TRAVEL | postcards from paris

Paris in late summer and early fall is the best, the summer crowds have gone and the temperature is nice and cool. This was my first time in Paris with Roman and I've always wanted to show him around one of my favourite cities.

I found a tiny airbnb near Strasbourg - Saint-Denis. After staying in Montmartre on my last few visits to Paris I've always wanted to try staying in the 10th arrondissement. We also hit a lucky break as our place was only a 3 minute walk away from what is hands-down the { best breakfast spot } ever. Their lines are known to stretch all the way down the street so we really benefited from living right around the corner (we were 2nd in line on a Monday morning).

I also loved that we were within walking distance from Canal Saint-Martin. It's perfect place to sit under the sun.

I think in the four days we walked a total of almost 30km and cycled just as many. As Roman is a big cycler, we rarely visit a city without renting a bike. Paris by far as one of the worst bike sharing we've ever encountered though, nor is it the easiliest way to get around. Driving through Île de la Cité was an absolute nightmare I wouldn't recommend it.

I also visited a another friend from SCAD while I was in town. She moved to Paris from Hong Kong not long before I left left as well. It was nice to catch up over some coffee and beers.

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After every trip to Paris I tell myself that maybe its time to put it aside so I can spend my savings traveling to places I haven't been before. But once I get home I immediately start planning for my next trip there. Looking to go in the Spring, and next time I'm going to bring a better lens :P

TRAVEL | paris

I'm no stranger in Paris, having been there more than a few times in the past four years. I count myself lucky for having been able to return to such an amazing city again and again, and the thing is, if the opportunity arises I'll still choose to come back on my next Eurotrip. It seems like the oldest cliche in the book but Paris IS always a good idea. There's always something new to discover, whether it be another "most charming boulangerie I've ever seen" or another beautifully curated concept shop selling all the right things.

Every time I visit Paris I'm in awe at how gorgeous the city can be in the sunlight. It's funny because I'm surprised that I forget. I never believe that a city can look that good, that my mental image of the place must've been filtered through years of romanticizing. 

But no, it actually looks that good.

I remember that first afternoon, stepping off of the bus from Brussels. It was drizzling in Paris and I had to meet my mum (who flew in from Hong Kong, and hadn't been to Paris since she my age) at Gare Du Nord. At that point the skies were grey and it was still raining. When we finally met up we were both exhausted from lack of sleep so we took a cab over to one of my favorite cafes. We ordered coffee and a sandwich to split, and as we tucked into our first decent meal in 24 hours the clouds cleared (no bullsh*t!!!!) and sunlight streamed through the trees. At that moment we both had to take a moment to appreciate how wonderful everything was.

I would also like to take this time to say that Airbnb is a godsend! I booked my first apartment in Paris and had the most wonderful stay. We were situated in my usual Montmartre and was close to every thing we'd ever need: grocery stores, patisserie, boulangerie, cafes, sacre coeur etc. 

My favorite part of the apartment was the *surprise* dining room and kitchen *surprise*. It was so comforting to eat something home cooked (& by my mum) after a month of traveling. To book this apartment, check out the link { here } and if you do please say hi to Marcello for me :)

What set this trip apart from the rest is addition of family. My mum and my sister joined me in Paris and we enjoyed 9 adventure-filled days in the city. I took them on a tour of my favorite neighborhoods and showed them many of my favorite shops. It's always been my mum's dream to return to Paris one day and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to ask her to join us. My mum, sister, and I have lived apart for a long time—at one point Kelly was based in the Bay area, mum in Hong Kong, and finally me in Irvine. Money was tight sometimes, so we haven't had a family vacation since 2006. 2015 was really a year of good fortune and I'm grateful we were all able to be in Paris together.

It was a very unusual but memorable reunion. As I mentioned previously, I was coming from Belgium. I arrived in Paris the same morning my mum flew in from Hong Kong. We spent one afternoon together just us and waited for Kelly to fly in from Los Angeles (she arrived the next day).

Reuniting with family is always a good feeling; at that point we hadn't seen Kelly in over 9 months. It was so fun to open the door of our Paris apartment and see her standing outside with her suitcase. Our first meal together was a medley of salads and cheese, which we washed down with a glass of cheap red wine from local grocery store. This one goes into the books for sure.

Oh man, we ate so much in Paris. Looking back, it was just a blur of coffeeshops, pastries, and lots and lots of bread. It's difficult to pinpoint where we had the best meal but I think the pancakes at { Holybelly } deserves a mention. I'm not normally a big fan of pancakes (or cakes in general—it's that fluffy texture..don't like it) but Holybelly's pancakes is making me reconsider my life choices. 

And I didn't even order the pancakes!!! Kelly did—I had eggs with mushroom, which was still delicious by the way! But I knew the moment I took a bite of Kelly's pancakes that I had made a terrible terrible mistake. Just look at it! Is that not the most gorgeous plate of breakfast you've ever seen? 

Although I've never actually lived in the city, Paris is beginning to feel like home. I love how the streets began to feel familiar, and I love that I had cafes I could visit over and over again. I know I will be returning soon.. I can feel it in my bones.

TRAVEL | paris photo diary

My neighborhood: Montmartre

 

 

 

 

The steps seen in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Woody had them scrubbed clean for the shoot.

Shooting outside the Palace of Versailles. I didn't go in that afternoon because I figured I could spend 15 Euros on something else. I'm saving this trip for another time--and perhaps next time I'll be here with a friend or two and we'll make a day trip out of it.

Flashy cards at Colette. I wanted to buy them all.

 

 

  

It's true what they say about Paris. It is the most beautiful city in the world--she's the most photogenic at least. But like most ladies, she can be temperamental at times. There were some days during my trip when it was rainy, overcast, and cold, and those in those moments I just felt downright depressed. But then there are those other moments when the sun decides to shine after a gloomy morning and the light just hits the buildings just right, the sad grays and moody blues melt away and the city is just bathed in gold. If that isn't the definition of beauty, I don't know what is.

Like most people who visit France, the first thing on my mind each morning is 1) good food and 2) where can I find it? Deciding what to eat quickly became the most difficult task of the day. Which is ironic since there are over 7000 cafes and brasseries in this city. This is why the only way to weed out the great joints from the mediocre ones is through yelp, tripadvisor, or my favorite, friend recommendations. In hindsight, I think I ate rather well in Paris (to stick to my budget I allowed myself two meals per day: breakfast--gotta have those croissants--and either lunch or dinner). My personal recommendation: L'as du Falafel in the Latin quarter makes the most bomb diggity Shawarma pita you'll ever have the pleasure of eating. Grab it to go and walk about the neighborhood--it makes for a good afternoon.

And speaking of walking, I cannot stress what a walkable city Paris is. So far it has been my absolute favorite city to wander in (I'm still madly in love with London but it can't beat Paris for walkability). There is literally something interesting to see on every single street. Some of my favorite moments were a result of me just stumbling upon it. For example, I spent my last night in the city partying it up along the Seine at some mini techno concert with some new Parisian friends I had only met at the event. I can definitely say it was one o the highlights of my trip and I didn't even know about it until I passed it during the day as the stage was being built.  Best part was watching those crazy party-hardy Parisians cut loose on the dance floor--they really do enjoy their techno! It was like a whole other side to Paris I didn't get to experience on my first trip. It sounds a little self-important to say, but it almost felt like the city was giving me my personal little sendoff--except I didn't know it yet--but that's a story for another time.