Ladurée

This beautiful and oh so fancy cafe, Laduree, was recommended to me by two friends so on my last night in Paris I decided it was worth a look. Lets just say I liked it so much I came back the next day for lunch and dessert. They are famous for their macaroons and for good reason, so I picked up a box of them to serve as a thank you gift for my friend Chris' family whom I am currently staying with in Berlin!
*pictures coming soon*

Doin' Paris Solo

Traveling alone is never boring, that's one thing I have learned for sure. On my first day in Paris without Noelle I encountered some interesting people. I started my day with a walking tour along the Seine, all was peacefull until a 40-something year old man with slicked back hair started walking alongside me and trying to strike up conversation. I tried to ditch him by walking fast, walking slow, stopping to take picture.. but there was just no shaking this guy.. I finally had to be rude and tell him to go away so I could walk alone in peace.
This negative encounter was quickly forgotten when I met Minh and her two sons, Dorian (3) and Raphael (6). We were in line to buy ice cream on this hot day and Minh didn't have enough cash for their three ice creams so I offered to pay the difference. We spent the next hour or so walking through the Jardin des Tuileries and exchanging travel/life stories. She invited me to stay with them at their home, I declined, but agreed to spend the following day with them. She took me to see the nursery school where Dorian and Raphael go and then we proceeded onto Pere Lachaise, the famous cemetrery where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and many other famous people are burried, I later saw the Bastille, and stayed for dinner at their home. I was so completely shocked by her kindness, hospitality, and for providing me with a look into the French family life.
So often it is the people you meet that really shape your experiences and for this encounter I am thankful and inspired.

Return to Paris -with Noelle!

I woke from my nap just as my train was pulling into Gare du Nord.. I assumed all would be fine and well once I arrived, considering I would be meeting up with Noelle at last! ohh but when considering delayed flights, confusion about the new meeting point/time, and a lack of cell phones.. it was far from smooth sailing. I walked around the station countless times and only once I had nearly given up, had started wandering aimlessly, and contemplating how to page Noelle over the station intercom.. there.. in the distance.. jetlagged NOELLE, a beautiful sight for sore eyes!!

We navigated through the pee scented metro to our CouchSurfing destination, the apartment of Christos, our new French friend and host for the next few days. We spent a few nights at his cute little flat, he was a gracious host: made us scrumtious pizza, gave us massages (he's a massage therapist) and took us to a DELICIOUS family owned French restaurant in the Opera Quarter. It was a pretty good experience for our first time CouchSurfing.. although there was a mixup and he pretty much told us we were going to be homeless for the last day we were suppose to stay with him!! Luckily, my friend Juliette kindly let us stay at her flat for the night, problem sloved.

So I must give many thanks to Aimee, Noelle's sister, for recommending the Rose Bakery, it was out of this world! We seriously had a hard time not buying one of everything in this adorable little bakery. We took our picnic feast to a park near the Eiffel Tour where we devoured the food, with that glorious iron lady in front of us..nbd.

We later met up with some of my French loves whom I hadn't seen in a year.. so naturally I was beside myself with excitement! We went to a club called Rex, the night was fabbbulous of course.. but I probably shouldn't go into detail on this here blog :) OHOH but our night does not end there.. Noelle and I get into a taxi and the driver doesn't understandour slurred FrEnglish so we decide to get out and walk... interesting choice.. we were lost, i mean L-O-S-T! but as the sun rose, Noelle had a minor freak out, and 6am arrived, we finally managed to find our way back to Juliette's flat. Noelle instantly passed out, club clothes still on, feet still on the ground.. out like a light. A damn good night if you ask me haha

"Morning" rolls around and we manage to drag our hurting bodies to meet Ludo and Henry for lunch. Soon after Noelle left for Berlin and I moved into Ludo's flat, where I will be staying for the rest of my time in Paris.

Farewell London

I spent my last day in the Notting Hill area amongst its tree-lined streets and the Portobello Market. I had a long lunch at a quaint neighborhood restaurant where I had my favorite meal in London, although I'm still not quite sure what I ate.. a mysterious chicken dish stuffed with delicious, yet unidentifiable, ingredients in some sort of salty broth with unusual grilled vegitables. yum. I drank a few glasses of wine, wrote a few postcards, and went on my way.

I stumbled upon the colorful portobello market, where an all too friendly jeweler give me free turquoise in hopes that I would go along with his plan and return once the market was closed.. so he could "make me a special necklace".. HA.. as his requests became more insistent and turned into demands for a promise of my return, I quickly "agreed" in order to get out of there and hang on to my new little turquoise stone :]

I found another little jem.. the Hummingbird Bakery, they had a wide range of tropical fruit flavored cupcakes.. sadly pictures were not aloud in the shop, but I snagged a few delicious cupcakes to share when I met up with Kate later on.

Kate (a friend from SF whom is interning in London and living in a 5 story, crazy-awesome, Real World esque apartment) invited me out with her roommates for a night in Soho.. where we encountered "British Snooki" and had an awesome night that was surely worth missing a night of sleep.

Before I knew it, 6am had arrived and I was on my way to the train station, saying farewell to beautiful London, and heading toward Paris.

London introduction

Something I love about traveling is that i don't have to worry about looking like a fool because I'll likely never see these people again. I happily reconnected with this mentality soon after arriving in London as i proceeded to wash my hair in the airport bathroom sink. Mother, you've created a monster.. I seem to go to great lengths to keep this mop of mine clean. gahh
So I've been in London for a few days now and its quite wonderful! I enjoy the new and old elements side by side, the decaying buildings next to the glass highrises, it creates an interesting depth to this massive city.

I've been an active little tourist so far, going on extensive self-guided walking tours and seeing many of the main attractions. I've seen much yet have hardly scratched the surface; there are countless districts to see and my days here are dwindling, so much to do and see!

I've noticed that while traveling alone my desire to talk to strangers increases. Rob, the friend I'm currently staying with, ensured that my increasing desperation to speak with someone, ANYONE, will surely lead to some bold conversation starters.. should only get more interesting from here on out. Luckily my dear French friend Lea will be meeting me in London on Monday, unfortunitely for her I'll probably be talking nonstop.

Tomorrow I am also migrating to a hostel in Kensington, right on the edge of Hyde park. Today's plans consist of visiting the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Southwark Cathedral, and Cite Hall.. busy day.. must get going