père lachaise

Pere Lachaise, where many of the masters are buried. Some of them include Moliere, Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. We did not find Moliere, but I will go back to look for him again as well as the Holocaust tombs. There were so many amazing sculptures and gravestones, we couldn't take enough pictures. My fingers were frozen and my toes were going to fall off, but it was an amazing experience nonetheless. 

Frederic Chopin

Jim Morrison from the Doors...come baby light my fire..

It's so hard leaving you without a video now. 

We also found some names that amused us. I found a Frenchman with the surname VIET. Kat found her long lost family, the MERLOTS.

Oscar Wilde and his lipstick kissed tomb. I'm not sure why there are so many lipstick kisses on the tomb. Some say it is from  all the admirers of the renowned rebel writer/poet. I read the Picture of Dorian Gray when I was in high school, and loved it, so seeing his tomb here is quite an amazing experience. 

a kiss for you oscar...

magnificence

me walking through the cemetary

3 bears?

palais royale

I went to the Office de Tourisme off Pyramids yesterday morning, and then walked home from there. I took the metro to Pyramids, and then walked back along Rue Saint Honore. I stopped by the Palais Royale because it was pretty empty and so peaceful. I read for a bit here until I got too cold, so I grabbed a crepe, and walked on to the H&M and Zara on Rue de Rivoli. 

montmartre

We went to Montmartre for the day. Walked around but it was INSANELY cold. So cold it started to snow...and made a significant layer on the benches and cars we walked by. My toes and fingers felt like falling off, so I stopped to buy a crepe [of course], on the street while Kat shopped. She found this image in the tourist shop by the carousel at the bottom of Sacre Coeurit. It was 15 euros!!! I took this picture so that she could see what she could have gotten.. then she talked herself out of buying it...and then she bought it. *_*

nice layer of snow in montmartre!

We took Kat's grandma Marie here SEVEN years ago!! She came to visit us in Paris, and we showed her around the city. Montmartre has a special place in our hearts because it was a gorgeous day, the flowers were blooming for spring, and the carousel was all lit up. We went back to take winter pictures this time, and it was quite different...because it was extremely COLD! However, the carousel was still lit, and it even turned on for a little girl to get a ride! We took a video when it was still, but when it turned on, and the music played, we had to redo the video to send Grandma Marie...but here it is as well!

and the redo...

l'amour de paris

I am constantly surprised with the amount of love this city contains. Everywhere I turn, a couple is deeply staring into each others' eyes, wrapped in each others' arms, or walking in sync, not caring what the world around them thinks. During my travels, I have seen affection in all different cultures, each having their own way of showing their affection. In Asia, it is much more reserved, but youngsters in recent years begun to show it more in public. They walk hand in hand, or cuddle close, but never kiss in public. In Eastern Europe, it is more public, and I was quite surprised with the amount of affection in Russia particularly. In a country that is so cold [literally], and known for their stone faces, a show of affection is much appreciated when seen. Here in Paris, it is not the same. Everywhere I go, saying a simple "Bonjour!" is more than enough to get a friendly bonjour back, most of the time with a polite smile. Yet, the amount of openess given to strangers is only a fraction of the amount of affection reserved for the people they love. They hug and kiss when they walk. They talk to each other and look into their eyes. They touch, but don't grope. It's a way of life, and it is so beautiful.

I, by nurture, am not affectionate. I just don't show that much affection in public because we are taught to always maintain a quiet dignity. It can seem  be quite harsh at times and comes in handy when I need to be stronger as an elder sister or daughter. By nature, however, especially for the ones i deeply care for, love and affection are devotedly given. I absolutely believe there is an amount that is just right...and the Parisians seem to have it. All of them. I envy it and love it. Ahhhh l'amour de paris...

h&m heart jumper, rei tights, gap black shirt, h&m purple neck scarf

h&m hearts jumper, rei tights, h&m shoes, h&m white studded bag, h&m purple scarf

la tour eiffel

This picture sums up exactly how I feel about Paris. Crepe, chocolat chaud, and La Tour Eiffel .... all of the things I love, not in that order. Well, maybe. *_* We walked from the Marais to La Tour Eiffel today, and it was blistering cold. My feet have never felt so numb before, I thought some toes were going to fall off. While we were taking pictures, I stopped and ran to the crepe stand to buy a crepe nutella and a chocolat chaud. After that, the pictures are just amazing although my fingers were still numb. A crepe cures all i tell you....

This is not a postcard. This is straight out of my G10. Amazing, isn't it? Love Paris in winter...

snow in paris

It's snowing in Paris! Well, it's been snowing very lightly, and for only a minute or two since we've been here. Today, it snowed more than usual, and we captured it on video in our apartment first, through the kitchen window...and then again when we were on the Champs Elysee tonight! 

We spent the day walking around as usual. Today, we picked the Champs Elysee to be our destination. We took the metro to George V, and walked up and down the street. Of course, H&M had to be hit, and I needed to get a head scarf with all the snow coming down on my head! New outfit posts soon I hope!

studded white

I got this studded white bag at H&M. It's lighter than my brown bag, good for walking around the city. We walked to Saint Michel, and then took the metro to the Champs Elysees. This is our favorite bridge on this trip: Pont Saint Michel.  Notre Dame is behind us, Chatelet is on one side of the bridge, Saint Michel is on the other.

H&M head to toe, scarf from Istanbul

cadeau!

My birthday gift from kat! I have been looking for the perfect coffee cups. I wanted two, from Paris, this size. We went to about 3 or 4 souvenir places to look and I found some really cute ones, but it never hit the mark. Kat found these while we were off on our own for the day, and I'm super excited! They are the perfect size for Nestle coffee here in the apartment, and I will have to find a box to keep them safe for the trek home! She also gave me these gorgeous poster prints, but I'm not going to show them until they are framed and hung in my room when I get home!

pizza marzano

BONNE ANNIVERSAIRE A MOI...ENCORE UNE FOIS!!!!!! It's my birthday again!!! Well, in our world at least!!! Kat wanted to celebrate it here in Paris instead of Turkey..although Turkey was pretty darn amazing for my birthday as well! What did we do?? We went to Pizza Marzano in Saint Michel and then went to see Harry Potter!! It use to be Pizza Milano, and had the most amazing tiramisu. Pizza Marzano didn't disappoint either!! I had it for dessert but it has to be the first picture on this post...cause it's the most amazing.

All the decor is still the same! It's hilarious because we were so excited when we saw the restaurant from afar. When we got closer, I saw the "M" and the "ano"...just the middle part is different!

After dinner, we ran to Odeon to make the 955 showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...in Version Originale!!! We have been watching so much French TV, or well, American TV dubbed in French [Friends, CSI, and the likes]...that when we see the words "VO," we squeal with delight and make a run for it. I loved the movie...it may have been the "being in Paris" thing, and the lack of English words, but who cares. I had the best time with my bestie, on my Parisian birthday, and didn't have to stand in line for hours! Big plus!

 We had two pichets of wine!

 Trio d'antipasti with mozzarella burrata, mushrooms with Gorgonzola sauce, and prosciutto with salad.

Kat enjoying her Diavolo pizza! It was spicy!

lanvin loves h&m

I had forgotten that Lanvin & H&M collaborated and the debut is this week! Today, I decided to walk rue de Rivoli, and saw the line going into H&M. The Lanvin collection is separated from the rest of the store...so you have to wait in line with an arm band, and when you actually get into the room, you get 5 minutes to pick out 4 items to try on. The total amount of time to shop is 15 minutes. Insane! I walked through once, and left to look at the normal collections. Sadly, the only thing I bought that day was a pair of sleep pants from H&M..but they were really really comfy!! Today, I went back and bought a lot more stuff! I'll try to snap some pics of the outfit once I figure out what to put together. I am definitely wearing some of it to celebrate my birthday night at Pizza Marzano and Harry Potter screening!

zara basic

In Zara, I had a lot more success. I found a two shirts that are just so pretty, and not expensive either!!! I love that about Zara. Both are flowy and more spring like, but with a jacket, and tights, it can very well be good for a not so cold winter in Paris! Plus, I can bring this home to add to my Paris wardrobe!

zara basic white shirt