La Bougeotte

You’re in love with something bigger than love

Pourquoi pourchasser l’amour quand on peut poursuivre le monde?

You believe in something stronger than trust

Pourquoi croire les hommes quand on peut avoir confiance en son indépendance?

“Wanderlust”

Parcourez le monde pour ce que vous croyez.

 

«Wanderlust». C’est ma chanson préférée de The Weekend.

Wanderlust. La bougeotte en français. Ça veut dire un fort désir ou une impulsion de voyager et d’explorer le monde.

En six semaines, j’ai voyagé dans de nombreux endroits. Annecy – Nice – Paris – Lyon. Pour n’en nommer que quelques-uns. Toutefois, lequel est mon favori?

Annecy. Avec les amies. La grève. Avoir mangé près du canal. Avoir fait du pédalo. Avoir déambulé sur le Pont des Amours.

Quand je regarde les photos que j’ai prises, il faut que j’aie un voyage préféré.

Nice. La colline du Château. La plage sans sable. M’être baignée dans la mer Méditerranée sur la Côte d’Azur. Avoir fait une sieste sous un ciel sans nuages. Avoir mangé une glace sous le soleil brûlant.

Lorsque je réfléchis au nombre d’heures que j’ai mis dans la planification de mes voyages, il faut que j’aie un voyage préféré.

Paris. L’Arc de Triomphe, le Grand Palais et le Petit Palais. M’être promenée sur le Pont Alexandre III. Les Invalides. La Place de la Concorde. Centre Pompidou. Avoir mangé des macarons. Louvre. Musée d’Orsay. Château de Versailles. Avoir dîné au seul restaurant italien étoilé à Paris. Avoir vu le scintiellement de la Tour Eiffel au Trocadéro. Musée de l’Orangerie. Un pique-nique au Jardin des Tuileries. Avoir regardé un match de tennis au Champ de Mars. Avoir fait un tour en bateau autour de la ville. Moulin Rouge. Shakespeare & Co. Sacré Coeur. Avoir monté les escalier de Montmartre et avoir apprécié l’art de la Place du Tertre. Jardin du Luxembourg. Avoir fait du shopping aux Galeries Lafayette et aux Champs-Elysées.

Quand j’analyse mon compte bancaire, il faut que j’aie un voyage préféré.

Lyon. Vieux Lyon. Nuits Sonores. Une glace chez Amorino. Fourvière. Les musées. Les Fêtes Consulaires. Avoir vu des girafes pour la première fois au parc de la Tête d’Or. Classe avec Monsieur le Docteur et tout le monde. Ma famille d’accueil accueillante.

Quand je pense aux gens que j’ai rencontrés, il faut que j’aie un voyage préféré.

La vérité est que chaque ville a ses propres charmes. Chacune est unique avec des histoires différentes. On ne peut pas comparer des pommes avec des oranges.

Lequel est mon voyage favori?

 

Mon voyage préféré est le dernier que je ferai.

Weekend in Nice

I wanted to call this post “Nice Trip to Nice” but that sounds kinda wordy. Anyways, I still haven’t finished blogging about my last trip to Paris, but here’s a little clip of my adventures during my last weekend’s stay in Nice!

Mon génie dans une bouteille

Ici à Lyon, je n’ai pas encore trouvé mon Aladdin, mais j’ai rencontré un génie.

Elle n’est pas grande; elle n’est pas bleue. Elle est toujours là quand j’ai besoin d’elle et, plus important encore, elle m’a exaucé plus de trois voeux.

Ses yeux sont bruns. Ses cheveux bouclés sont de la couleur du miel. Son nez est pointu et son sourire est plus beau que celui de Mona Lisa. Sa voix est comme le son d’une harpe. Bien qu’elle gronde ses enfants de temps en temps, je peux sentir son affection envers eux. Elle me rapelle ma mère quand elle me grondait et je pense que toutes les mères veulent le meilleur pour leurs enfants. Malgré ce que les années ont laissé sur son visage, elle est toujours aussi belle.

Quand je suis arrivée à Lyon, elle m’a accueillie avec joie. Elle m’a fait visiter la maison et le quartier. Elle m’a suggéré des endroits où faire les courses et elle m’a aussi appris où prendre le train, le métro et le tramway.

Chaque matin, elle me salue avec «tu as bien dormi?» et un sourire qui me suit toute la journée. Elle prépare des petits-déjeuners simples et rapides, mais délicieux. Elle est très attentionnée quand vient le temps de me faire découvrir de nouveaux aspects de la cuisine française. Pour dîner, chaque soir, elle prépare des entrées, des plats, du fromages et des desserts. Elle n’a jamais fait deux fois le même repas et elle ne cesse de m’étonner et de me surprendre avec sa cuisine.

Une fois, elle m’a demandé quel était mon fromage préféré. Je lui ai répondu que je les aimais tous mais elle a insisté pour que je détermine un favori. Alors, j’ai donné une réponse au hasard: le fromage à pâte persillée. Lelendemain, il y avait du fromage à pâte persillée sur la table. Une autre fois, j’avais envie de tartes et c’était comme si elle pouvait lire mes pensées. Comme par magie, il y avait une tarte aux fraises géante sur la table pour le dessert après le dîner! Quand je suis rentré tard de Grenoble, elle avait même mis un peu de dîner de côté pour moi. Une autre fois, quand elle a vu mes ampoules aux pieds, le lendemain, elle a préparé des pansements et de la crème juste pour moi. Quand le temps a subitement changé et qu’il faisait plus froid, elle m’a offert de me prêter son cardigan et m’a demandé si je voulais une couverture plus épaisse pour dormir. Sachant que j’allais fêter mon anniversaire à Paris, elle a même préparé un gâteau de mousse au chocolat, m’a chanté une chanson de joyeux anniversaire et a célébré avec moi à l’avance.

Ma mère d’accueil. Mon génie dans une bouteille. Elle est une hôtesse attentionnée et prévenante, un chef incroyable et une super maman tout en un. Avec une mère d’accueil aussi incroyable et qui prend aussi bien soin de moi, ce n’est pas étonnant que je n’ai pas le mal du pays!

DSC_0997

Forever XXI

DSC_0193

First time celebrating my birthday away from home. And of course, I had to celebrate it in Paris under the sparkles of the Eiffel Tower!

We left by train on the morning of my birthday. When we arrived at the apartment we reserved through Airbnb, we were half an hour early for check-in hence we explored the neighbourhood. The apartment was situated a three-minute walk away from the Alma-Marceau metro stop, which was close to Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, and Champs-Élysées. We were also steps away from the Tokyo Palace and we could literally see Eiffel Tower around the corner of each and every building. Ahhhhh~~~ <3

DSC_0010

The lady (not the host/owner) who was supposed to meet us to go over logistics for renting the apartment was late. She finally arrived half an hour later and upon entering the building, I was really taken aback by the chicness of the tifanny blue walls. Even though from the pictures online, I already knew the apartment would be small, I was still excited and had hopes to be surprised. We took the elevator to the fifth floor and from there, we had to take the stairs to the sixth to where our suite was. Just as I opened the door to the staircase, I was shocked. It contrasted so much from the outside that it was like day and night. It was sketch as hell. I mean it was lovely, if I was doing a vintage horror photo shoot there. The lady told us the 6th floor (which seemed like an attic) was where the servants used to live back in the days while the richer families lived on the floors below behind the fancy tiffany blue doors. I tried to tell myself don’t worry, the room would at least be nice and bright and cozy. Well, it was “cozy” alright because it was soooooo much smaller than in the pictures!

We were told that the apartment had just been cleaned before our arrival. The entire room reeked of bleach, but I wasn’t so sure that the room was actually clean. There was a big, gigantic, squashed moth on the ceiling and bugs flying everywhere. The apples sitting on the fridge were rotting. There was opened and unfinished as well as expired yogurt in the fridge. One of the towels smelled like old man’s fart and shed a bunch of unknown substances. It was funny ’cause Jessica got that bad towel so afterwards she started smelling all the blankets just in case. And ew one smelled like fresh laundry in some areas, but other areas of the same blanket smelled absolutely horrid. And the toilet! It was facing straight at the window so when you’d do your business, everyone outside could pretty much see, not to mention it was built in right beside the kitchen counter and sink. It was thoughtful that the host had installed this, since the one down in the hall was shared (and apparently if you were to sit on it, the seat would break), but it was clear that she did not graduate with a degree in interior design.

At first I was iffy about this suite when I saw it on Airbnb but it was the cheapest one available and we were only there to shower and sleep anyways so I told myself that everything would be okay. It turned out to be petrifying! And super awkward at times because the two of us had to do everything in front of one another (shower, use the toilet, etc.). This was both me and Jessica’s first time renting an apartment. Jessica hated it more than I did and yes, I got used to it on the second and third nights, but sleeping with mosquitoes constantly buzzing next to my ears just wasn’t how I imagined to be spending my birthday long-weekend.

Anyways, enough with the complaints. Shit happens and there’s bad experiences in life, but the good will always prevail.

After settling down, we headed out for lunch at «Ladurée». **Exciting!!DSC_0043

I was cheap so I ordered the value package of one entrée (ou plat en français parce que entrée en français est “appetizer”) + one dessert for the price of €40. And I escaped the trap of ordering expensive Evian water! Hah! Never again! Tap water for me s’il vous plaît. Meanwhile, Jessica got a drink, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. paris2-1

The food was heavenly. I could hear bells ringing inside my head with each and every bite. I ordered «Filet d’agneau» which was lamb fillet with roasted acacia, millet croquette, and watercress. The lamb was divine. It was a teeny weeny bit rough (overcooked) but paired together with the glistening fat that was seared with sea salt, the two melted away into perfection in my mouth. The croquette was a bit of a disappointment though, but I think it was because the lamb was so rich that following that, the croquette tasted rather bland.

DSC_0056

For dessert, the waitress recommended me to try their signature «Ispahan». DSC_0065

I’m not a huge fan of macarons and I’m picky with the flavours since most of them are really sweet, but the subtle rose and lychee flavoured cream paired with raspberries balanced out the sweetness of the overall rose macaron. Mmmmm! Totally worth gaining 5lbs for. I’m drooling all over my keyboard now, ugh!

Having satisfied our cravings, we headed along Champs-Élysées for some luxury brand shopping (to have our wallets emptied out even more).

For dinner, we dined at «Il Carpaccio», the only Michelin-star Italian restaurant in Paris.DSC_0136

We shared the «Menu Carpolavoro» (signature menu), which consisted of grilled octopus salad, spring green risotto, sautéed fillet of John Dory, Italian cheese, and dessert by Pierre Hermé. And of course, no celebration goes without a glass of something something so we both tried the white wine from the Mastroberardino region.paris2-2 paris2-3DSC_0174

For the perfect ending to a birthday in Paris, we headed for Trocadero. Our whole schedule got delayed because the check-in lady was late, so we missed the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower whereas the next illumination would be in one hour. I totally didn’t mind waiting since I could sit there all day and night just to enjoy its incredible beauty, but I felt bad making Jessica wait with me especially since we’ve already been to Trocadero so many times, it was evident that she was sick of it. DSC_0200

And I just realized I forgot to make a wish on my birthday! But I don’t believe in birthday wishes anyways. If I really wanted something, I would do everything myself to achieve and accomplish it. Pftttt ain’t need no wish upon the stars. I’m too old for all that fancy fairytale crap.

It still hasn’t hit me yet that I am 21. It’s funny because I just realized I am now legal in the States! Whoohooo next stop Las Vegas!!

But the truth is, nothing feels different. I still have no idea what I am doing with my life, still running away from reality, procrastinating, and of course, spending big bucks on alcohol. How am I supposed to make life choices when I still use my fingers to count and sing the whole alphabet to see what letter comes next? I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that as you grow older, it’s really not as simple as sharing cookies and crayons anymore. People have walked in and out of my life, some leaving deeper footprints than others, but for those who have remained, they have really helped shape who I am today. Yet if you were to tell me to describe myself with one word, I would simply be speechless. How am I able to explore and uncover the universe when I alone can’t even define myself?  It’s questions like this that makes me fear the what ifs, the future, and me. But what the heck, that’s enough deep thoughts for the day. For now, I will just dance like no one is watching, love like I’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.

Ni hao!

DSC_0992 «Ni hao» – bonjour en mandarin – est le mot que j’ai entendu le plus pendant mes deux semaines ici à Lyon.

Le ciel est bleu, les nuages sont blancs et l’air frais est accompagné de l’odeur du café et des cigarettes. Ici, dans le deuxième arrondissement, Perrache est mon quartier et j’habite près de la place Carnot.

Derrière ma maison, il y a une place. Dans le centre, il y a une fontaine qui sert d’endroit pour les rendez-vous. À la gauche de cette fontaine, il y a un carrousel, une aire de jeu et un terrain de basket-ball. Ici, le son du rire des enfants est comme une musique pour les oreilles. Quand je regarde les enfants qui jouent, je me souviens d’avoir été plus jeune, quand je n’avais peur de rien et que le futur, avec tous ses problèmes, semblait encore bien loin. Si on marche un peu après la fontaine, on peut trouver l’entrée de la gare de Perrache où le son du tram, du metro et du train sonnent avec de l’écho dans les tunnels. Et bien sûr, on ne peut pas oublier les cafés dehors! Les sièges sont toujours occupés. Sous les grand parasols rouges, une bière fraîche ou un café glacé constituent les ingrédients parfaits pour observer les gens. Le dimanche, il y a aussi le marché place Carnot. Fruits, légumes, fromages, viandes, etc. ce marché a tout. Et ai-je mentionné qu’il y a des restaurants à dix pas de chez moi? Tous les jours, je mange, mange, mange et mange encore. J’espère que quand je retournerai à Vancouver, je n’aurai pas trop grossi parce que ma mère ne pourra pas me reconnaître!

Malgré toutes ces beautés, ce qui me surprend, ce n’est pas le paysage, mais ce sont les gens qui habitent à Perrache.

Au moment où je sors de mon immeuble, je peux sentir le regard des passants posés sur moi. Je suis accueilli par les «ni hao» fréquents et les «hello» de temps en temps. Quand je me dirige vers la place Bellecour depuis la rue Victor Hugo, je peux entendre les hommes âgés qui s’exclament «oh là là» ou qui me sifflent quand je passe devant eux. Parfois, il y a des garçons qui crient «wo ai ni» (je t’aime) de l’autre côté de la rue. J’ai toujours su que la France était le pays de l’amour, mais je n’ai jamais imaginé les hommes être aussi directs.

Néanmoins, je mentirais si je disais que je n’ai pas aimé être accueillie par des garçons plus jeunes et très mignons. Toutefois, est-ce que je leur répondrais? Peut-être pas. Mon cœur est déjà occupé par quelqu’un de spécial et un jour, je voudrais découvrir les charmes de cette ville avec lui.

Raison d’Être

DSC_0002-edited

Pourquoi avoir choisi de venir en France? Est-ce que je suis ici pour étudier ou pour jouer?

D’abord, j’avais besoin d’une raison solide à donner à mes parents pour les convaincre de me laisser partir en France. Ils sont stricts et ils aiment quand je voyage avec un objectif précis. Alors, je leur ai dit que c’était bien sûr pour les études! Toutefois, la vérité était que je voluait simplement voyager.

J’avais hâte de monter dans la tour Eiffel. Je souhaitais faire du vélo le long du Rhône. Je désirais faire une promenade sur le sable chaud de Nice. Je voulais faire une randonnée à pied dans les Alpes françaises. Et je rêvais de faire de l’équitation avec un cheval sauvage de la Camargue.

Quand je suis arrivée à Lyon, j’ai découvert que je ne suis pas ici seulement pour voyager, mais aussi pour me retrouver moi-même.

J’ai commencé à apprendre le français quand j’étais en cinquième année. Malheureusement, je n’aimais pas beaucoup étudier. C’est la raison pour laquelle j’ai longtemps préferé dire que j’ai commencé à l’apprendre au secondaire parce que j’étais honteuse d’avoir étudié le français pendant plusieurs année mais d’être incapable de comprendre les phrases les plus simples. Alors que mes amies passaient le DELF avec des notes excellentes, j’avais quant à moi des difficultés. J’ai même dû le reprendre deux fois au niveau B1. Ma mère avait des doutes en moi et j’ai aussi commencé à me questionner.

Quand j’ai appliqué pour ce programme, j’avais peur – la peur de ne pas pouvoir passer cette classe, la peur que mes camarades de classe me jugent et la peur de ne pas pouvoir survivre en France avec mon “français cassé”. Cependant, je venais sur ce voyage pour prouver à mes amis, à mes parents et plus important, pour me prouver à moi-même que je pouvais réaliser l’impossible.

Jusqu’à maintenant, j’ai déjà demandé mon chemin à plusieurs personnes du coin (au lieu d’utiliser Google Maps). J’ai fait du shopping dans les magasins parisiens et j’ai dîné dans les restaurants français. J’ai assisté aux cours et j’ai compris la plupart des choses qui ont été expliquées.

J’ai réalisé que je suis plus indépendante que je ne croyais. Je suis plus courageuse que ce qui pourrait sembler. Et bien sûr, mon français est meilleur que je ne pensais (j’espère).

Alors, pourquoi avoir choisi la France?

C’est un beau pays. Les gens sont gentils. Je suis obligé de pratiquer le français. Je me plonge dans la culture française. Donc, j’y suis venue pour changer ma vie, pour me dépasser moi-même, pour sortir de ma zone de confort et pour vivre au maximum.

 

I left my heart in Paris.

DSC_0564-edited3

Upon the second day of my arrival in Lyon, I departed for Paris by train.

Having only heard of the downsides of Paris, I headed for this city of love with no expectations at all and a head full of worst case scenarios. But boy was I in for a surprise! Paris was a gem. It was nothing like I’d imagined and it was absolutely breathtaking! It is such a beautiful city and I would love to live there for the rest of my life.

The people are extremely friendly. The view is, of course, without a doubt, stunning. The food is heavenly and the museums have amazing exhibitions with mesmerizing art so powerful and heart-rendering. The metros and RERs are easy to take and everything is so close together that you might as well walk and enjoy the gorgeous weather. That being said, apart from crowded attraction venues and some rude tourists, I don’t know what there is to hate about Paris.

My travel companion, Jessica, and I arrived on a Friday morning. We got super lost right off the bat because we did not do our homework and check with Google Maps where everything was. We’ve both agreed to travel to Paris twice followed by a trip to Nice and London (the first Paris visit being planned by her, and the rest planned by me). Since Jessica organized our first trip, I figured she should be capable of leading us and getting us to the right places. But we clearly lacked communication and we were lost for one hour looking for a restaurant that was a minute walk away from the train station.

We ended up eating somewhere else and paid five euros for a crappy sandwich that was nothing but a baguette with pickles, lunchmeat, and mayonnaise. Having recharged and looked through the maps again, we set out in search of our hotel.

I was completely dead tired from all the walking with my super duper heavy backpack, not to mention jet lag! (I couldn’t even sleep on the plane and woke up every hour during my first night in Lyon.) I relied on Jessica to find the way, but we became lost once more. There were no Starbucks or McDonalds nearby, nowhere that we could steal free Wi-Fi for a few seconds. We were basically lost for two hours (but we were also just looking around and window shopping) so by the time we finally got to our hotel, we simply collapsed in our beds.

We originally wanted to rent an apartment suite, but we found no luck hence our stay at Hotel Albion France.parisIt’s a cozy little hotel near the Opéra and Montmartre areas with the metro (M12, stop Notre-Dame-de-Lorette) just steps away. We paid €324 for three nights which was decent considering how expensive all the other hotels are in Paris. The manager and the people working here were such lovely folks and they made us laugh and feel right at home. For this price, we really couldn’t have asked for more.

Instead of following our original schedule, we decided to push everything until tomorrow and just take it easy. We walked around Galeries Lafayette and not only were the designer purses extravagant, the building itself was astonishing.

paris1

The next morning, we woke up nice and early and prepared ourselves for a long day of adventure. paris2

Arc de Triomphe was our first destination and I was thoroughly disappointed! Of all the times, the building just had to be under construction during our stay here in Paris. Zut!! C’est vraiment dommage.

Following that, we paid a visit to both the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais.

paris5paris6

We later strolled along the area on Pont Alexandre III and I cannot stress the beauty of this city enough; it’s just so eyeopening!paris7-edited

We also passed by Hôtel des Invalides and checked out the Musée de l’Armée although we did’t physically go in, as our tickets were bought for our second visit only.

The next stop was Place de la Concorde and Église de la Madeleine.paris9paris10

 

For lunch, we bought macarons from Pierre Hermé and dined somewhere nearby.

paris14

We tried their escargots and mussels. And Oh. My. Gosh. When the bill came, my jaw dropped wide open. We were charged €7 for a glass of water. And we were so thirsty, we asked for two without knowing! €14 worth of water, can you believe it?! Well… we certainly learnt our lesson the hard way so there you go, always, always, ALWAYS ask for the price!

After such frustration, we headed for Centre Pompidou.

paris11paris12paris13

 

To wrap up the day, we departed for our last destination: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris.

On the metro to there, I felt a man moving closer and closer to me from behind my back. At first I disregarded it and thought that the metro was just crowded because we were literally cramped towards the glass door, but I still wanted to be careful just in case if he was anyone sketchy. Then all of a sudden, I felt him lifting up my skirt! Mon dieu! Good thing a lady had to get off as soon as I realized so girl, I moved, I moved fast. When I turned around and looked at him, he appeared exactly as how pickpockets are described online! He had a thick long leather jacket draped over his left arm so you basically couldn’t see his arm at all, let alone what his arm might be doing under that coat. Paris was hot too, no need for a leather jacket at all. So maybe he was a part-time pickpocket and a part-time molester, I don’t know! But all this time I’ve been worried about pickpockets, I neglected the fact that there might be molesters on the trains as well.

paris15

Anyways, we didn’t get a chance to visit the insides of Notre Dame since the line was terribly long. But oh well, maybe next time.

On our third day here in Paris, we began our journey by first picking up our museum passes at the Tourism Office. We then visited the Louvre and in all honesty, I hated it. I didn’t hate the art, I just hated the people there. I have no idea how many times I got pushed around and stepped on and hit on the head with cameras, not to mention someone smacked me because I accidentally walked into her photo with Vénus de Milo. What the heck!paris21paris18paris20paris19

I was seriously in no mood to admire the art at all. Plus, everyone who was there was mostly only there to take photos, not to actually appreciate the art. The atmosphere was just so suffocating. I hated it, period.

Next stop was Musée d’Orsay and of course we had to pass by Pont des Arts on the way.paris22

They say that “Pont des Arts is for your committed love, while Pont de l’Archevêché is for your lover.” Either way, it was romantic to see couples seal away their love at the turn of a key. Oh how I wished my special someone could’ve been here with me.paris23-edited

Musée d’Orsay was my absolute favourite. I adoooorreeeedddd  all the pieces, especially Monet’s. The paintings are so rich in texture and the choice of color was pure genius. It was as if the seas were really glistening upon the sunset and I could almost hear the music of Pierre Auguste Renoir’s “Girls at the Piano”. Impressionist paintings are my number one bias; I totally wouldn’t mind living inside the museum.paris27

Château de Versailles was next and don’t even get me started! It was wayyyyy more crowded, wayyyyyyyyyyyy worse than Louvre. I got pushed around by countless old Asian ladies from behind me. I was just so ticked off that I pushed them back, and I pushed hard. I even turned around and glared at them. To the hell with all the respecting elders crap! I paid money to be in there too, I deserved to be there just as much as they did. Oh mon dieu. I was almost on the verge of yelling into their faces. Seriously….. I swear by the end of my travels, I’ll probably get so used to all this ridiculousness that I’ll become so calm and patient I won’t even bat an eyelash.

Afterwards, we were supposed to visit Arc de Triomph to catch a night view of the city from the top. Unfortunately, the museum was suddenly closed for the night for some reason unknown. As a result, I suggested checking out Trocadero in hopes that we could catch the last glimpse of sunset upon the Eiffel Tower.paris28

When we arrived, it was already getting dark. (Don’t get deceived by the picture above.) Everything felt so unreal. I could not believe that before my eyes, stood the Eiffel Tower that is so well-known and so talked about! It was as if everything went into slow motion. The passersby delayed their steps and gradually faded away into the background, their voices unheard. In this crowded plaza, I could hear nothing but my own breathing and my own pounding heart. My gaze was fixed upon the allurement of this tower and I felt as if I was standing in front of a picture perfect movie scene. (This sounds like an eternity, but it only happened for a few seconds more or less. I’ll be honest, I was too busy being a tourist and taking photos, and selfies of course.)paris26

I wanted to stay longer but Jessica needed to head back since her parents didn’t want her out too late. Just right before we entered the metro, we got tempted by the smell of the Nutella crêpes from the street vendors so we lined up for one. All of a sudden, people around us started cheering and clapping. The next thing we knew, the tower was sparkling! It was absolutely beautiful! I’m running out of words to describe beauty but it was beautiful!!!!!! Ugh, if only WordPress would let me post videos. We’ll see, maybe I’ll compile a video at the end of my journey and upload it onto YouTube.

After our fruitful day, we followed up the next with a few last destinations just before we departed for our train back to Lyon.paris30

Musée de l’Orangerie was up first. Just like Musée d’Orsay, photos were not allowed so people were truly there to enjoy art, and not to take photos of art. Naturally, without the annoyance of camera shutters clicking, I was delighted with my experience. I discovered several new painters that I have never heard of and their paintings are definitely unique and ravishing.

For lunch, we dined at Bistrot Marguerite and we shared, like always.paris29

Up until now from what I have experienced, French food is extremely rich. There always seems to be a lot of butter and cream in every dish. I just hope I won’t gain so much weight here in France that when I head home, my mom can’t recognize me, LOL!

Sainte-Chapelle was next on the list. And we’ve just had no luck this entire trip! There was an official government event that day during the hour that we intended to go, so it was closed to the public. It was so disheartening! Especially since they didn’t put any news on their official website either. This was definitely on my top things to see list and bof, c’est dommage, vraiment dommage.

Now looking back, it looks like we didn’t do much in Paris since we spent so much time in the museums. On the bright side, even though we didn’t get to go to all the museums we had planned, we certainly got the most out of our museum passes! Yay!!

P.S. I hope I’m not making my travel bud sound bad in anyway (with the whole relying on her to find our way part). She’s been awesome this entire trip. She took gazillion pictres for me and put up with my annoying demand for perfection, not to mention my scary angry faces at them rude tourists.

Well, that’s a wrap for now. Until next time Paris, see you in a few days! <3