All posts filed under: France

Discovering the artistic side of Paris

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Musee du Louvre, the largest museum in the world and probably one of the most famous as well for its feature in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.  Reserve at least half a day if you want to enjoy a good chunk of this museum because the exhibitions are enormous.  We spent about 3 hours and only got through about three exhibitions and within the last hour we sped through most of the artwork.  As I am writing this post after my Europe trip, I must say Musee du Louvre is large and thorough enough to over shadow all other European art museums and act as a good summary of all categories of European artwork.  Initially we were going to do this and Musee D’Orsay within the same day but I’m glad we scraped that idea because you will be exhausted after exploring either and will need a breather before delving into such intense artistic realms again.  The beautiful modern glass pyramid entrance How the pyramid looks like from the interior after you have descended the …

Shopping in Paris at Champs-Élysées!

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Today I finally visited the much anticipated Champs-Élysées, which is THE shopping distract in Paris.  Wide streets lined with every store imaginable.  It is comparable to London’s Oxford street but slightly larger.  I wasn’t about to obliterate my wallet on Chanel and Hermes, but I did have my sights set on one thing: L’aduree.  The much coveted confectionary shop is most renown for their macarons; sweet chewy delights in heavenly flavors.  I had my first L’aduree macaron in New York and was sold ever since.   The Ladurée store on Champs-Élysées has an outdoor cafe and a bar for those that want to stay a little longer to soak in the pleasantries.  When I finally reached the store, clearly I wasn’t the only one that had to get their hands on a macaron. Yup… check out this line up.  This was AFTER I got past the line up that extended past the door. STILL well worth the wait.  Yes, I honestly think they are THAT good.  You should be quick with your order because as friendly as the staff …

Château de Versailles

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West of Paris lies the city of Versailles, home to King Louis XVI’s royal palace.  Within these 67,000 square meters of royal land, you will find over 2,000 windows, 6,000 paintings, 2,000 sculptures and plenty of other luxury goods to flaunt the Sun King’s wealth.  Upon entering the proximity of the palace entrance, one is overwhelmed by the spacious cobble stone and gold rimmed exterior of the palace.  But the real deal begins on the inside.  The view beyond the gates is but a minuscule fraction of what awaits inside this enormous piece of land. The Château de Versailles is sectioned into many different rooms and hallways.  My personal favorite is the Hall of Mirrors.  This hallway is lined with glass and dangling with sparkling chandeliers that glisten in the sunlight.     Room after room of impressive statues and paintings   Instead of posting photos of the rooms that every other tourist has already snapped up, I’m going to take you through a secret tour.  M and I were lucky enough to come across …

Classic Paris: Eiffel Tower & Seine Cruise

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Paris, the city of lights.  The capital of romance, french baguettes, outdoor cafes and macarons.  I’m going to mention one thing that my photos will not communicate.  It is the fact that Paris is just like any other highly populated city.  Its metro system, although very developed and intricate, is at best smelly and dreary.  The streets are littered with people trying to sell you things and pickpockets are scattered generously all over.  Keep your fairytale expectations of the city on the low and you will be able to enjoy the many pleasures that Paris has to offer. First and foremost is obviously the Eiffel Tower.  Plan to arrive early if you want to catch a ride up this tower of steel because the line ups will be lengthy.  There are two levels: midway and top.  We went all the way up to the top to catch a glorious view of the city.  There is also a restaurant available on the midway point and souvenir shops if you want to dine with an unbeatable backdrop. …