The Parisian (Part 3)

Our hotel room in Paris! We got the MJ room although I wanted the Lady Gaga one. Still super cool though haha :)

 

Hello people! Here's my last post on my adventure in Paris. One thing I really like about being in England is that it is sooooooo easy to travel around Europe! I can just hop on Eurostar and be in Paris in less than 2 hours. So if you are in Paris for just a weekend and don't really have a lot of time, be sure to check out these favorite tourist spots of mine (note they are all super busy touristy places so there is always going to be crowds and crowds of people!)

• ·         The Catacombs of Paris

A cemetery deep underground with the remains of millions of people. It feels surreal walking through this place so deeply embedded with history, right next to all the skulls and bones. Very chilly down there and can feel quite scary too. But it is just so special, I definitely recommend it. 

•  ·         Montparnasse Cemetery

This beautiful cemetery is very close to the Catacombs, so you can easily combine these two places into one trip. This is also very worth going because it is the resting place for many famous people: Durkheim (excuse my anthro roots…), Man Ray, Jean-Paul Sautre etc. 

 

• ·         Tour Eiffel

I like visiting the Eiffel Tower because I have many good memories there: visiting it for the first time with my parents, going there with my good friends from college, raining cats and dogs and hiding underneath it etc. However, as for tower visits, I’d recommend Tokyo Tower instead. There’s more going on in there and the view of Tokyo looks more impressive to me (excuse my city roots). Anyway it is always nice to go to the Tour Eiffel and get some pictures, just to reassure my touristy and Asian nature.

Finally something I wanted to share: I saw Chuck on TV when I was in Paris!! Made me super duper excited... I know I'm silly but couldn't help it!

 

Hope you enjoyed my little Paris guide! Stay tuned for the others coming soon: Barcelona, Dresden, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong!!

Cora my lovely Bazinga Girl will be back from her trip in Taipei soon -- Come back for her adventure stories and photos!

e. xoxo

The Parisian (Part 2)

FOOD TIME! I am totally in a food coma right now after the wonderful snack plate the Boy made me -- olives, jalapeno cheese, grapes, crackers, and sun-dried tomatoes... yum! 

Talking about food in Paris, crepes and steak are the two must eat for me. But of course there are also the wonderful desserts!

I love food and am not a picky eater. As long as something is pretty and yummy, then I am satisfied. Therefore my recommendations here are probably not the best you can find in Paris, but if you like cute little strawberry-shaped cakes, then you might want to try out the places I tell you about.

 

• ·         Laduree

One reason I like the idea of visiting Laduree so much is because of Gossip Girl. Remember that first episode of season 4 when Blair and Serena went to Paris? Laduree macarons. I have been to the Ladurees in New York, Tokyo, London, and Geneva, but none of them feels as special as the Paris one. Not because the food tastes better (told you I am not a picky eater), simply because I like the idea of experiencing the GG. You gotta admit the idea behind something is sometimes more important than the thingy itself haha.

• ·         Pierre Herme

Their macarons taste equally yummy to me, but it has a special place in my heart because this is where Chuck got the macarons for Blair in the last episode of season 2 (Blair in her bright green coat, ring any bell?)  All GG fans, you know where you have to go when you’re in Paris next.

(source)

• ·         Angelina

Their famous hot chocolate is really quite good, however it is not as thick as the one I had before in a small hut/café in Lausanne in Switzerland (sadly I can’t remember where that place is anymore). But Angelina has got a nice brunch set and the deco is pretty too, and it’s conveniently located close to the Louvre.  

TGIF! e. xoxo

Participant Observation: The Parisian

Starting this Friday, I will be writing about my Paris trips, not really the cultural traits that I observed as an anthropologist (I just like the phrase "participant observation"), but more just like a tour guide for those of you interested in going there in the future. 

For some reason I have always had the opportunity to visit Paris although I don’t have special feelings towards the city as many people (especially girls) do… but I thought many of you would be interested in seeing the places and food and random things I encountered there. And I’m not gonna lie, it is a beautiful place with lots of amazing museums (probably the main reason to why I keep going). 

This week I commence with my favorite thing about Paris.

My favorite museums

•          Musée de l'Orangerie

It has a whole gallery of Monet’s water lillies where you can immerse yourself into the beautiful colors, and get that panic attack of knowing how you will never be able to make such great work (I get this feeling ALL the time). And many Matisse, Cezanne, and Laurencin. Plus it’s a fairly small museum so you really get to take your time to look at the work, unlike the Louvre where its million pieces of work can become distractive (to me at least).  

 

 

•          Louvre

Although the Louvre can be too big too filled of objects, I gotta admit that it is simply a treasure for art lovers. The pyramid is a nice spot to take photos (yes Asians!), and I have this thing about the Gold Room. I don’t even know the official name of that gallery but I have been calling it the Gold Room and people seem to understand me… If you haven’t been there and have a thing for shiny/golden/blingbling things like me, then definitely pop in there next time. It is a whole room decorated in gold, with pretty sculptures and paintings and ceiling art and they result in this super decadent golden image that stayed with me since my first visit to the Louvre more than a decade ago.  A general tip for visiting the Louvre: if you want to see the whole museum, plan three days there. No kidding. 

•          Centre Pompidou

Great place to see modern and contemporary work. But the main reason I like the Pompidou is its gift shop! They have an amazing postcard collection there, and also cute stationery and fun weird designs from up-and-coming artists. 

 

These are just three of the more well-known ones among the many museums in Paris.  

What's your favorite museum in Paris?

And I end this post with these super pretty egg-containers. I WANT THEM!

Next week I will talk about Parisian food: eg. Laduree and Pierre Herme (must-eat for Gossip Girl fans!!)

Happy Friday :) 

e.