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Paris for the Return Traveller -- Site Seeing Pick n Mix Part 2

Updated: Apr 7, 2020


Welcome to part 2! The legendary travel pic and mix continues! 😜😜 I kicked my second day off with brunch at Cloud Cakes 😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤 sadly for me the traffic was bad and I didn't leave on time coz I was out so late the night before, so I missed out on the breakie menu 😭😭😭 Don't feel bad for me though, my breakie was still banging! 👌👌👇👇😍😍🤤🤤

🤤🤤🤤


Cloud cakes can marry me any day of the week 😍😍😍 but more about them here 😜


Obviously you guys can brunch wherever you like but luckily for me Cloud Cakes is really close to one of my favourite places in Paris...


Royal Palais Gardens

For lovers of

Natural Beauty 🌼🦋🐝🍀
Picnics 🍓🍎🥖🥐
Plants and Flowers 🌲🍃🍂🌷🌹🌻🍁🌿🌳
Photography 📷 📸
Architecture 🏛
History 📜

This place is so freaking beautiful that it warms the soul! Just sitting and eating a croissant by the fountain ugh it's actual heaven. The architecture of the palace is so French and stunning, the grounds are immaculate, the tree lined strolls you can take!


😍😍😍

Utterly perfect.







Definitely worth a wander or a picnic if you have enough time and its completely free to visit so you really have no excuses not to 😂😜😜


Picasso Museum

For lovers of

Art 🎨 🖼
History 📜

Disclaimer! I don't really like modern art 🙈🙈🙈 WAIT! ✋✋✋✋✋

..............is that the hand of Midas?

OMG!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I swear I didn't plan that! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ✋✋✋✋✋ STOP!! (cried the Archdeacon)

😂😂😂🤣🤣 okay, okay I'm done 🤣🤣


As I was saying, WAIT! ✋✋✋✋ What I mean is, I'm a romantic, I have a natural proclivity for impressionism. It's in my nature and I can't help it. I like pretty and beautiful things, so modern art, normally, just leaves me feeling uncomfortable and confused BUT that being said, I was really pleasantly surprised and impressed to see how skilled Picasso was as a classical artist.


Check this out,

He painted this at 15!! DAMN BOI! I know, I was shook. It's one of the first things you see as you enter the museum. They also have an X-Ray version of the original so you can see the minor corrections he made AND there are holes cut into in the wall of the exhibit so that you can see certain paintings that relate to this one in the next room as you walk along and its really freaking cool!


Now obviously the thing we all remember Picasso for are his crazy paintings like this,

Now, I'm not nearly smart enough to figure out why this is considered fine art, like its definitely different, but I personally just don't get it.


That being said, a lot of his work did really surprise me. I always associated him with this sort of thing,



But it turns out Picasso's cubism is actually....

...really freaking good?


HAHAHAH I literally was so surprised. Pleasantly surprised. Very, very impressive.


So even if you are like me and your apprehensive about spending an hour or two in a place you have preconceptions about, give it a go. Find out what all the fuss is about for yourself and hey, if you're under 25 and an EU citizen, then all you have to do is just flash your passport and you get in for free 😜😜

Place des Vosges

For lovers of,

Architecture 🏛
Natural Beauty 🌼🦋🐝🍀
Picnics 🍓🍎🥖🥐
Plants and Flowers 🌲🍃🍂🌷🌹🌻🍁🌿🌳
Photography 📷 📸

The Place des Vosges is really close to the Picasso Museum, it's like less than a 10 minute walk away. I personally think that Paris has much nicer gardens so unless you die over symmetry or are already on your way to/from the Victor Hugo museum which is literally next door then I don't think you really have to go. However, if you want a quiet, more local experience of a park in Paris then this is probably a good bet for you! I went on the recommendation of a friend but I honestly only spent, not even 10 minutes here, it's quite a small place. I'm also sure it's lovelier in summer ahah December is just not the time of year for gardens but I did get some snaps to share with you 😜

So as you can see it's a very symmetrical garden with lots of lovely symmetrical French architecture surrounding it. Here are some photos, courtesy of google 😂😂that obviously weren't taken in winter 🤣🤣


Dat symmetry tho.


😍😍😍😍😍😍

After this I did something that on reflection I do not recommend 😂🤣🤣 I mean, that's all part of travel isn't it? Conflicting experiences 😜😜 I was trying to find a street that the lady who owned my Airbnb had recommended to me the last time I was in Paris, apparently it has the oldest house in the city on it! So I was super excited to see it! Not remembering the name she gave me, I googled "oldest building in Paris" and the search results lead me to the Rue de Volta which itself wasn't that bad...but... where the house in question was....was sort of...down an alleyway?...yeah...BASICALLY I stayed less than a minute and was too afraid to get my camera out coz #sketchy 🤣🤣🤣🤣


If you've got a buddy and are less anxious than I am then by all means check it out for yourself ahah it's "3 Rue Volta"


Here's a pic for you,

I'm actually impressed that the photographer was able to get the whole building in this photo because the street is so narrow and the building is so tall that you'd have to be hanging through someone's window on the other side of the road to get this shot! That's one of the reasons I didn't get my camera out, that and I was afraid 🐔🐔🤣🤣


So anyway apparently this was believed to be the oldest house in Paris but researchers found out that it's just a medieval replica and it was actually built in the 17th Century.


STOP THE PRESSES! I just read that the actual oldest house in Paris belonged to NICHOLAS FLAMEL!!! NICHOLAS FLAMEL THE NOTED ALCHEMIST!!! HE WAS REAL!?!?!

😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯


Okay, if there even IS a way to move on from that INSANELY FUN FACT and I have no idea how there could be! I'm gonna try 🤣


To comfort myself after such an intense minute I went to go and get pizza 😂😂🍕🍕 Shout out to Hanks Vegan Pizza for freaking insanely good chow! But more on that in another post 😜


After a nice chill out session with ma book and ma slices of joy I was powered up and ready to fulfil yesterday's failed mission 😂😂

Arc de Triomphe

For lovers of,

Architecture 🏛
History 📜
Photography ⛲️📷 📸

You remember how I said I walk everywhere in Paris? Even if it's 6 kms away? Well I was a little uncomfortable in this part of town okay ahah so I decided to take the Metro 😂🤣🚈🚈💨


It was quick, cheap and I remember as I got off at Charles de Gaule Étoiles my phone had no signal and remember that terrible habit it had of dying at any given moment? Well, I was like "Omg how am I gonna get to the Arc?", "What if I go the wrong way?" "Damn. I wish my phone was reliable and not a risky, suicidal piece of crap." BUT THEN ahahahah any of you who have been there are probably already judging me ahah but I didn't know!


Anyway, I got about 5 steps up the exit staircase and I started laughing 😂😂 This is how close the station is to the Arc...

FACE FULL OF ARCH ahahaha I was a dumb tourist okay!


I was literally closer than this

ANYWAYS! At this point, after getting into so many places for free with my passport I was like eh you can probably get up the Arc for free as well.... So my plan was just to show up and flash that sweet, sweet EU passport and my sick, sick under 25 age and stroll on up that triumphant Arch like I owned the place and guess what? I DID! AHAHA I freaking love Paris 😂🤣🙏🙏 I was also super lucky because every hour they do a light show on the Eiffel Tower, basically it's always lit up at night like this,

BUT! Every hour on the hour they do a dazzling light display where it flashes and twinkles like a Christmas tree 😍😍✨✨


And not long after I reached the top......

IT HAPPENED!! OMG! It was so magical 😍😍 My hands were literally like ice cubes and I was weirding everyone out by shoving them down my shirt to regain circulation 😂🤣🤣 BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT!


Then I took some mean snaps of the Champs Elysées,


And the streets on the other side of the Arc,


And attempted to get one of the Sacrée Couer 😜😜


And, ofc, took way too many of this guy...

After a long, freezing 40 minutes or so up there it was time to descend and make my way back towards my hostel to collect my things and catch my bus back home 😟😟😫😫😭😭 So I walked back down the Arc and took some last minute snaps and vids,


And when I reached the bottom they were actually having a remembrance ceremony by the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

So I stood there for a minute and watched them before heading back down the Champs Elysées, all the way to the Tuileries. I walked back through the Christmas Markets and passed the front entrance of the Louvre and then down the banks of the Seine. All the while, saying my sorry farewell to beautiful Paris 🙁🙁🙁🙁 I really love that city so much ❤️❤️ Fun fact: My phone died on the walk back SHOCKING I know 😂 So I was forced to stop at this Canadian bar near Notre Dame and I asked one of the girls behind the bar to charge both my phone and my portable charger because I had to get an Uber to the bus station AND my ticket was in my emails 😂😂 Anyway, the vibes there were really nice and the people, obviously, were also really nice 🤣 #Canadians BUT I guess coz it was so central, the drinks were hella pricey! AND I MEAN PRICEY! I'm talking, €5 for a half pint! AND! I paid €4 for a green tea.... A GREEN TEA!? Hahah yep #Paris


Anyways, then it was time to head back and pick up my bag and then straight on to the bus station 😫😫😭😭 If you have the time and you live as close I do then I think it's never a bad idea to spend your 2 days off in Paris. I was actually apprehensive about it at first and it's my favourite city! Haha I was I was like, "Uhh, I wont be relaxing coz I'll be doing stuff both days... and then I'll have to come back to work straight after a 10 hour bus 😥😥" but you know what? I wasn't even tired! Hahah 2 days in your fave city don't ware you out, they invigorate you and make you so, so happy and you just feel so blessed 😊😊🥰🥰


Whether your next weekend away is in Paris or not is of little relevance. What does matter is that you go! Book a bus or a train or plane or a ferry, take a deep breath and good book and just do it!

go and find it ❤️❤️


-- Han han xx

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