PETIT ZINC
"Whilst retaining its fabulous 1900 décor, this St-Germain des Prés institution, with its "Art Nouveau" style, has retained its exceptionally beautiful ironwork façade and ceramic décor, and has added a luminous terrace with large openings onto the dining room. Its sober and elegant design provides the touch of modernity that only establishments of character can reproduce. The intimacy of the dining-room is a perfect accompaniment to the classic dishes proposed on the menu, the reason for the Petit Zinc's success: the slices of calf's liver or the roast shoulder of Limousin lamb will delight even the most gourmet palates."
Now this is what we tagged... 4 wine glasses! The kind where they take your coats off and bring it to a coat room.. offer you wine and puffy pastry before you even order!
French fish soup
We had entree+plat+dessert
Damage: €70+!
After a nice EXPENSIVE dinner, we went back out into the chilling parisian air. Shioks! But i wasnt feeling too good.. and was almost sleeping on my feet. I later realised it was because i took took 2 panadols before dinner. Panadol + wine = LETHAL. However, on our walk back to our hotel, we found this little shisha cafe. Zack looked keen so we went in. Imagine how cosy it was with the fragrant smoke and peppermint tea.. not forgetting the cold air outside. Didnt stay too long cos i was literally sitting there with my eyes half closed.
That night... zack got on to the net to check out all the Louis Vuitton addresses and marked them on the map! hahahahhaa!
Day 11: 29 October (Monday)
Today is Louvre day!
It's huge... it's packed... there were 3 wings: SULLY, DENON, RICHELIEU.. and i so wanted to see the greek sculptures.
Ambulance? Someone fainted??
Napoleon's quarters
Napoleon's Josephine
I saw a Rembrandt!! but sadly Monet's Waterlily series arent at the Louvre. After 2 hours of roaming the halls.. we got a little restless and went in search for Ms Lisa!
The room with the largest crowd obviously..
That small she is...
we were one of those buggers snapping away! Arghhhhhh..... We've conformed....!Oh my gosh!! *embarrassed*
Dear Ms Lisa
Who exactly is she?
She is the wife of a florentine merchant. Oil on canvas by Leonardo Da Vinci. She was one of the paintings he brought over from Italy to France. He died in France shortly after completion.
oh yes.. we were here too!
next up for the day...
ARC D'TRIOMPHE
Napoleon commissioned the Arc D' Triomphe to commerate the soldiers who fought in the wars, particularly Napoleonic wars. But it couldnt be completed in time for his wedding to Archduchess, Marie-Louise of Austria so he constructed a mockup model. What happened to Josephine? You'll see in Part 2. He died before completion of the structure.
more climbing....
Eiffel Tower!
Lovely lovely view.. it was drizzling..... but who cares! Even better, lesser crowds.
BASILICA SACRE COEUR
wooo..... Champs Elysees...... all the way to Palais Royal - The Louvre.
After Arc D'Triomphe, like any sensible human being, we hit CHAMPS ELYSEES!
All the shopping anyone can ever dreamed of!
LOUIS VUITTON!
When i made my first step into the largest Louis Vuitton boutique in Paris, my heart skipped a beat and plummeted all the way to my toes. I kid you not. I feel like.... i've come home. Just kidding. Too many asian for my liking. Made me feel like we were one of those sucker tourists (which we were *sigh*) But what the heck, we're in Paris and Paris = Louis Vuitton! :D Zack said that! He even encouraged me to get a Louis, imagine that.. hahah!
It was a happy zack and ju walking out an hour later :D
Zack's: Brown Taiga
Ju's: Ivory Epi Leather (added 2 more to my collection since *beams* no more, no more.)
Got my sis a Monogram pochette as well..
Sadly no pics of the boutique cos it was raining and i wasnt about to risk Alfie. Pity pity. We walked on... guess what we found?
LEON'S
It's this restuarant which has awesome mussels and pasta and the likes. Zack had a meal there in his previous trip and he said the mussels were great. We had a pot! But it wasnt 1 for 1. It was really good! i had this fish gratin which was equally good.. i'm getting hungry even as i'm typing this.
Nike was a short distance away and in we went. Zack saw this pair he likes (again!) and to get back at him for the countless times he dragged me away when i saw something i like...(not forgetting the 2 pairs he bought in Venice and Florence!) i went.."No, you cant get it. You only got 1 pair of legs, why do you need so many pairs of shoes for??" Hahhahahhaha! Revenge is sweet.... that look on his face: priceless.
FYI: You can custom-made a pair of Nikes in the store. There is a designer to help you but it will only be ready in 4 weeks. Soon and Juliana (we saw them in Rome! wat are the odds! :)) made a pair each.. €300 per pair *faints* Thank goodness they dun ship overseas, zack looked really interested!
It was a long long walk down Champs Elysees.. we didnt bother with the long stretch so hop onto the metro and head to the Latin Quarter in search for Cafe Egyptian.
Cafe Egyptian
The shop owner was this friendly egyptian man.. and seemed to idolise this female egyptian singer. Goodness, the shop was like a shrine to her.. newspaper cuttings, caricatures, posters.... We thought it was his wife. hahaha. He was really friendly, came over and chat a little with us.
wooo..... Champs Elysees...... all the way to Palais Royal - The Louvre.
After Arc D'Triomphe, like any sensible human being, we hit CHAMPS ELYSEES!
All the shopping anyone can ever dreamed of!
LOUIS VUITTON!
When i made my first step into the largest Louis Vuitton boutique in Paris, my heart skipped a beat and plummeted all the way to my toes. I kid you not. I feel like.... i've come home. Just kidding. Too many asian for my liking. Made me feel like we were one of those sucker tourists (which we were *sigh*) But what the heck, we're in Paris and Paris = Louis Vuitton! :D Zack said that! He even encouraged me to get a Louis, imagine that.. hahah!
It was a happy zack and ju walking out an hour later :D
Zack's: Brown Taiga
Ju's: Ivory Epi Leather (added 2 more to my collection since *beams* no more, no more.)
Got my sis a Monogram pochette as well..
Sadly no pics of the boutique cos it was raining and i wasnt about to risk Alfie. Pity pity. We walked on... guess what we found?
LEON'S
It's this restuarant which has awesome mussels and pasta and the likes. Zack had a meal there in his previous trip and he said the mussels were great. We had a pot! But it wasnt 1 for 1. It was really good! i had this fish gratin which was equally good.. i'm getting hungry even as i'm typing this.
Nike was a short distance away and in we went. Zack saw this pair he likes (again!) and to get back at him for the countless times he dragged me away when i saw something i like...(not forgetting the 2 pairs he bought in Venice and Florence!) i went.."No, you cant get it. You only got 1 pair of legs, why do you need so many pairs of shoes for??" Hahhahahhaha! Revenge is sweet.... that look on his face: priceless.
FYI: You can custom-made a pair of Nikes in the store. There is a designer to help you but it will only be ready in 4 weeks. Soon and Juliana (we saw them in Rome! wat are the odds! :)) made a pair each.. €300 per pair *faints* Thank goodness they dun ship overseas, zack looked really interested!
It was a long long walk down Champs Elysees.. we didnt bother with the long stretch so hop onto the metro and head to the Latin Quarter in search for Cafe Egyptian.
Cafe Egyptian
The shop owner was this friendly egyptian man.. and seemed to idolise this female egyptian singer. Goodness, the shop was like a shrine to her.. newspaper cuttings, caricatures, posters.... We thought it was his wife. hahaha. He was really friendly, came over and chat a little with us.
Peppermint tea was good! Served in an authentic tea set. Zack thought the shisha aint as good as the cafe near our hotel. But nice ambience.
walking along the Latin Quarter.....
In the 5th arrondissement, it was a quieter neighbourhood with more residences. We enjoyed seeing where the parisians live..
oh, and i bought my Avene facial wash at a pharmacy for only €9.90! Singapore is selling at $30.I should have bought more.. dammit.
it was nice.... just walking hand in hand along a Parisian neighbourhood... :)
we came out of the neighbourhood and start walking towards St Germain Des Pres. Along the way we bought the all famous Crepes! One of our most unforgetable experience in Paris, that is enjoying warm nutella oozing out of the thin fragant crepes.. in the brisk cool air... with the amazing sights along the streets... AWESOME.
Seine River at night...
on one of the bridges spanning the Seine River. Oh yes.. we definitely kissed.. *winks*
No comments:
Post a Comment