BW Film: Paris

Paris looks amazing in black and white. That is all.














That is one crazy swingset.

Paris IV

2nd December
It was another super gloomy day in Paris and it was also my last day. First stop was the Louvre and there were quite a few people at the museum compared to my previous visit.






Museums make me really tired for some reason. I also brought my film SLR and my BW film with me. Kind of worried about all the x-ray scanners that I have gone through/ still need to go through. Hoping for the best. The back of the camera seems to pop out randomly and I forgot to bring tape and ended up using bandaids to secure the backing. Awkward.

A. wanted to eat at Ladurée so we visited for dessert. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and had also never tried anything from them before. I settled on hot chocolate (what is a visit to Paris without hot chocolate) and a lemon tart to counter the chocolate sweetness.




Not the best to be honest.













Bridge from Inception. Aka Pont de Bir Hakeim



Overall Thoughts
I walked away from Paris with a more positive view than after my previous visit. I walked a lot around Paris, in the touristry areas and also the less touristy areas inadvertently since I got a little lost (nothing like Rome. I don't think anything will beat my experience in Rome).

Would I re-visit?
Not anytime soon. Unlike a lot of people it seem, I don't love the city (though I did enjoy it) and have had my fill for the time being.

Paris III

When researching for things to see and do in Paris, I stumbled upon information about La Petite Ceinture. This refers to the old railway line that runs around Paris. I thought it would have been as interesting as the Belt Line in Atlanta. I was initially on a mission to find a way onto the railway track however I later realised that it would be a time consuming process since I couldn't find any information about entry points on the internet/Google. In the end, I decided that it would be for another day (hopefully before they turn it into something else!) and settled on walking the Plantee Promenade. Plantee Promenade is a 4.7km walk that follows the old Vincennes railway line which starts near Bastille and ends at the Charles-Péguy Square. It is very similar to the High Line in NYC however the Plantee Promenade was inaugurated in 1993, which was 16 years before the one in NYC.


Visiting Bastille Markets first.


Freshly made churros for 2 euros!
It was a very cold day (4 degrees) and there were a lot of people running on the path.












The coolest thing ever at Jardin de Reuilly. A free sparkling water fountain!

Paris II

I never thought that I suffered from jet lag before, however I think I am still in the process of sorting it out now, three days into my trip. Unbeknownst to me, the two weeks of only getting 6hrs a sleep a night has altered my body clock so that I currently wake up naturally after around 7hrs. For the first night, I became dead tired at 5pm meaning that I then woke up at 12am. Second night, I slept at 7pm and woke at 2am and last night (at the time of writing this post) I went to bed at 10pm and woke up at 4am. When I wake up, I feel completely refreshed albeit a little sore from the walking done on the previous day.

29th November
It was stated to be a relatively clear day so we decided to head up over to the Sacré Cœur. Last time I went, Sunbear and I parted with 5 Euros due to the African men and their string bracelets. This time I was a little more vigilant and walked super fast past them, although to be fair they were also occupied with their tourists already. This one guy was surrounded by 4 men, the poor guy. The view from the top was amazing although visibility was a little affected by the fog.










It was a Saturday so the area in Printemps and Galeries Lafayette was jam packed with people. A crazily amount of people. I hate crowds and I don't understand how anyone can shop in such conditions.


The upside down Christmas tree.






The day ended at Jardin des Luxembourg. French children are dressed so nicely and are so so adorable.






I ordered soup of the day, although I had no idea what it was (and no one actually told me). Nonetheless, it was delicious.

Paris I

This was my second time in Paris and to be quite frank, I didn't remember a whole lot from my first time. In some respects, it was similar to my first impressions of NYC; everything was so cool since I had always wanted to see those places and do those things. But I didn't really walk away with either a positive or particularly negative experience. It may well have also been due to the fact that, at the time, I was completely laissez faire about everything. This time, I came armed with more research, more knowledge and more awareness about the things that I wanted to see in the city.

28th November 2014


Last time, I stayed near Nation metro in the 19th arr. This time, I am staying outside the ring circle in Pantin.
It only cost 4 Euros to climb the stairs to the second level of the Eiffel Tower (as opposed to 7,50 for the elevator) and it was a nice walk up, nothing too scary or difficult. Luckily, the skies cleared up a little and the view from the second floor was amazing. I already knew that Paris was a very big city, but to see it from that vantage point just reaffirmed what I already knew.














I stumbled upon the Christmas market on Avenue des Champs-Elysees. It was a bit random to be honest especially with the English Christmas songs playing alongside with the noises from the busy street too. Ate some pretty awful chips (frites) and had some mulled wine (vin chaud). There was this amazing ham and melted raclette cheese baguette at this stall, but it was just a little pricy for my liking. But now in hindsight, maybe it was worth trying. (I love cheese).


The chairs at Jardin des Tuileries were so relaxing especially after a very long day of walking.