To London And Back...

Matt and I went to London on Wednesday morning and came back last night. It was a pretty good trip... It was great to meet Matt’s cousin and his fiance (Ryan and Sarah, who were kind enough to let us stay at their place), but the weather was awful! It rained almost the entire time, and hard enough that it really restricted what we did, but we still managed to have some fun adventures.

St. Paul’s was our first stop. I didn’t go the last time I was in London so it was exciting to see it. It is beautiful on the inside and has amazing history (Martin Luther King once preached there!) We caught a few minutes of a service and saw tombs in the basement but the most memorable, and traumatizing, experience was going to the top of the dome. I am terrified of heights, which now Matt knows very well. He was pretty insistent that we go to the top, and I thought that it wouldn’t be that bad because he had been before (wrong!). The first two levels were OK - I was a little shaky but thought I could make it - but the highest part was entirely terrifying. The stairs were steep, spiral, and made of see through steel, so you knew exactly how high you were. I made it to the top, smiled for a few pictures to prove I was there, then had a meltdown on the way down. So, I did it, but I’m sure Matt won’t be asking me to climb more stairs anytime soon.

After I recovered, we walked to Oxford Street, had lunch and did some shopping. We met Ryan and Sarah at Leicester Square for dinner and then went to the coolest wine bar. Its in an old wine cellar with leaky ceilings, candle light and an awesome Londoner crowd. The place was only accessible through one narrow staircase and would vibrate when trains would go by - probably nowhere near Canadian safety standards, but so much fun. The following day we went to Knightsbridge - the Harrod’s cafe, Victoria and Albert Museum, and a little more shopping. There was a Grace Kelly exhibit at the V&A but it was sold out for the day (so disappointing!) They also had a dress from the last shown Alexander McQueen collection as a ‘recent acquisition’, which was obviously amazing. (And I am now going to call every fashion investment I make a ‘recent acquisition’)

I actually didn’t shop that much in London - just a few pair of flats from Top Shop because mine were ruined from the rain, and a shirt for my Dad from the Greenwich Maritime Museum that definitely does not count as a fashion investment. I also got a fascinator from the market in Greenwich - its basically a hair clip with big white feathers. I mostly bought it because the woman who made it was so funny, and I might go to a horse race next month and need the proper head gear.

We came back to Paris on Friday night, and went to Montmartre yesterday. Its a really cool part of Paris. The Sacre Coeur was amazing, we had lunch in a great cafe, and came across a weird cemetery. We took our time walking back down the hill, including some stops at unbelievable jewelry stores. The Cartier flagship had seriously amazing things in their display windows (I’ll include a picture of a leopard necklace, and my reaction to it!)

This morning has been a late start, but I think we’re going to Le Marais today to check it out. We were suppose to go to a music festival, Rock en Seine, to see Arcade Fire but its sold out! I'm sure we'll have fun anyway and I’ll let you know what we find! Here are some pictures from the last while:

From Matt's first night (now I have somebody to take pictures of me!)


Matt on the rooftop patio and the inside ceiling of Galleries Lafayette



Grand Palais



At the top of the dome at St. Paul's - Its higher than it looks!


At the wine bar


Victoria and Albert Museum and Harrod's





Monmartre





The Monmartre Cemetery





Moulin Rouge and Diamonds!

Matt's Here!

Just a quick update: Matt arrived safely yesterday night. We had dinner at the apartment and went for a night walk. He's handling the jet lag much better than I did! Today we walked to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps (I got a bag, its amazing) and visited the Palais Garnier. We're in the middle of packing for our London adventure tomorrow. Matt has a cousin that we're going to visit for a couple of days (...so don't expect any new posts). Pictures of yesterday, today, and London will be updated soon, but right now I'm too busy enjoying the company!

Chic and Cheap Shopping and Honeymoon Crashing

So, a couple days to catch up with...

On Saturday, I took a walk through the Latin Quarter to the Luxembourg Garden. It is unbelievably pretty - So many flower beds, tree lined walkways, sculptures, fountains... Anything that could beautify an outdoor space, this place has. I just sat for a while people watching and enjoying my coffee. I broke down and went to a close Starbucks (gasp!) for my regular Americano. I needed a caffeine boost and didn’t want to spend an hour at a cafe.

From there, I walked around some really cool side streets and made my way to the Bon Marche. The less commercial streets are so much more interesting. There were a lot of tiny antique stores selling books, furniture, ceramics, and weird instrument-type things. The buildings themselves were gorgeous and it seemed everyone had different colored, intricately carved double doors. I found a flower market but was just starting my walk, so didn’t get anything.

In one of the guide books I read it had a list of stock shops, which are basically like outlets. It listed one called Mouton a Cinq Pattes that just happened to be on the way to the Bon Marche so I stopped in. It was incredible - it had Alberta Ferretti, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, Narcisco Rodriguez, among quite a few others. And the sales girl was so nice and patient with me! It wasn’t the most glamourous shopping experience to be had, but I tried on a lot and ended up getting an olive green linen Prada skirt (for only fifty euro!) I have a feeling it will look better on my mom, so may have to share/give it up when she comes in September. But, needless to say, I think I will be a repeat customer!

The Bon Marche was practically across the street from this store, but worlds apart. Everything was immaculately presented and the salespeople were not quite so friendly. Probably because I looked a little worse for wear from the outrageous heat! It was still nice to look around and enjoy some air conditioning. The Bon Marche also has a gourmet grocery store that is amazing. I will definitely be going back to buy some chocolate and cheese, and interesting mustards and relishes. This is definitely somewhere I’ll be taking those who come to visit me.

I was getting super hungry, so decided to head home. I was too stubborn to look at a map, went in the wrong direction and got really lost (...just my typical navigation skills at work). My 45 minute walk home turned into about two hours. On the way, I was sworn at by a homeless man (multiple times and on the steps of a church, no less!) because I didn’t have any change, got some funny burn lines on my back from my cut-out dress, and my Monoprix grocery bag bottomed out about a block away from my apartment in a crowd of people! Luckily, I kept my sense of humour and the only casualty was a jar of pesto. I still had a delicious dinner at home and re-read the YSL catalgoue - so it was practically a perfect day.

Yesterday, I slept in because I’ve been having troubles getting to sleep at night anytime before 3 in the morning. I know I’ll get into a routine soon enough, but its annoying - I need sleep! I read for the rest of the afternoon, and went to meet some friends for dinner. One of Matt’s really good friends (and by extension mine), Jenna, was on her honeymoon with her new husband, Dylan. And Dylan’s cousin was also on his honeymoon with his new wife... So basically, I was their honeymoon crasher. I met all four of them at the Louvre courtyard and walked back around my apartment for dinner. The restaurants around here are really touristy, so its hard to find a good one. Hopefully by December, I’ll be a better tour guide! But we went to a cafe that was alright. I had a cheese omelette, mostly because I couldn’t decide what I wanted and knew I needed some protein. After that, the plan was to go on a boat cruise down the Seine. In all honesty, I was going to skip it because I thought it was going to be kind of lame - but I ended up going and it was awesome! Its such a different perspective and you cover so much ground without having to walk for hours. It was really cool to see the city lit up at night, and I got my first close up view of the Eiffel Tower. We brought our own bottles of wine and sat at the very back, so it was an amazing view with great company!

Anyway, I just looked at the time and I have to get ready for Matt to come! He gets here in about four hours, and I have to stock up on some dinner supplies and get my place ready. I’m also going to meet him at the airport by taking the RER train, so have to figure that out too - wish me luck!

I haven’t taken very many pictures the past couple days, but here are a few:

At the Luxembourg Garden:


This is for my Dad - I found my cool initial in a lamp post, but he gets his own door to the Louvre!


Jenna and I on the boat... I look a little cross-eyed, but only because I had to get rid of my red eye (not the wine!)

YVES!

I prayed to the fashion gods today at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the Petit Palais. It was amazing, to say the very least.

I love fashion anyway, and appreciate YSL in particular, but this exhibit was beyond any expectation I had. It displayed over 300 pieces from over four decades and was laid out in such an accessible way (besides being shoulder to shoulder with other style enthusiasts - it was busy!) From his days at Dior to his last chiffon dresses, everything seemed still relevant and artful. Women are still impacted by his designs - trapeze silhouettes, menswear as womenswear, and different cultural and artistic inspirations. The clothes, from beginning to end, are still wearable (or, at least, I would wear them!)

This is due, along with creative genius, to flawless technique. There was not a single sequin out of place, and I looked very closely. In such well-made clothes every fabric, every seam, every embellishment has purpose. It was incredible to see the couture pieces so close - an entire room had ball gowns lined up on different tiers, and another had pieces that were inspired by specific artists. My favorite was an embroidered jacket that imitated Van Gogh’s Irises - it was beautiful.

Anyway, I could go on (and might if I go for a repeat visit), but I need to go to bed (likely to dream of le smoking jackets, pink satin bows, and the heart brooch). The exhibit was a no-camera zone, so all I have are the memories and the catalogue - but I did take some pictures in and around the Petit Palais:

An entirely enjoyable afternoon

First off, I met a family friend (my mom's friend's husband, Jerome) for lunch today - we've got together before to talk about Paris and he's here again (good timing!) He's done basically the same thing I'm doing - four months around fall time in Paris - and is also super nice and knowledgeable. It was so interesting to hear some Parisian history (he knows a lot!) and get some insider tips. We stopped at a cafe around my apartment and had a delicious ham and cheese omelette with my first French coffee! It was a very nice introduction to the cafe scene in Paris (Thanks, Jerome!)

After lunch, I really wanted to go see the YSL exhibit, but the line was unbelievably long! I waited about 5 minutes in seriously intense heat and gave up. (Although I'm certainly not giving up on seeing it, I'm just going first thing tomorrow to avoid the line!) Instead, I went for a walk down the Champs Elysees. I went into a few stores but didn't get anything because I'm here for awhile - there's no pressure on anything I do and I'm totally appreciating it! I walked back through the Tuileries and the Louvre, took pictures of some flowers and buildings, and drank a lemonade.

... It seemed more epic at the time but it was generally just a relaxed, beautiful afternoon. Maybe it seemed that way because of the heat, or maybe I just need to start working on my walking stamina!

I came home, cooled down, had some amazing garlic pasta with butter and parmesan (to make up for my walk, obviously), and then went to read my book at a nearby garden. (Thanks for the book, Lesley! I'm loving it so far! Its called The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and I definitely recommend it to anyone else who needs an interesting/somewhat strange/insightful read.)

Here's some pictures from today:

The Champs Elysees and Tuileries gardens





Around the Louvre








I found an old lamp post with my initial on it - I don't know why its there, but it sure is pretty...

Salad and a Sunset - Just what the doctor ordered

The start of the day was not so great - I think the jet lag went straight to my stomach. I, very smartly, packed some gravol so took some and spent the majority of the day recovering and sleeping. Even though I was sick, it still felt really good to do nothing and not feel guilty about it. Another plus was that I was up early enough to skype Matt (my boyfriend, although I doubt anyone who is reading this doesn't know him) back home. He's coming next Sunday and I'm super excited!

Anyway, after I got up this afternoon (yes, 4 o'clock in the afternoon!) I went to get some food. I tried to go the Monoprix closest to me but could only find a Franprix - Maybe they're the same? It doesn't matter to me because they're both amazing. I got some pasta, lettuce, cheese, and other delicious things I don't remember. I ended up having the best salad of my life when I got home (my stomach agreed, thankfully!) and then I went for a walk along the Seine at sunset. When I came back, I decided to get a crepe from the place right across the street from my apartment. I made friends with the crepe-maker, a really cute girl from South Korea, which was an awesome idea because she's super nice and gave me a deal - so now I have a reliable source for lemony sugar-filled goodness.

Here's some pictures I took from today. I'm feeling almost entirely better and am looking forward to a more eventful tomorrow (lunch with my Mom's friend, and a trip to the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit that I've been wanting to see for ages!)







This is from yesterday, but I love this picture...

Finally!

I've made it! After a long time of planning, day dreaming, and editing my closet - I'm finally in Paris!

It was actually a pretty uneventful travel day. I left from Vancouver Monday morning, stopped over in Montreal, and got here the Tuesday morning. Besides the flight being a little late, there were no notable problems - apart from a missing sandwich. I bought it on the plane, ate half of it, and have no idea what happened to the rest... I think Montreal is the Bermuda Triangle of Canada. That explains the sandwich and my lost blackberry at the Trudeau airport a couple months ago.

Other than that, it was a really easy trip. The person beside me was super nice and convinced me I should take a taxi instead of the train into the city - especially considering my luggage weighs more than I do. It was such a good decision - I didn't have to wrestle my bags through turn stiles or lug them up any stairs. A thirty minute car ride and a couple more euros later and I was practically at my new doorstep.

My landlady met me at the apartment a little later and gave me the grand tour. Its a pretty basic apartment but with so much charm - built ins from ages ago, tall ceilings and windows, moldings, creaky hardwood floors... It could use a little help on the decorating front, but I'm sure within a couple weeks, I'll have it beautified! My first order of business is to plant some red geraniums in the flower box outside the windows (Is there anything more French?) There's a flower market next Sunday close by, I think, so I'll do it then. I also need more hangers... But otherwise everything is perfect for me!

After unpacking most of my stuff, I gave in and had a nap (if four hours even counts a nap?!) and then went on a mission to get some food. I went on an amazing walk past the Notre Dame, down the Rue de Rivoli, up to the Opera, and then back through the Tulieries gardens. Seriously incredible - like, am I really here?! Also, I went down Rue de Cambon and saw the mirred stairs to Chanel's apartment! My heart definitely skipped a beat or two or three...

I would've gone in but I was toting around my Monoprix purchases. So instead, I went to sit down on a bench and have some lunch. Lucky for me they sell individual servings of wine, so I had one of those with some delicious cheese and melba toast-like crackers and cherry tomatoes. I also got some cereal and milk for the morning, and fig flavored yogurt! Its going to be good for sure.

I'm back at the apartment now and will try to organize all my stuff. I'll post some pictures I took on my walk today. I didn't take too many, but I'm sure there will more in the near future.

For those wondering how to get a hold of me... I have my blackberry here so you can bbm or text me anytime, email or ichat or skype (lindseyrbruce) is also great. I have a land phone here that can call international unlimited, so if you want to talk on the phone, let me know where and when to call, and I will.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday (or Tuesday... I still can't figure it out!)!! Lots of love xoxo


Lunch spot:






The street my apartment is on in the morning...



... And later in the afternoon



The door to the apartment