Cultural and Historical Learnings of France.

So, I've been in Paris for 6 months now, I love the city. I really do. I love how beautiful it is, even in the driving rain. I love its quaint eaterys, cake shops and patisseries, restaurants of any cuisine you could imagine... (can you see a pattern here...)

OKAY I love food.

I get excited when I find a new blog showcasing Paris' newest boho coffee shop and automatically GoogleMap it and see their prices for their in-house cakes! I have an addiction. I don't think it will stop. But i need to broaden my Parisian exploring. What with work (and eating cake) I've sidelined the reasons why Paris is visited by so many millions a year. I know, slap me on the wrist.

So, I've made a deal with myself. Lean things about France, Paris and culture-y things, then reward oneself with cake. I think it's a fair deal.

Last weekend (free - museum Sunday! Many museums and galleries in Paris offer free entry on the first Sunday of every month! I KNOW! It's fantastic! But beware, this isn't a secret. Prepare to queue!)
was a weekend of cultural and historical learnings.

This Sundays trip was to Hotel des Invalides to have a look French war history. (Honestly, not much was learnt, other than they really like suits of armour) But the grounds were spectacular! I mean look here, there is the beautiful Tour Eiffel poking into the beautiful blue sky.

The Dome glistening golden in the beautiful sunshine. 

Napoleon. (one of the few left resting here in the Dome..) 

The main altar in the Dome. Everything is made with ornate marble and finished with beautiful gold. The reflection of the sun shining through the windows makes the inside glisten as much as the large golden dome outside that can be seen from all areas of Paris.

A Frenchy Fleur-de-Lis. 

A French Unicorns Helmet.  

After that historical lesson, we popped over the road to Musee Rodin. Sculptor and Painter. His work is just breathtaking. The gardens are full of hidden scuptures poking out of bushes and hiding behind trees. They blend in with nature. A perfect home for his work. Weathered and old, they tell stories.

We found this guy just contemplating in the sunshine. The Thinker. Hidden behind a few topiary trees amongst the rose bushes. 

And just look at the building itself. Truly beautiful. Placed in front of the beautiful sculpture garden. This place is truly an artists utopia amongst the hustle and bustle of a capital city. 

Paris has wonderful hidden gems like this. I want to see them all. 

Home is where the heart is.

Going home means a few things.

 Spending time with family and friends.

 Eating and shopping.

And this guy!

It's such a lovely time being at home. But I try not to get too attached as I'm such a homely girl and it's always sad leaving.

Canterbury was in full bloom the week of my return! The sun was shining, the trees were green and the bluebells were blooming. The Great British Countryside is sometimes a sight to behold. Especially at this time of year when the forest and woodland floors are covered with a blanket of blue carpet.
The bluebells are famous in the Kentish Downs and really are so beautiful. The blue is striking and you can see it for miles. These photos really don't give it justice, but really they are just beautiful.

I had a fantastic time at home. But back to Paris now, back to work and back to bread cheese and wine! (why is it all about food for me?!)

Sunday afternoon tea.

Now, you can see that many of my posts are about Sundays. Sundays for me are my 'days off' as I work 6 out of the 7 days of the week, Sundays are my days where I have time to explore and either become a tourist again, or just grab a bike and cycle or laze around in bed.

(The latter is not interesting enough to be blogged about, it usually consists of me thinking 'oh i must get up! be productive....' *sleeps for another 30 mins*...oh..maybe not today!)

So, now its hit vacances de Pâques here in Paris, so that means two lovely weeks off for me to explore and do wonderful things. (Now I am heading back to the UK for a week so there will be some interesting Blighty Inspired postings too!)

But before that, lets go back in time. To last weekend. Sunday. On what was supposed to be a sunny day in Paris Town, me and the boyfriend decided to take a lovely walk around the 1er Arrondisment.

The lack of sun took us in the direction of a traditional, timeless classic. Angelina. Now whether you are a tourist or a person finding their feet here in Paris, Angelina is a tradition that you shouldn't miss out on. I've been wanting to go for so long, reading all the wonderful posts on many a Brit in Paris Blog. So that was the time.

Now, a gloomy cloudy day in Paris, where to the tourists go. Its around 2pm, not lunch time..(for tourists anyway.) Yes that's right, they all headed in the direction of Angelina. We were lucky not to queue, but inside was busy. The service staff were fantastic and working fast but lacked in that 'charm' you would want from such a charming environment. Now, the menu. Lovely main meals, sounded beautiful on paper, looked even more beautiful on the plate. But no. I was here for 2 things. Chocolat Chaud and Cake.

So, I went for the Chocolat Chaud BLANC! Yes that's right. I have a unhealthy obsession with white chocolate, and this did not disappoint! The Chocolat Chaud, normal or white, is decadently rich (hence the little whipped cream on the side) but for those with a sweet tooth then it's totally fine! The little yellow sunshine you can see on the plate next to it with soft little clouds floating over it is a 'Tarte au Citron' With little vanilla flavoured marshmallows. Now, Tarte au Citron is my favourite dessert. This is the best I've eaten. and I've eaten a lot.

Thanks Angelina for our Sunday Afternoon Tea. It was truly glorious.

A sunny Sunday in splendid Paris.

So, after being here in Paris for 4 months now, I have now had my most favourite day, and here I will tell you about it.

This morning I woke up to the fresh scent of bread being made. Not in my apartment, unless my new little fishy had turned into a baker overnight, but from the apartment across the courtyard. (Unfortunately the lady was not up for sharing, so I had a tea and my own toast for my average breakfast)
Today I had planned to meet my friend and have a picnic, so after making my picnicy goodies, I grabbed my shades (first outing this year!) and headed to get the bus.

The bus that runs from my house to my final destination went along the River Seine, so it was like a mini tour bus ride, catching the sights at fleeting Parisienne bus speed, but saw the sights never the less.

I got off the bus at Sorbonne in the beautiful 5th Arrondissement of Paris. Full of little bars and restaurants that were full to bursting on this Sunday lunch time. On a beautiful day like today I would highly recommend walking through the back streets of this lovely part of town and sitting and having a nice fresh glass of vin banc or rose to quench your thirst.

Whilst walking up Rue Descartes...

I saw this beautiful piece of work on the wall. Its this kind of thing and more that you find in this section of Paris, a totally different side of town, with only street savvy tourists or locals whizzing past you on their motos or bicycles.

Anyway, once I met Becky, we popped to a little parc near the university to soak up some sunshine and eat our picnic before she had to go to work.

Now my day didn't stop there. It was 2pm on a beautiful sunny day in Paris, no work to drag me away, no time deadlines, so I set up camp at a cute little bakery called Sugarplum. Now, let me tell you about this bakery. It is of american style and sells the most delicious cakes and cakey goodies you could find this side of the pond. I personally could not decide between the decadent double chocolate or the fruits of the forest, and after my lunch I don't know if I could have done both. So after consulting the sales team and thinking chocolate might me too much on this day, fruits of the forest it was.

After this I took myself to the nearest Velib station and decided to cycle to Jardin des Plantes... it doesn't permit you to cycle through there as I found out, so took it upon myself t cycle home.... I live in the 16th, it was about 8km, easy! The cycle ride was amazing. Cycling along the River Seine, taking in all the sights that i whizzed past on the bus, running over frightened pedestrians and stopping to sit by the river and sun worship for a while. Many people had taken to the cycle lanes of Paris today including roller skaters, skate - boarders and tandemists (not the right word, but I like it)  so we became a moving community of risk takers and pedestrian haters all chatting and telling each other of where we were going and exclaiming at how beautiful the weather was.

Now I'm going to be bold here. Cycling around Paris, there is no better way to see this beautiful city. Do it. Grab a velib (fantastic things) and go! .... NOW!

A crisp Parisienne weekend..

After another long week of work, meetings, training and sorting out becoming a bit French... it was time for the weekend and a nice stroll through some parks and of course checking out the sights on a beautiful afternoon. 

First a little picnic of bread and cheese and ham in Parc de Saint-Cloud. If you haven't been here, please take the time for a wander down. It has some of the best views in Paris. You can see the whole Paris sky-line, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the whole shabang! Beautiful on a crispy December afternoon.

After that we took a trip on the metro to the Eiffel Tower, Line 6 is a nice trip as its mainly outside and you can peer out at all the beautiful house as you wizz past. Of course the tower was busy as the sun was out and there were no clouds to be seen. The tower was standing proud and posed for some beautiful photos! As its Christmas we indulged in the over priced markets and got ourselves some yummy Churros!  Perfect to warm you up on a cold day! and in fact, well worth the 3€! 

The Tower at about 3pm with the moon cheekily making an appearance!! 

We still had some energy left (thanks to the churros!) so we took the metro again and headed up to Montmartre. Which i have now decided is one of my most favourite places in Paris. The view, the buildings, the tranquillity, the shops and of course the restaurants! :)

At this time of year, Montmartre offers a beautiful Christmas market just at Sacre Coeur with the best Vin Chaud and Chocolat Chaud! Traditional Christmas songs are played over a tannoy and the smells and sights of Christmas fit perfectly in this setting! Really a place to go to get you in the Christmas spirit.....

Christmas Wishes.

So after a long weeks working, what did I decide to do at the weekend?
Go and do a little shopping... well window shopping as its not pay day yet!

So here are some of my Christmas Wishes.

But firstly, if you are in Paris, or decide to visit Paris for the festive season, you are in for a treat! There are so many markets to visit and everything is dressed up nice and pretty!!
Head down to the Champs Elysée for a traditional Christmas Market. Starting at Concorde and working its way up to Champs Elysée Clemenceau. On the way stop off for a lovely glass of vin chaud (in a keeps sake glass!) and lots of tasty treats.

La Defense also haws a glorious market right underneath the Grande Arche selling arts and crafts as well as food and other things, and if you get cold you can always pop into the shopping centre for some retail therapy for yourself!

There are some other great markets around, St Germain-des-Pres, Place des Abbssess, Trocadero Gardens- Where there is an ice-rink i hear- (will check it out this weekend and let you know!) So lots you can see and do.

But, for the hearty Christmas shopper, unafraid of crowds, who doesn't get the crazy shopping sweats, and doesn't mind being pushed around in a mob like mentality, then head down to Galeries LaFayette. It has some of the most stunning decorations I have seen!

If you have never been to Galeries LaFayette before, think Selfridges London, mixed with Macys NYC with a bit of Harrods class in the main hall, and here is where you can find all your Christmas wishes... :)





So here is my Christmas wish, and wish it will stay I'm sure. But hey, a girl can dream.











But remember, when we are going crazy trying to find the right gift, pushing people for the last roll of your favourite wrapping paper...queuing for over an hour in some over priced store.......

The Lumineers at The Zenith 17th November 2013

Last night me and my friends ventured out in the cold, ate a hearty McDonald's in the cold (tres Parisienne!) and queued to get in to the Zenith in the North of Paris to watch 'The Lumineers' a folk band from Denver, Colorado US!

The venue was buzzing with excitement and burst of chorus's from 'Ho Hey!'
The set was simple, but framed the band and their wonderful instruments perfectly. The stage was littered with guitars, banjos, ukuleles, cellos, honky tonk piano and a great percussion set. 

The band, consisiting of front man- Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites on percussion, Neyla Pekarek on cello and vocals, Stelth Ulvang on Piano and Ben Wahamaki on Bass, put on a heartfelt and musically breathtaking performance. There's always worry with bands that 'they never sound as good as on the CD!' BUT.....ALAS! The Lumineers are not stumped with that title, in fact, their rawness and emotional quality of their music is MADE for live performance. 

Their hits were performed with twists and extra bits which made the audience love them even more. (Stubborn Love, mainly sung by the audience!) But what amazed me the most, was their new music. There are issues with some folk bands where their music starts to sound quite 'samey' but, this again, is not the case with these guys. 'Falling' a duet between Schultz and Pekarek is definitely my favourite and had everyone in the audience dancing along and most likely going straight home to YouTube it. They also did their own rendition of Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' and made it their own with Schultz on guitar and vocals and the rest of the band producing some insane percussion.

Not only did their performance leave you going home to play it in the car on the way back, but their gratitude and thanks to the audience as well as their humbleness and modesty really made for a great evening.