Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Honeymoon: 15 things to do in Paris

Paris, also known as the City of Love, is a popular honeymoon destination. When it comes to romance, the french people knows it best since French is the language for love. The iconic Eiffel tower is also a symbol of love, as countless proposals took place within its ground. There is something whimsical about Paris, an irresistible charm that makes people yearn for more. Therefore, here is my personal take on how to enjoy Paris with your love :)  
1. The Eiffel Tower
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A trip to Paris is never complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower, one of the most recognizable structures in the world. For those looking for a good workout, simply tour the tower on foot by climbing the 704 steps from the bottom to the 2nd floor. Otherwise, purchase the tickets for lifts in person at the ticketing booths or online from their official website.
2. Louvre Museum
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Housing more than 35,000 works of arts including the famous Mona Lisa, Louvre Museum is worth a visit for those interested in arts & history. Pace your way through the different exhibits, ranging from Egyptian antiquities to paintings. While you are mesmerized by the painting of Mona Lisa, do be wary of pickpockets loitering around the area. 
Related posts: Louvre, the perfect symmetry I, II, III and IV
3. Dine at a Michelin Star Restaurant
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With over 70 Michelin-starred restaurants, Paris is one of the most foodie-friendly capitals in the world. We headed to Lasserre, a 2-star Michelin restaurant for lunch and boy, it was the most enjoyable experience ever! 
 4.  Notre Dame Cathedral
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Notre Dame Church always remind me of the movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Decorated with exquisite carvings of French Gothic influence, the cathedral is widely considered to be one of the most well-known church buildings in the world. Conquer the 380 steps up the cathedral towers and see the Emmanuel bell.  
 5. Hop on a River Cruise
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Hop on a river cruise to enjoy the sights along River Seine. Fuss-free and easy, this saves you from walking the miles. Head to the upper deck and bask in the sunshine, feel the gentle breeze caressing your hair as you sail down the river.
6. Picnic at the Park
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Pack some food, head to a nearby park and have an impromptu picnic.   
Related post: Picnic at Tuileries Garden
7. Watch Moulin Rouge
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The famous red wind-mill of Paris, birthplace of the can-can dance. Catch a show at Moulin Rouge and be transported into a world of cabarets, can-can dance, elaborate costumes made of feathers, rhinestones and sequins. 
Related post: Moulin Rouge 
 8. Palace of Versailles
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The Palace of Versailles, which has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list for 30 years, is definitely worth a day trip out of Paris city. Spanning over 2,014 acres of land, the Chateau is divided into the Palace, the Garden, the Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoniette's Estate. My personal favourites are The Hall of Mirrors (located in the Palace) and the Garden. You can even rent a boat and row in the grand canal. 
9. Chill out at Laduree Tea house
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Enjoy a quiet afternoon at Laduree Tea House, sipping tea over a table full of desserts. Desserts always taste sweeter when sharing it with the other half :) Pack a box of their signature macarons for takeaway! 
10. Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris
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Designed by Paul Abadie, the Basilica is situated at the summit of Montmatre, which also happens to be the highest point in the city. The Basilica offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Paris skyline, which many visitors flocked to see. 
11. Shopping
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Paris is the perfect shopping paradise, with home-grown brands like Chanel, Hermes and many more. Stroll down Champ Elysee, head into the store of your favourite brand and just hand over the credit card!
12. Street Performances
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Being a capital of arts and culture, there are plenty of street performances in the city. Hunt for an empty slot at the steps in front of Basilica, grab a bottle of beer and some snacks from the street vendors and enjoy the show.
13. Drink lots of wine
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When the price tag of wine is way cheaper than a glass of water, ordering wine is the best way to go!
14. Shop at their local supermart
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Have a go at their ready-packed meals - they never tasted so good! Stock up on a few bottles of wine to drink at the comfort of your accommodation. Oh, grab a couple of their desserts to counter late night hunger pangs. 
Related post: Grocery Shopping
15. Stroll along River Seine
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Take a slow walk down the river banks with your love, hand-in-hand and enjoy the wonderful sights of Paris. Head to the Eiffel Tower and snap a picture or two, or watch the sun setting in the horizon - this is the perfect way to end the day. 

Psst .... detailed posts will be linked once completed, stay tuned! 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Honeymoon: Moulin Rouge

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Happy mid-week ... can't believe that in 7 days time, it will be Christmas :) I have mentioned countless times that Dec is my fave month of the year  - with birthday/Xmas/New Year celebrations, yippee! Can't wait for BFF to be back with my birthday/Xmas present too, yippee! This time round, I took a longer time to recover from my post-holiday syndrome. I was checking on SQ flights over the weekend, lol! The next holiday ..... almost brewing in progress, haha! Just need to wait for Leecher to give his stamp of approval & I'll have to work doubly-hard to earn $$ to finance the trip. Our winter wonderland trip left me feeling very poor but I enjoyed every moment of it :) Blogging will resume, but at a slower pace so keep a lookout on this space! 
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After our river cruise, we just walked around the area trying to find our way to the train station for our next activity. Then, we chanced upon Chanel and I got a lil crazy outside the shop (^^)
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Openly declaring my , heh. I have dedicated half a day for shopping later in the week, where I nearly went crazy - more on that later. P5093881
Taking the train to our next destination. 
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I was a fan of the movie "Moulin Rouge" when it hit the cinemas way back in 2001. Being the naive me at that time, I thought Moulin Rouge was just a title for the movie and it wasn't till years later did I realise that Moulin Rouge exists in real life.
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 You can spot the famous red windmill once you walked out from the metro station. Even though it was 30 min before show starts, a queue was formed outside the theater.
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We bought our tickets online to guarantee our seats. You can get to choose if you want the dinner+show tickets or just the show tickets. BFF went for dinner+show tickets and advised me to get just the show tickets. There are 2 shows daily, with the first seating at 9pm and the 2nd seating at 11pm. 
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I sneakily sneaked a picture inside the theater before the show started.
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 After a good 2-hour show on can-can dance, we emerged outside and saw that the sky was dark. However, the signature red windmill dazzled against the dark backdrop. We lingered for a while more to take pictures before calling it a day. P5093933 
Took the metro back to our apartment.  P5093935P5093939 
Prepared for supper - a meal of risotto & beef with Leecher's daily dosage of raspberry :) I really love the ready-packed food found in their supermarkets. They have so much varieties that I was literally begging Leecher to buy all so I could try and we did tried quite a couple during the trip to ease our hunger pangs in the middle of the night. Leecher, on the other hand, is not a fan of microwave food but thankfully he accommodates me whenever he can :) 
Moulin Rouge
82 Boulevard De Clichy
75018, Montmartre, Paris
Tel: + 33 0 1 5309 8282
Nearest Metro: Blanche

Monday, November 25, 2013

Honeymoon: Cruise along River Seine Part Two

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The famous Paris love locks: where couples will write their names on a padlock and locks it onto one of the bridges. They then throw the keys into Seine River as a symbol of their undying love. This phenomenon of padlocking your love across continents - from Japan to Canada to New Zealand.
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There are 2 bridges in Paris with the locks, so you must be careful which bridge you put the locks on. Pont des Arts is for your committed love while Pont de l'Archeveche is for your lover. Make a stop at these 2 bridges to admire the ocean of locks or adding to the collection. Since we are in the city of love, we should do cliche commercialised romantic things right? Sadly to say, Leecher think otherwise :( Sometimes, this hubby is a tough nut to crack!
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Samaritaine was the department store in Paris, owned by LVMH. It has since became a combination hotel/apartment/offices building, with a small retail component. 
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Viaduc d'Austerlitz is the rail bridge that crosses the Seine in Paris. Its usage is solely dedicated to the railroad traffic, linking places from the left bank to the other side of the river. Even though demonstrations & strikes are common throughout Europe, I was thankful that we didn't encounter any strikes during our journey. 
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Most of the bridges in Paris are named. This particular bridge that we crossed looked ordinary, but I was captivated by the statue of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. She was standing on Pont de la Tournelle (name of the bridge), as if she was keeping a close watch on the people & boats crossing the river.  
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French history is never completed without mentioning Napoleon Bonaparte :)
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Just like every tourist, our cameras started clicking away the moment we left the jetty *face-palm* in an attempt to digitalize our memories. I believe we took close to 150+ pics just on the cruise alone.
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Leecher was also trying out the new lens that he brought along which allowed us to capture the intricate details on the buildings along the banks. 
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Notre Dame Cathedral (back-view) - we visited the famous church on a separate day, so I shall leave the details in the entry. Cupola of the Institut de France. This building housed the 5 national institutions of academic wisdom - French Academy, Humanities & Literature Academy, Science Academy, Fine Arts Academy & Policial/Moral Academy, pretty much like our faculties in University. As I'm typing this, I thinking of planning a trip back to NTU just to look look see see. It has been almost 2 years since my last visit & I'm pretty sure things have changed by now. 
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Saving the best for the last, we finally cruised towards the Eiffel Tower :)
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Wa, this Leecher actually insisted on taking his pic with Eiffel tower, lol! With the love, in the city of love ~ see, it rhymes!
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While researching on places to eat in Paris, I came across the legendary Le Jules Verne restaurant in Eiffel Tower. The initial plan was to head there for a meal, where you get to dine while overlooking the whole of Paris. However, we didn't have the luxury of time thus we had to abandon the thought :( Well, I think there's always next time, right? Heehee. 
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Oh my! Carousel spotted ~ so pretty :)
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❤ ❤ ❤
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 Time really passed by quickly when you are having fun. We finally reached the end of the river cruise. A couple of us were reluctant to leave & lingered around to take a few more pictures.
Bateaux Mouches
Port de la Conference 
Pont de I'Alma, Rive droite
75008, Paris
Nearest RER C: Pont de I'Alma station
Tel: + 33 0 1 4225 9610
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