La Vie en Rose

There is something fairly enchanting about the idea of Paris – the Eiffel Tower, the croissants, the macarons, the fashion, the French language, and the notion that you just might stumble upon "The One" in the City of Love. Ever since I can remember, Paris has always been my dream destination. I was, and still continue to be, obsessed with Paris – so much to the point that I actually have a mini collection of Eiffel Tower trinkets which include coin purses, notebooks, and (shameful) underwear. It took all of my willpower to restrain myself from bursting out into a “This is What Dreams Are Made of“ song & dance moment à la Lizzie McGuire.

The view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero

With my favorite person in my favorite city. 

Paris, France was the final destination on our eight-country tour. It was, for me, the best way to end my two-week real life reverie. The first tourist spot we found ourselves in was at the Trocadéro, located right across the Seine river from the Eiffel Tower. The tour guide informed us that it would be the perfect place to get a shot (or two or three or a hundred) featuring the whole facade of the tower. But of course, the Trocadéro isn't just a mere photo stop - the Trocadéro also houses the Palais de Chaillot, perhaps best known as the site where Adolf Hitler was photographed during his city tour there. Furthermore, the Palais de Chaillot was also the site where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. I wasn't able to take any decent pictures of the palace itself because I was too in awe of the fact that I was so close to the Eiffel Tower. (Mentally slaps self.)

By the way, you're probably thinking that I'm too cliché for my own good, what with wearing stripes in Paris. In my defense, I did want a cliché Paris experience with the Eiffel Tower and the macarons and the croissants and the stripes. All I lacked for a complete Parisian cliché adventure was a beret... and a cute French guy to cling to.

(Please forgive the very bad photos of the Arc de Triomphe. These were taken across the street from the landmark itself because the tour guide told us that it was too dangerous to cross the streets in those parts of the city. Anyway.)

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is an imposing monument located at the western end of what is arguably the most famous street in France - the Champs-Élysées. The arc is meant to honor those who have fought and perished in the French Revolutionary, as well as the Napoleonic Wars. The most melancholic fact, albeit romantic in its own way, about the arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that lies beneath it. The tomb has an eternal flame that continually and indefinitely burns in memory of the soldiers who died in the world wars.

As with most of the other cities we've visited, we were only able to see most of Paris through a city tour on a bus. The pictures next few pictures were shot from inside the bus, so I apologize for the reflections and the bad angles. 

Luxor Obelisk

Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation

The Place de la Concorde, which houses the Luxor Obelisk and the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation, is the largest public square in Paris. The square is located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, opposite the direction of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile.

The Luxor Obelisk, also called the Cleopatra's Needle, is 3,300 years old and was a gift of the Egyptian government to France. The government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998 as it was missing its original pyramidion, believed to be stolen sometime around the 6th century BC. The obelisk stands at the very heart of the Place de la Concorde.

If the tour guide didn't identify this infrastructure, I would have thought that it was some sort of museum, or a Greek temple honoring Athena or Zeus or Aphrodite. However, the La Madeleine is actually a Roman Catholic church, designed as a temple to glorify Napoleon's army. The funeral for the virtuoso pianist (and coincidentally one of my favorite composers), Frederic Chopin, was held in this church.

I was heartbroken over the fact that we weren't able to go down and see the interiors of the Palais Garnier. Don't get me wrong - the facade was magnificent in itself, but I would have loved to relish in the beauty of the grand foyer or the auditorium of the palace. If you didn't know, the Palais Garnier is actually an opera house, and is in fact the setting for the renowned novel (and musical): The Phantom of the Opera.

Told you the reflections are pretty bad...

In Paris, even the mere hotels hold such vibrant history. The InterContinental Le Grand Hotel has always been a royal favorite - boasting of a guest list that included Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia (yes, of Anastasia), as well as King Edward VII of England. Victor Hugo, the writer of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notredame, was also fond of hosting parties at this very hotel. The literature geek in me can only dream of being able to stay in a hotel as grandiose as the Le Grand Hotel.

The L'Hôtel National des Invalides contains a series of museums and monuments, and is yet another landmark I would have chosen to explore by foot. All of the museums and monuments of The National Residence of the Invalids relate to the military of France. As its name suggests, the building was originally constructed as a retirement home for veterans. As an addendum, this is also the burial site for a handful of French war heroes, including Napoleon Bonaparte.

Brace yourself for the following fact... this is a department store.

"FAB" "SASSY" "DIVA" //  This is an accidental shot, I swear.

A trip to Paris would be incomplete without shopping, so of course we had to visit the most stunning "department store" there was in the city. The beautiful ceilings, interiors and rooftop view above are courtesy of the Galeries Lafayette. The class and wealth that the structure boasts is no hoax - everything was immensely expensive, except for the souvenir trinkets, which I suppose were reasonably priced based on Parisian standards.

After buying souvenirs and window shopping (because 300 euros for a shirt is definitely NOT justifiable; shameful, even), my mom and I decided to wander around. I guess we looked lost or bored or doleful or downright touristy because a local approached us and asked us if we knew about the rooftop. Thank God for that local, because the view that the rooftop offered was breathtaking.

Panoramic view of Paris from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower

Europe tour buddy - Berni! <3

After that brief "shopping" time, we were finally taken to see the Eiffel Tower up close. Despite the fact that some people think it is just a hunk of metal, it was every bit of lovely and magical and romantic to me.

Engraved on the tower are 72 names of French mathematicians, scientists and engineers to honor their contributions. Additionally, the tower also has two restaurants and a few souvenir shops located within it. I would have preferred to visit the Eiffel Tower at night with the glittering lights and all, but the tour agency controlled the schedules. Nonetheless, I was still able to see the Eiffel Tower in the flesh! What was once just a daydream has finally materialized. *insert satisfied sigh*

Me, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and my mom's "skills". Ha hahaha hah

To put it crudely, it sucked profusely that the only day that we were able to explore Paris was a Tuesday, and as luck would have it - the Louvre Museum closes only on Tuesdays. Regardless of that fact, one day wouldn't suffice for the Louvre anyway. The line to get in the museum itself takes hours of waiting, and of course, you would obviously need more than a day to see the 380,000 objects and 35,000 works of art on display. Perhaps this is fate telling me that I must go back someday. Ha. (Crossed fingers and toes and any other body part that can be crossed.)

Even though I wasn't able to see the world-renowned masterpieces on display at the Louvre - the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss to name a few - the architecture of the Musée du Louvre was a work of art in itself. The glass pyramids and the intricate details of the buildings added to the flair of the famous museum.

Just across the Louvre Museum is another landmark - the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. It shouldn't be confused with the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, which is larger and more well-known. Like the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is a triumphal arch celebrating Napoleon's victories. Although the names of both of these arcs begin with Arc de Triomphe, the de l'Étoile is what is referred to when only the name "Arc de Triomphe" comes up.

The view of the Seine River from the Pont des Arts

We ended our lovely day in Paris with a walk along the Pont des Arts. The Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge crossing the Seine River, and is known for the countless "love locks" on the railings bordering the bridge. The point of the love locks is that the couple would write down or engrave their initials on the padlock then throw the key into the Seine River after securing it onto a rail to symbolize their "endless" love.

Just recently, part of the railings collapsed due to the weight of the love locks. Measures are being taken by the French government to remedy this problem right now - the love locks might even be completely banned, as some locals see the locks as an eye sore and a plague that is beginning to destroy and deface their historical landmarks. I'm pretty glad I was able to visit the bridge before the collapse and before the bridge becomes bare of those locks.

After our day in Paris, we were set to fly home the very next day. I, of course, didn't want to leave, and even told my mom I would hide away somewhere just so she couldn't drag me back home. When we arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport, I thought for sure that my fairytale Europe experience was over. Apparently, Europe had one more surprise left for me:

I BUMPED INTO PHARRELL WILLIAMS. OH MY GOODNESS. I met an actual celebrity - how cool is that? I was, not just in that moment but for the entire duration of my trip, indeed irrefutably Happy. (He hehehe heh corny.)

One day in Paris wasn’t enough to see all the beautiful sites the city has to offer, but I am extremely thankful to have even caught a whiff of that luxurious Parisian air. No matter how short lived my Paris visit was, I honestly can’t complain. After all, in the words of Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea”.

{ P.S. Thank you, mommy and thank You, Lord, for the wonderful Europe experience. I couldn't ask for more. Except for maybe an endless supply of croissants and Laduree macarons. }

Once Upon a Time

Can you imagine a place where the air continuously wafted the scent of chocolate? Where the buildings looked like legitimate works of art with elaborate details carved from gold? Where even the mere pavement that people stepped on appeared to be intricately planned and designed? How does a place seemingly so poetic exist out of fiction? But I found it. I found the "land far, far away" that fairytales always found themselves mentioning. There is no other place more worthy of being a fantasy setting than Belgium.

The Atomium

The first place that we were designated to visit in Belgium was The Atomium. The Atomium was originally built in 1958 for the Expo '58 event - the Brussels World Fair. The unconventional infrastructure is actually a representation of a magnified unit cell of an iron crystal. I would be lying if I claimed that I wasn't immensely excited about seeing a chemistry-related establishment. I was, in fact, the first one out of the tour bus, giggling while haphazardly running towards the infrastructure. Having numerous chemistry units in college converted me into a chem fangirl, and this is despite the fact that I suck at the subject itself.

Fun fact: At the topmost level of The Atomium is a restaurant - the aptly named Panoramic Restaurant. I can only imagine the view of Belgium that the restaurant would have offered! Unfortunately, the time crunch decided to be a villain against my Europe whims again.

The Manneken Pis

Following our photo stop at The Atomium, we found ourselves visiting the Manneken Pis - arguably the most famous landmark of Brussels, Belgium. The Manneken Pis or the "peeing boy" is a small bronze statue depicting a young boy peeing into a fountain basin. I'm honestly not quite sure why this vaguely obscene statue is such a hit among the tourists. I practically had to elbow my way through the flock of people just to catch a glimpse of the le Petit Julien.

The Brussels Town Hall

It just isn't possible not to fall in love with the details.

Oh, just casually posing. W h a t

The "land far, far away" I was referring to is the Grand Place or the Grote Markt. The Grand Place is the central square of Brussels, and all the buildings surrounding the square are breathtakingly beautiful. As you weave yourself through the pretty guild houses, the array of streets had plenty to offer as well. A spot as enchanting as this unquestionably deserves its title as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Authentic Belgian waffles!

My belly attests to the fact that the food was delicious.

As my mom and I made our way through the streets directly connected to the square, I understood why the air unmistakably smelled of chocolates. Chocolate shops seemed to be in every corner; in fact, every shop seemed to be selling at least one type of chocolate! However, the best thing about shopping for chocolates was that every shop that we entered gave us free samples. The locals didn't even skimp on the free chocolates - you could grab as much as you wanted! Thank You, Lord, for the generous Belgians and their wonderful Belgian chocolates! (Don't even get me started on just how wonderful the Belgian truffles are!!!)

But it wasn't just the chocolates that made my visit worthwhile. I took advantage of the fact that I was in Belgium and bought myself a waffle! One plain waffle was horribly overpriced, but it isn't everyday that I get the chance to taste an authentic Belgian waffle. Not surprisingly, my money was put to good use - I've never been so satisfied by food before - and that's probably saying something, considering the fact that I could never bring myself to diet because of my intense love for eating.

I never knew it was possible to get overly attached to a place that you've only spent a few hours in, but Brussels, Belgium made me fall madly in love with it in the span of less than a day. Perhaps someday my story will end in an "and she lived happily ever after in Belgium". (And delusional Lesley Anne is back.)