What's in Paris?

It's been a really long hiatus (3 years, I suppose?) since I last updated this blog of mine as I was doing my undergraduate study in the UK. There was absolutely insufficient time for me to blog although I really wanted to. I was trying to balance both my social life and academic performance (don't let me get started with the assignment workloads) and it pretty much drained my energy and used up most of my time there to the extend that I had no time to blog. I used up the remaining time by doing what I love to do most; traveling, cafe hopping, shopping. Believe it or not, I hardly used my laptop except for university purposes and online shopping, whoops. Also, I slowly broke the habit to keep track of every update on my phone's social applications everyday; surprise, surprise. 

Of course, I am eternally grateful to be able to travel, dine in some of the best restaurants, savor all sorts of cuisines and local delights, experience a whole new different culture and environment, also to be exposed to multicultural communities from living in Central London during my time as a university student. Over the past 3 years, my interest for photography has been piqued and I've brushed up & still trying to improve my photo editing skills which explains the inconsistent filters/effects on my Instagram profile! 

From now on, I would be sharing my experiences (just like before) on my blog and hopefully, my memory does not fail me. What would I blog about? Anything and almost everything actually and I'm pretty excited to start my blogging journey once again! 

P/S : Don't worry, I've decided to come up with shorter and less wordy posts in the future. 


More pictures, less words. I promise.

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If you do not know, my first other European country that I've visited when I was a student there was France. Needless to say, it was a trip to the capital; Paris, also known as the City of Love and one of the Fashion Capitals. I've actually been there for three times and I can and will never get tired of Paris. 

I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the Love Lock Bridge before they were taken down few years back. A tradition of 'love locks' was considered as a romantic gesture where couples would have their initials engraved or written on a lock that would be attached to the bridge, with the key thrown away for eternal love. This was one thing that I did not have to trouble myself for when I was there, hah. I remember that I had to brave the frigid and rainy weather that night just to take a few shots of it. No regretssss.

No umbrella so I assumed and hoped a beanie would at least protect my scalp from the rain.

Many of us know that France, a shopping paradise for many girls, is famous for its fashion heritage. Coco Chanel, Hermès, A.P.C., Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, YSL, Isabel Marant to name a few are some of the prominent French fashion labels that are highly sought after by many women. With so many French designer brands for all genders and ages, sitting across various price spectrum, how can anyone resist not pampering him/herself by indulging in retail therapy? In Paris, the most convenient place for tourists to shop would be Galeries Lafayette which houses almost every top fashion brands. It's one of my must-visit places everytime I visit Paris, especially for the food hall there! Mm-mm. And the Louvre is situated approximately 15 minutes walk away from the department store where you can have a look at the renowned Mona Lisa portrait. The queue for tickets can be a little crazy so it's always advisable to purchase any attraction tickets online to avoid waiting in line. Ugh. It can save you wayyy a lot of time.

The Louvre.

The exterior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral illuminating at night is pretty amazing. During my visit in winter, a giant Christmas tree was displayed right in front of the Gothic facade; an almost perfect setting for a moody winter inspiration shoot only if it snowed. I would absolutely take a photo with Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame too, if only he was real.

Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Don't miss out the Arc de Triomphe, one of the famous Arches in the world. What's interesting about this commemorative monument besides its historical significance is its location, where the arch is the centre of a roundabout. Cars would circle in orbit around it, causing massive traffic congestion. I guess they wanted an even closer look at the monument, who knows! 

And of course, the majestic Eiffel Tower is probably on everyone's travel bucket list. It was a pity that the lawn in front of it was fenced off during winter. It would be a great picnic spot during summer though! The tower lights up every night and I heard the view from the top deck is spectacular although I haven't witnessed it myself before because it was raining and the queue was too long.. 

Definitely one of my favourite pictures with Jessica.

The Tuileries Garden presents manicured rows of trees that retains its aesthetic quality even during the winter when deciduous trees have shed leaves. However, if one prefers to visit this picturesque garden when the trees and flowers are in full bloom, it'd best to go in Autumn. 

Going to Disneyland has always been a childhood dream of mine. I've been to the one in Paris twice and it never fails to reignite my inner child (hey, don't judge). I always had the urge to grab hold of every plushie I saw especially the Tsum Tsum that are merchandised almost everywhere in the park. & I'll be sure to visit Tokyo Disneyland one day just for the Green Alien Mochi heh.

These are some of the main attractions that I personally think are worth a visit. There are without a doubt, many other attractions but I spent most of my time hunting for good Parisian cakes and pastries. Guilty as charged! But no worries, I'll share some of my favourite patisseries in Paris in the next post.

Till then!

Up next: What's in Paris? - Part 2