Monday, August 10, 2015

A Paris Photo Diary

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Well Bonjour (this could be the first time my preferred choice of greeting is entirely appropriate). Today's post is a little photo diary from my time in Paris last month. What do you mean the title kind of gave that away? Oh. Right. Basically, I've done Paris a lot, so we avoided all (well, almost all) the usual touristy stuff and just did our own thang. For this reason I thought a photo diary would make more sense than a 'what to do in Paris' post, although I have squeezed in as many tips and recommendations as I can - most of which were discovered by my Mum, who's a treasure-hunter of the highest order. Obviously one of the first things I'd recommend is hitting up the Sandro stock store for lots of reduced, beautiful goodness. Sandro's one of my favourite stores so, as you can see, I, um, I kind of abused it. You can find it in the Marais, along with lots of other stock shops.

Sandro Stock shop: 26 Rue de Sévigné.

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So, after admiring the view and heading for a much-needed hot drink fix, we popped into the caravan cafe in the Marais - official name L'improbable, thank you Roisin - which, you guessed it, serves food straight from a converted caravan. It's all homemade and very tasty, and the place itself is quirky as hell, doing themed music nights with BYOB. Definitely one to check out if you're in the area. Then we moved onto the wonder that is...

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Rue Cremieux, Paris' very own little Notting Hill. It's so out of character for Paris, but I think that's what makes it so special - like a little hidden gem tucked away in the heart of Paris. Luckily Amber tipped me off beforehand so I knew to look for it, and now I pass this secret onto you.

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We then stopped off at the beautiful Le Train Bleu in Gare du Lyon station which I couldn't recommend more, it feels like you've stepped back in time into the world of Great Gatsby. We were only there for tea and cake (think beautiful silver teapots and dainty little spoons) but you can also enjoy lunch and dinner here, which I can imagine would be lavly jubbly.

Gare de Lyon, Place Louis Armand, 75012

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Who says it's hard to make friends in France? This is actually the little guy who inspired the bulldog cafe in the Marais. Starstruck, I know.

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It'd be wrong not to include a from where I stand, wouldn't it? Wearing Zara culottes, ASOS platforms and a Mulberry Lily.

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The next day was started with a hearty meal followed by a trip to the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition, which completely blew me away. It takes a lot for an exhibition to impress me (what can I say, I'm a child and I get bored easily) but this one gripped me from start to finish. His pieces are stunning up close and personal, and there's everything in there from a selection of his corsets to the iconic creations he's designed for a whole host of famous faces and they're grouped by theme rather than chronologically, which works perfectly. I can guarantee you'll leave feeling inspired (and wishing greatly that corsets were appropriate everyday wear).

It's just finished in Paris, sadly, but will be heading to Munich in September! 

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The next morning we got up bright and early and headed along to Carette in Place des Vosges for what I would quite easily, deem the best hot chocolate in Paris. It tastes like a bar of chocolate melted down into thick, syrupy goodness and comes in a pot that gives a generous three or so servings. I think this means it was meant to share but I very bravely tackled the whole thing on my own. What an inspiration, I know. You can get it with cream if you so wish but, since I wasn't wearing my nappy, I decided to give that extra rich little treat a miss. After that we just had a good wander around Place des Vosges and checked out all the little shops and galleries. There's a big park there too if you feel like relaxing in the sun with a book!

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And that would be the exact moment I realised there was a dead rat on the ground next to me.

Place des Vosges, 75004

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After that we just had a good wander through the Marais, admiring all the beautiful streets. And the doors, oh the doors. I really do love a big coloured door so my heart was ready to explode by the end of the day.

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The sweetest little street we stumbled across on our way to the market the next day.

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The sales just so happened to launch when I was out there (one of the happiest coincidences of my life) so we spent an afternoon at Galleries Lafayette getting our browse-on. If you are a shopper then this is the place to go - they have literally every brand imaginable (from high street like Topshop and Anthropologie to high-end like Chanel and Phillip Lim to homeware and stationary) and, if you're not a shopper, then I'd still recommend visiting one of the cafes - particularly the rooftop one - so that you can admire the beautiful building.

6 Rue d'Alsace

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My favourite metro stop ever - Palais Royal Musee du Louvre - which I'm pretty sure got lost on its way to Barcelona and just settled in Paris.

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The next day we had a morning trip to the Rose Bakery in Le Bon Marche where I settled on the haddock salad after spending 10 minutes flirting with all the cakes before learning that they all had gluten in. Probably for the best (what? No, I'm not crying).

24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007

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We then headed over to Colette which is one of my favourite stores in Paris as well as THE best place for people spotting (my Mum and brother once saw Karl Lagerfeld in there which must be the people-spotting equivalent of catching the snitch). It's filled to the brim with cool and quirky buys, the most amazing books and records plus a very snazzy designer clothing display. There's always a photography or art exhibition on upstairs which is also worth a browse. Think Urban Outfitters but, um, a lot more expensive. Also, somewhere whose toilet signs acknowledge that sometimes adults wet their pants get a thumbs up from me.

Colette: 213 Rue Saint Honoré

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One of my top tips when visiting Paris is free and very, very satisfying: look up. Simples! As you'll all know, Paris is home to some of the world's most beautiful architecture, so one of the best things to do is just get lost in the city and take in all the beautiful sights.

And there we have it, time to enjoy one last Parisian sunset before heading home. I hope you enjoyed it, and here's hoping it'll come in handy to any of you heading out to Gaye Paree in the future!

Me and Rob are looking to go to Malta in September (waheyyy), so if any one has any hotel - or even restaurant or things to do - recommendations they'd be mucho appreciated!

Amy