Paris

Une crepe au nutella svp! I am currently on my overnight train ride to Barcelona! I only spent 2 ½ days in Paris because the weather was not very good. When I got there Tuesday afternoon, the weather was about 8 C and it was pouring rain! Sadly, my warmest shoes consisted of flat sole Converses, and that my warmest piece of clothing was my American Apparel sweater – hence why you will see it in most of my pictures since the beginning of this trip. When I arrived to Gare du Nord Tuesday afternoon, I activated my eurail pass and booked my overnight ticket to Barcelona for Thursday night.

I spent Tuesday afternoon (soaked) exploring the Montmartre area where my hostel was located. The area is lovely and bakeries, coffee shops and markets fill the streets. It is also only a 10 minutes walk from the Basilic Sacre Coeur, where you can get one of the best views from the city. I spent some time at a nearby “café” reading a book and enjoying a delicious croc monsieur, espresso, and a glass of Beaujolais; always hoping the rain would stop. It didn’t, not that evening. So I went back to the hostel, where most of the travelers had decided to stay in rather than to deal with this bad weather. If any of you are considering traveling to Paris on a budget, I would totally recommend the Hotel Caullaincourt (Lamarque Caullaincourt metro station on line 4). I was fortunate enough to have 3 lovely room mates (2 kiwies and 1 aussie) that I spent most of my time with.

On Wednesday morning, I left withNat, a nurse from New Zealand, and headed to the Jardin des Tuilluieries (where Paris Fashion Week is held twice a year). The garden is immense and I could spend hours in there if it was warm and sunny. Afterwards, we walked down a small street filled with high end designer stores, and finally made it to 31 Rue Cambon – Coco Chanel’s original apartment.

Then, we walked down les Champs Elysees to the Petit Palais to go see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. It was breath taking! If anyone is in Paris anytime soon, I would totally recommend to go see it!

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling the neighborhoods near the Champs Elysees before heading back to the hostel to pick up Arminda, another kiwi who had decided to stay in due to strep throat. After making a delicious supper with a baggette, emmental cheese and cold cuts all found in local stores, we headed out to the Louvre. Then, we went to the Arc de Triomphe for a view of the city landscape at night followed by hanging out at Place Trocadero to catch the Eiffel Tower light show while enjoying a crepe!

I went to bed quite late that night as I was following the Habs game 7 live on internet (I couldn’t go out to the Canadian Pub by the Louvre, as the hostel has a 2AM curfew and the game only started at 1AM in Paris).

On Wednesday, Nat, Arminda and Becc headed out to the Notre Dame church and admired its gothic architecture. The view from inside is even more beautiful than I had imagined.

Afterwards, we walked through the streets and went for some sweet Parisian vintage shopping and visited my favorite vintage store, Free’p’star (located near St-Paul metro station). Made a few purchases there, but not serious damage! Later, we walked all the way from east of Chatelet area to the Louvre. I had to leave shortly after to get ready for my 8:30PM overnight train to Spain. Before leaving, Arminda and I picked up some more food for supper.

I Left nearly an hour before departure of my train, and let me tell you – It was a close call! I arrived at the platform 7 minutes before the train departure. Thankfully made it! 12 hours from now, I will be in Barcelona – where I will be meeting up with some friends from Montreal: Merad, Julie and Lauren. I cannot wait!

Hasta luego! xo