Day 14: Giverny/Paris

I'm the worst! It's been 2 whole years since my vacation. 2 YEARS! But let's close out 2014 by finishing up with this final recap.

On the last full day of my stay in Paris, I woke up an hour late with a nasty head cold, but I dragged my ass of bed and down to the train station. First on the agenda: visit the Village of Giverny to see Monet's Gardens. Which was to be followed by catching the sunset from the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

Thinking that I had plenty of time, I made a quick stop at Poilane. The interwebs had told me that this was THE BEST bakery in all of Paris. It conveniently just happened to be down the street from my apartment. 

If you are planning on visiting the Eiffel Tower, buy tickets ahead of time. I made the dumbass mistake of just showing up. I stood in line FOREVER. And, only made it part way up. In my defense, all the signage at the base said that the top was closed. But what they didn't tell you is that you buy tickets to get access to the 2nd viewing deck. And once on the deck, there is a ticket booth where you can purchase tickets to go up to the very top. Just save yourself the time and hassle and purchase ahead of time. 

Monet's house in the background.

The famous lily pond.

The bridge.

Gorgeous blooms.

Perfect dahlia.

Colorful ivy in the village.

Gateau millasson (french flan).

See, "closed." Maybe I misread it?

View from the 2nd balcony.

Dear Paris, I love you.

In 2005, I sat at the end of the green and took pictures of the tower with my Minolta Dimage X.

Truth: I'm huddled behind a bus stop trying to get this shot.

And that my friends, is the conclusion of my 2012 European adventures. 

Previously:
Day 13: Paris
Day 12: Paris
Day 11: Versailles
Day 10: Edinburgh/Paris
Day 9: Edinburgh
Day 8: London/Edinburgh
Day 7: London
Day 6: London
Day 5: London/Greenwich
Day 4: London
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Nikon D7000.
**Don't steal my photos. It's not nice and makes you an asshat.

Day 13: Paris

It's now May 2014. The last time I blogged about my sabbatical was A YEAR AGO! I realized that it has taken me FOREVER to finish the recaps because I hated my photo editing software. I've upgraded temporarily and things are so much better.

OK, on with the show. I want to finish telling you about Paris so that I can tell you about India, NYC, oh and Bora Bora all before I catch my next adventure. So here we go.

Day 3 in Paris was wet. It rained and rained and rained. I passed the hours with a little indoor picnic of wine, foie gras, bread, and yogurt. I surfed the web while some news channel discussed the latest in Syria (it was the only channel I could get in English) and contemplated exploring Les Catacombes. Being lazy and cold, I decided to stay indoors and wait out the rain.

via Instagram

Lucky for me, it did stop raining while it was still light out. I was able to get out and explore the neighborhood around me.

First stop, Pierre Hermé for some world renowned chocolate. I'm still haven't broken the seal on my itty bitty canister of hot chocolate I purchased.

.

Their pastry case was ridiculous!

Directly across the street from Pierre Hermé is the St. Sulpice Cathedral.

And to round out the day, a short walk through Le Jardin du Luxembourg as the sun set.

And end with this:

Previously:
Day 12: Paris
Day 11: Versailles
Day 10: Edinburgh/Paris
Day 9: Edinburgh
Day 8: London/Edinburgh
Day 7: London
Day 6: London
Day 5: London/Greenwich
Day 4: London
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Samsung TL225..

Day 12: Paris

Remember that time I went to Paris in 2012? Yeah, I don't remember either =P Warning, this is a wordy post.

My second day in Paris was low key. My only goal was to roam around the city shopping and dining only at local establishments.

They day started off damp. My first stop was Merci, in the Le Marais district. A friend recommended this place to me and promised that I would not be disappointed. I wasn't, not one bit. At the front, you'll find a cute and bustling coffee shop that also serves small plates. The heart of the building is 3 floors of shopping. You'll find everything from clothing and accessories to furniture and housewares. I fell hard for a set of grey dishes (I still dream about them). On the bottom floor, next to random kitchen gadgets is an open restaurant. I knew it existed, but I couldn't figure out  how to get to it when I first arrived, so I ended up grabbing a bite to eat upstairs at the coffee shop.

Here's a hint, do not ever ask for soy milk in Paris (or France for that matter). You'll get laughed into oblivion. I was pretty sure the answer was "no", but I asked just to be sure. My server giggled and told me no. Then she was surprised when I told her that I'd take my espresso straight up.

Soup du jour: Carrot, and an espresso.

'EAT ME' had me giggling. 

After lunch and a small purchase (mydrap napkins), I headed out into the rain to my next destination, Le Petit Atelier de Paris, cute shop featuring handmade ceramic goods from local artisans. If you can't make it there in person, they have an online shop: http://lamaisondepompon.bigcartel.com/. Unfortunately an online purchase means that you don't get to play with their adorable Shiba! He ran over to greet me as soon as I began to push the door open to enter the store.

I wanted to buy one of everything, but I didn't think that it would survive the trip back home. I ended up with a small keepsake pendant. I realize that it's a bit juvenile after I got it home, OK, it's REALLY juvenile, but I still like it!

How cute is this packaging?

The details kills me.

On my way back to the subway station, I wandering about the neighborhood a bit, stopping in a small creperie. I'm pretty darn proud that I ordered completely in French! Two flubs happened. The first came when I asked for water and my server asked if I wanted tap water or bottled water. I think she asked this one or that one. Good thing pointing is universal. The second time was when she asked me if she had given me my change. I thought she was asking if I wanted to order anything else. OOPS!

Random (kinda creepy) water fountain display. (HTC Incredible)

The next stop on my shopping expedition was to Sabre. This is practically Heaven for food stylists. They have the cutest kitchenware I have ever laid eyes on. (Anthropologie had some awhile back.) I got in just moments before closing, but shop keepers were really nice and friendly. Probably because they could tell I was a foreigner and was about to drop some serious cash. I only wished that they would ship to the USA or open a store here. What I wouldn't do for a set of polka dot dishes!

The rain let up and I was able to spend the rest of the day wandering about on foot. Here are some random sightings on my way home:

celio...I would have gone in if I'd seen women's wear in their windows. (HTC Incredible)

Ridiculous Hermes window display. (HTC Incredible)

My exploration ended with quick peek in to Le Bon Marche. I equate this to a Barney's type of place. Nice items, but a too spendy for souvenirs, even for myself. And my accident, I stumbled across a foodie paradise: La Grande Epicerie! It's a like Disney World crossed with a candy store filled with delicious, delicious food. I can't even tell you how much time I spent just staring (and contemplating) at the La Fermiere yogurt section. I may or may not have walked away with a basket full of yogurt.

PSA: If you haven't had French yogurt, you are missing out. It is nothing, NOTHING! like the stuff here. The stuff here is crap in comparison. French yogurt is all natural, pectin free, extremely low in sugar, thick, smooth, and it comes in the cutest glass or terra cotta jars! Oh my god, I'm drooling just thinking about it. The orange blossom honey by La Fermerie and the lemon by Le Petit Basque are my favorites of all time. The lemon was so good that I didn't even realize that it was sheeps milk yogurt.

Previously:
Day 11: Versailles
Day 10: Edinburgh/Paris
Day 9: Edinburgh
Day 8: London/Edinburgh
Day 7: London
Day 6: London
Day 5: London/Greenwich
Day 4: London
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Nikon D7000 unless noted.

Day 11: Versailles

I never thought that I would be back in Paris after my [first] visit in 2005. It was a whirlwind of a trip. In 2 or 3 days, I saw practically everything listed in the guidebooks: Mona Lisa in the Louvre  walked down Champs Elysees, took in Notre Dame, walked along the Seine, saw the Eiffel Tower, saw the Arc deTriomphe, etc. (I say saw, because that's what I did. I was too dumb at the time to realize that you could go up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe!) Anyways, seeing as how Jake has already been, I took this opportunity to go back with one very specific goal in mind. To visit the Palace of Versailles!

I woke up to see the Po-Po downstairs. Lovely! Instagram @hungc

So before we get on with the photos, you have to check out the map of the estate. It is pretty ridiculous. I covered quite a bit of it, but could have easily spent my entire day there if it hadn't been for the cold wind. 

Palace of Versailles.

An empty hall inside the palace. If only the rest of my tour was like this.

The Hall of Mirrors and a shit ton of tourists. Not shown, the hoards of school children and overseas tourist groups.

Floor to ceiling windows opposite the wall of mirrors. Also a selfie to prove that I was there. 

Can you imagine waking up to this? View from Marie-Antoinette's room. 

Marie-Antoinette's bedroom. Either the lower half of the room was behind a wall or I choose to shoot above the hoards of people.
(I was seriously hiding in the corner by the window listening to my audio guide.)

The ridiculous gardens: Latone Fountain (closest), Apollo Fountain (middle), and the Grand Canal.

Somewhere in the gardens and groves.

Making my way across the estate to the Grand Trianon with a ham sandwich (ham on baguette) in hand. 

Grand Trianon (the summer palace): hall that echos the Hall of Mirrors, without all the mirrors. 

Pretty pink marble pillars.

Queen's Hamlet: The Marlborough Tower

The Queen's Hamlet: The Farm

The Queen's Hamlet: The Farm

Tree somewhere on the estate, probably close to the Petit Trianon. (Sorry, no pictures of the Petit Trianon, I got lazy.)

My number 2 goal on this trip was to get myself some Laduree macrons. There just happened to be a boutique at the palace. Funny story, there were 6 college aged girls (either American or Canadian) in front of me. They were trying to pool their money together and make a purchase. After much discussion, they agreed to split a box of 18. I ordered the same box, the Bonaparte assortment (and also the last one!). That's right, I had all 18 to myself. Mission accomplished. I am very proud to say that I was able to order it completely in French without hesitation or stuttering. 

Laduree Bonaparte assortment.   

Latone Fountain

Orangery and Swiss Lake.

The South Wing of the Palace.

Dinner - take out from Sushi Shop, I think this was a spicy salmon roll.

Sashimi!

Previously:
Day 10: Edinburgh/Paris
Day 9: Edinburgh
Day 8: London/Edinburgh
Day 7: London
Day 6: London
Day 5: London/Greenwich
Day 4: London
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Nikon D7000 unless noted.