Tales from Paris - Best Bits

After a quick tidy up of my desk this afternoon I came across some tickets, business cards and maps from various places I went to when I was in Paris, I thought I’d share some of my favourites.

Eating/drinking. Each night we’d get the metro to ABBESSES in Montmartre, which was great because not only was it easy to get to from our hotel but there were plenty of restaurants and bars with reasonably priced, yummy food. We ate and drank in several places across the week including a bar that did good food and amazing mojitos (decent sized glasses for about €6) two minutes down the road from the station. But the best place was Le Durer. It was so good we went back for a second night.

Le Durer

Le Durer, about 100m from the metro on rue Yvonne-le-Tac, is a fabulous little restaurant with a warm and friendly atmosphere. The owner and waiters did everything they could to make us feel welcome and the food was delicious. There were three set menus priced at €16, €23 or €31 available in French, German and English. Each menu got you a three course meal with a choice of between four and seven options per course, a bowl of nibbles to start and the obligatory basket of French bread. Eating there for two nights gave us a chance to try a lot of the options between the two of us and highlights for me were the French onion soup, steak in blue cheese sauce and lime sorbet. It was such a good find and I highly recommend it.

Of course when in Paris you have to sample the crepes and baguettes which are pretty much everywhere. We had a delicious crepe under the Eiffel Tower and we found a brilliant little boulangerie on the second island.  

Shopping. I did a lot of shopping. I think I might have spent more money on shopping than on food. Montmartre was a brilliant place to shop, the day we spent there ended with us struggling up the spiral staircase to our room with a ridiculous amount of bags.

Diwali

The Île Saint-Louis was another place where Euros quickly disappeared, mostly on jewellery. There were several places on the main street that were full of gorgeous things and because the island is very much in the shadow of the Île de la Cité it was much less crowded. The jewellery shop Diwali was a favourite of mine, lots of brightly coloured jewellery and scarves that were a little different.

Another place where I could have spent a fortune was Shakespeare & Company, the most famous English-language bookshop in Paris. I’d read about it in the Lonely Planet and knew we had to go there. It was worth it. It was amazing. The place is crammed floor to ceiling with bookshelves full of books; they even have those sliding ladders. I must admit that I was very restrained and only bought three books, the sensible side of me won... I kind of wished it hadn’t. However those three books I did buy got the official Shakespeare & Company stamp. And I got a bookmark.

Shakespeare & Company

And Voila! Some of my favourite places that we found when we were in Paris.                     

     

                      

A Winning Combination

Honestly, I’ve been very lucky with my skin and never really suffered from major breakouts. But like most people my age I am not blessed with flawless skin and have been trying to come up with the perfect combination of products to beat those irritating spots when they appear. Finally I think I’ve cracked it.

Firstly, Clearasil’s Pore Cleansing Pads are something I’ve been using on and off for a while and they’re brilliant. They’re so much easier and quicker than face wash which, for me, is perfect – I can never be bothered with the whole face wash routine especially late at night when I’ve just got in from work and want to go straight to bed. The pads exfoliate, prevent spots and it only takes a minute (amazing). They’re also nice and refreshing for in the morning.

The second product in my super cool spot fighting team is Clearasil’s Overnight Lotion. A recent discovery that is a really winner for me. Again, it’s quick and easy to use (no faffing with face wash), it doesn’t feel heavy like some lotions I’ve tried in the past and best of all it’s a prevention as well as a cure. I’ve been using it ever other night and so far, so good.

   

The final product in my fantastic three is Garnier’s Essentials Day Cream. This product really came into its own a couple of months ago after I came down with a virus that left me covered in oh-so-sexy red blotches – not going to lie, I would have made a convincing extra in one of those deadly virus horror films. A combination of the virus, calamine lotion and various anti itch creams left my skin, and face in particular, dry and in desperate need of moisturiser. Enter stage right Garnier’s Essentials Day Cream a few days later my face returned to its pre-virus, well moisturised self and I was again a very happy, un-blotchy bunny. In addition to its post virus face revival qualities this face cream smells amazing, is light and quickly absorbed into the skin. For an extra bonus point it doesn’t cost a stupid amount of money – I picked it up for about £4 at Sainsbury’s.  

I’ve tried many, many products over my teenage years and I’ve finally settled on these three that are fabulous and actually WORK. :)

            

Tales from Paris - Lessons learnt

During our time in Paris Amy and I learnt several things which I would like to share.

  

Lessons learnt and things discovered:

1.      Always get off at the metro stop the guidebook tells you to, don’t think you’re clever enough to do it differently. You will get lost.

2.      Amy looks like she is the kind of person who has a secret bag full of whisky

3.      Deaf people aren’t deaf and will try to rip you off

4.      Make sure you know how to use your hotel room key

5.      Spatulas are useful

6.      Montmartre markets aren’t open early

7.      Old French men named Tony will try and chat you up

8.      Learn to appreciate a clever scam that requires talent – “I’m inspired by your eyes, I must draw them”

9.      Random waiters will ask for your hotel room number

10.  You can get lost in the Louvre

11.  Don’t underestimate the length of the Seine

12.  Charge your camera before you leave

13.  If you ask for a late checkout, make sure both receptionists know about it  

Tales from Paris

Paris was amazing. I think that’s probably been one of my most frequent utterances this week, and every time I’ve said it I’ve had a stupid grin on my face. It was my first completely independent holiday, Amy and I organised everything, and it was amazing.  

It’s such a cliché but during those six days in Pairs I fell in love with the city. I’ve never been a city girl; I have a terrible sense of direction and I believe the only time you should be tightly crammed up against a sweaty stranger is at a gig, not on a train. But Paris was different and even though we were doing the touristy things like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, it wasn’t like going to London.

The beauty and magic of Paris engulfed me, inspiring me and making me remember why I love art and photography. Paris also made me embrace my terrible map reading skills and I can safely say I'm now a pro at using the Metro.

I came home from Paris with an extra bag full things I’d bought, a bit of a tan and a wonderful feeling I can’t quite describe that has kept me on a high all this week despite lots of extra shifts at work.

                        

This week...

This week I have mostly been:

Listening to: 

The Courteeners 

Watching: 

My favourite show....ever.

Drinking:

yummy, yummy, yummy

Long Time, No Write

I feel like I've been neglecting this blog ever since I decided to get Tumblr, in the same way a small child is easily distracted with brand new, shiny toys at Christmas. So I have come back here, had a girly redecorate and am working on a new blog post :)

Here is a link to my Tumblr: http://curlywhirly511.tumblr.com/ ...you know you want to have a sneaky peak

Five Books You Have To Read

One Day – David Nicholls

Recommended to me as a must read of summer 2010, it tells the story of two friends and their friendship over the course of twenty years.  What makes this book stand out and what sets it apart from other books I have read is the way in which it is written. The novel focuses on one day, the 15^th of July, and each successive chapter jumps a year forward from the last. This book had me hooked right until the very end and is one I have re-read many times. I don’t want to say too much because I wouldn’t want to spoil the genius of this book, but I highly recommend it. 

In Cold Blood – Truman Capote

A ‘Non-fiction novel’ about the murder of the Cutler family from Holcomb in 1959 that was first introduced to me as a set text for my English Lang and Lit AS coursework. I found this book compelling to read and sped through it. I’m not entirely sure how to describe just how good it is without sounding slightly weird. All I can say is READ it...read it, read it, read it.

The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella

I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella and I love all her novels, but this has to be my favourite of them all. It was the first novel I read by Kinsella and I was hooked instantly. Funny, heart warming and brilliantly written, you can’t help but love main character Samantha. Every time I pick up one of her novels I can’t put it down, I could recommend all of the books she has written and I will recommend them all. Her novels are a fantastic slice of good ‘chick-lit’. One final note read the shopaholic series instead of watching the film, much, much better. 

Threepenny Memoir - Carl Barat

I’m biased here, for me Carl can do no wrong. I have his Libertine’s albums, Dirty Pretty Things albums, his solo album (signed), have seen DPT perform and now have a ticket to see him on his solo tour. So present me a book entirely dedicated to Carl and, well, I snapped that up as soon as I had the cash.  This is a candid book with real warmth that frankly and honestly looks back at the highs and lows of the life of a Libertine, as well as tales of what comes next. 

An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington

I am absolutely gutted I only saw part of the TV series on sky, so when Sainsbury’s were offering the book for only a fiver I jumped at the chance to reader the travel diary of quite possible one of the best humans on this planet. I’m only a little way into it at the moment but when Karl Pilkington described the pyramids as “like a massive game of jenga that has got out of hand” I knew this was going to be pure genius.     

Marmitey goodness

I shall start by saying: I love Marmite. Today I received my secret Santa present and it was a-ma-zing :D ...blog-worthy in fact. Now I present to you my Christmas presents full of Marmitey goodness, wrapping paper and all:

Marmite WRAPPING PAPER :D

Marmite coaster

Marmite poster

Taaa daaaa...how awesome are they? I must admit to being hugely excited about the wrapping paper, I may even frame it :P 

New Year's Resolutions? No thanks...

New Year’s resolutions: the goals we set at the beginning of each year, in an attempt to ‘reinvent’ ourselves and generally become an all round better person.

Typically they involve giving something up, losing weight or just doing something better. More often than not resolutions are broken or forgotten within the first few weeks, and we are left with the unpleasant feelings of failure and disappointment that are miles from the drunken New Year’s optimism where anything seemed possible. Unless you are a special human being with the will power of a saint or someone who just hates failing, the cycle can spoil the New Year and it’s time to put a stop to it.

A New Year presents all sorts of opportunities and I believe by making a New Year’s resolution you are almost setting yourself up for disappointment which will only spoil such a wonderful time of year; it is almost as if you are limiting your freedom to live the way you want to. Constantly you have that nagging voice in the back of your head saying “Wait, you can’t do that remember your resolution?” Life needs to be lived with the possibility to do anything, not be held back by a few words uttered at midnight because it’s what you’re meant to do on New Year’s Eve.

So, unsurprisingly I haven’t set any resolutions this year. I didn’t last year and looking back at 2010 it was probably one of the best years so far, actually I am a little bit disappointed to see it end. And, yes, 2011 will be one of the most stressful years of my life but I believe by entering into it with an open mind and without being held back by a resolution it could just top 2010 and be pretty damn a-ma-zing.

Therefore New Year’s resolutions can, to quote my favourite film, “*Blows Raspberry* jog on.”