Paris Diaries 2: The Mona Lisa Up Close and Hanging Out with the Locals at Jardin des Tuileries

With millions of visitors every year, Musée du Louvre is easily the world's most visited museum. Tons of people flock to see the Mona Lisa in person, and appreciate thousands of other sculptures and paintings. It's always advisable to purchase tickets in advance so you can avoid the long lines, or even opt to have a guided tour. But since we didn't have enough time to plan out our itinerary for every single day of our trip, we decided to go at our own pace instead, based on a shortlist of places we wanted to visit.

The Louvre Pyramid

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Once we got off the bus, we were in awe of the beautiful architecture and headed straight toward the Louvre Pyramid for our photo ops. It was a pretty sunny day, and there were lots of people lined up waiting to enter the famous tourist destination. Luckily, we found a way to avoid the crowds.

She Said: The best way to enter the museum is through Carrousel du Louvre- the underground shopping mall. Across the street from the Pyramid, look for the La France Victorieuse statue. Right behind this statue is a stairwell that will lead you down to the mall and towards the alternate line to enter the museum.

she said: It's a must to carry a mobile device when you're traveling so you can stay connected in case of an emergency. We purchased local prepaid SIM cards for our mobile phones which are available at the Relay Boutique at Charles de Gaulle airport (arrival area) and at most convenience stores around the city.

 La France Victorieuse statue and the entrance to Carrousel du Louvre

Carrousel du Louvre

Musée du Louvre Main Reception & Information Area - audio guides are available in 12 languages, as well as maps to help you navigate your way around the museum.

 The Louvre is a historic monument and one of the largest museums in the world. It was impossible for us to see everything in a day, because the place is just so massive and overwhelming.
 

 The most famous painting in the museum is the Mona Lisa. It is so popular that there is always a crowd around it, and you'll have to inch your way to the front so you can get a closer look and a good photo.

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa

A view of the courtyard - there are hundreds of windows that provide unique views of the areas surrounding the museum.

After a couple of hours, we decided to end our museum tour and took the exit leading to Rue de Rivoli on a quest to find Angelina Tearoom & Patisserie. The street is lined with lots of souvenir shops. After asking around a bit, we finally found the place. We didn't have to wait long to be seated, and soon, we were ushered to a little table in the main room. 

Angelina Salon de Thé~Restaurant~Boutique

226 Rue de Rivoli

75001, Paris

website

Built in 1903, Angelina on Rue de Rivoli was the first and original tearoom that became a must-not-miss venue for French personalities such as Coco Chanel and Marcel Proust.

 

Tarte Framboise Pistache

Angelina's famous Chocolat L' Africain is decadent, delicious and super photogenic, you almost forget the price tag - about 8€ or Php 480 for one serving.

After finishing up our meal, we crossed the street to explore Jardin des Tuileries, a public park landscaped in French formal garden style. It was actually packed with more locals than tourists - a sea of people, all casually hanging out on the now iconic green metal chairs on a bright, cloudless day and soaking in the sun. Just being there and spending time with the locals gives you this wonderful, exhilarating feeling. It is an experience that is not to be missed!

Please stay tuned for the last part of our Paris Diaries: The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

This article is also published on PhilStar.com.

Inspiration Board: Rain Check

I love the rainy weather - I had been wishing for drizzly days the whole summer long. Listening to music with rain in the background makes it sound so much better, and naps seem all the more inviting with the cool breeze that the weather brings. But being caught out in the rain unprepared or inappropriately dressed is just the worst, so here is my idea of a rainy day outfit. (I mean, how cute is that umbrella?!)

 

A.P.C. Cropped Striped Cotton T-Shirt, Kate Spade Rain Check Umbrella, ASOS Clear Rain Trench, 7 For All Mankind Skinny Jeans, JUJU Wellies, Alexander Wang Rocco Light Blue Satchel 

Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday, and don't forget your umbrella just in case! 

 

Paris Diaries: Walking through the Montmartre and Le Marais Districts

We are so happy to share with all of you the travel diaries of our amazing trip to Paris just last week. We are both going through some serious vacation withdrawal, since everything about our trip is still so fresh in our minds. 

Both Bianca and I are trying to get back to the regular groove of school and housework and writing for our blog, but on most days we usually just end up daydreaming about the long walks we took around the Eiffel Tower trying to decide which angle had the best view, the charming cafes on every corner, the beautiful ornate buildings, and the way the sun didn't set until almost 10:00pm, rightfully proving that Paris is indeed the City of Light.

We visited some of the most incredible places. Every street in Paris is photogenic and you won't be able to resist taking snapshots every chance you get. It was our first trip to Paris, and to Europe, and we'll be doing a couple of posts about some of our favorite places and things to do.

Where we stayed

We stayed in an apartment in the Montmartre district which we found through AirBNB.

 We wanted to stay in a quiet residential area that had easy access to a bus stop with nearby shops and cafes. We also wanted to stay in a place that had a functioning kitchen that would allow us to prepare simple meals, mostly for breakfast so we could load up before a full day of sightseeing and walking. An important consideration was that the apartment building must have an elevator. Most Paris apartments are accessible by stairs only, so if your apartment is on a higher floor then you might have a hard time lugging up your suitcase.

I was initially scared of renting an apartment, preferring that sense of security you get when staying in a hotel. But everything turned out perfect and afforded us to stay in Paris for a whole week at half the cost.

For our first day in Paris, we decided to explore our area first thing in the morning, to check out all the nearby cafes, markets, boulangeries, and fromageries to stock up our kitchen.

 Wearing outfits by Bayo Clothing

We had so much fun familiarizing ourselves with our neighborhood and we were happy that there was a supermarket, a pharmacy and a newspaper stand just right around the corner. We became regulars at the boulangerie across the street where we would buy hot out of the oven baguettes and my favorite fresh apricot tarts for breakfast every morning, as well as some basic grocery items at the Carrefour supermarket nearby.

 We put together a quick lunch from our happy purchases back at the apartment and after a short rest, we were off to explore Le Marais, a charming neighborhood with narrow cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture.

 

For this entire trip, we chose to go around the city by bus. We found taking the taxi to be quite expensive so we reserved our cab rides from the airport to the apartment and back. Bus stops can be found all around the city and most are equipped with an electronic information system that tell you what time to expect the next bus. Going around by bus is also more scenic and made it possible for us to see more of Paris as compared to using the Metro. Bus routes and neighborhood maps are displayed at each station and tickets can be purchased in advance at any Tabac- a cigarette/newspaper stand which also sells postage stamps, lottery tickets and sometimes coffee.

Traveler Tip

If you are disabled or an elderly traveler, the bus may be a better option for you. The buses we took were relatively clean, comfortable and accessible if you are using a wheelchair.

Coming up next - Part 2: The Louvre and Tuileries Garden

This article is also published on PhilStar.com

The Story Behind Paris

The story behind our trip to Paris is certainly an amazing one to tell and I don't think I'll ever get tired of sharing and retelling it over and over for years to come.

Last Mother's Day, May 11th, I joined a Mother's Day Giveaway sponsored by Katie Mitchell Photography. Katie Mitchell is an Australian lifestyle photographer and to commemorate Mother's Day, she was giving away a Mother & Daughter Portrait Session in Paris. Despite reading the fine print that travel expenses were not included, I proceeded to secretly join the giveaway as I had wanted to surprise Bianca to celebrate her Sweet Sixteen in our ultimate dream destination.  I told myself  that if the trip was meant to be, I would be chosen as the winner. Everything would fall into place for the trip - visas, airfare, accommodations and pocket money and the lack of all these details would not hinder me.

I kept positive from day one after submitting my entry and without even a clue if I would be chosen, I started preparing for the trip. I got our passports renewed, and secured an appointment at the French Embassy for our visa interview. Everyday I would do little things to prepare for the trip like sending our sweaters out to be dry cleaned, looking up hotels and places to stay. I even got Bianca to create an Inspiration Board of all the places we wanted to visit and all the food we wanted to eat in Paris and continued to harness positive thoughts, positive energies and most importantly positive actions.

When I received the email that my entry was chosen, I was in tears. Not in disbelief, but in sheer joy and happiness because I knew that it was finally happening and our trip to Paris would soon be a reality.

Our family and friends came together with their unwavering love and support which kept me going and kept my eyes focused on the goal all the more. One thing lead to another, overwhelmingly so, and in three weeks, Bianca and I found ourselves boarding our plane ride to The City of Light.

I just wanted to share this story with all of you who have dreams still unfulfilled. Paris has been on our bucket list since 2007 and honestly, there were times when I thought it was an impossible dream. But God's timing is always perfect. So, keep dreaming and  keep believing, because dreams really do come true.

Sweet Sixteen in Paris

To My Dearest Bianca,

Happy 16th Birthday, my love! What a blessing it is that we are celebrating your birthday in Paris, of all places. I can feel your excitement and your joy ever since we arrived here and I'm just so thankful for this gift.

We've been through lots of heartaches and sad times you and I, and I know that this is God's way of making it up to both of us. 

I know there were times when you felt discouraged when you thought your prayers were never heard or answered. But, this is proof that God hears and answers all our prayers in His perfect time. We just have to believe and keep the faith.

We have so much to be thankful for. How our friends and family rallied us on and the outpouring of love and support to make this dream trip happen is just so overwhelming! The only way we can ever repay them is to give back.

Thank you for bringing me so much happiness and laughter. I am so proud of all your accomplishments and the wonderful, caring and responsible young lady you have grown up to be. You are the reason I get up in the morning.

Dream big, my dear Bianca. Don't let anything hold you back. Be the best that you can be. Because now you know, that nothing is impossible with God.

Love,

Mama

 Bianca trying out the tiaras at the L' Opera Boutique.

Keeping up with Kindness

Last year, mom and I went to a lot of schools to share little acts of kindness with kids. Unfortunately, I spent majority of my free time this summer studying for college entrance tests, and we had to put our project on the back burner.

We were so excited to be able to squeeze in a little session right before my break ended, with these sweet kids from our good friend Teacher Nikki's art class : )

The kids were super cooperative and nice, and they even gave us a performance of their own! Here they are jamming to The Eagles' "Hotel California" : P

This is me singing a few songs with my ukulele! (I hope to learn how to play the guitar soon...)

I love these little sessions we have, because they remind me of why we started our blog in the first place - to spread kindness, happiness, and love! <3 

The Way We Ate- Chateau 1771

It's been so long since we've last eaten at Chateau 1771! We were so excited to go back and enjoy the restaurant's food and charming ambiance. It was the highlight of our trip to Greenbelt last Saturday - we love walking around and looking in lots of stores together, especially because we rarely go to this part of town. Definitely worth the trip!

Goat Cheese & Grilled Apple Salad - Malagos Farm chevre (goat cheese), green ice lettuce, mizuna, grilled red apples, kalamata olives, Pommery vinaigrette topped with bacon bits.

Pasta Chorizo - Spaghetti tossed in brown chorizo and garlic sauce.

 Beef Tenderloin with Cafe de Paris butter

Baked Potato

Lemon Basilic Sorbet- very refreshing and perfect for summer dessert!

Chateau 1771

Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St  

Legaspi Village, Makati City

(02) 729-9760