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Au revoir Paris

August 19, 2016 by niajae Leave a Comment

Leaving Paris was hard. I sat at the airport and thought about how a little part of me wants to run away to Paris to become a glamorous burlesque dancer and have lunch at Maison Blanche Paris once a week. How can my life ever be the same after experiencing such awesomeness?

My final thoughts on Paris…

It’s expensive. This is not the place you want to travel on a budget, in my opinion. But it’s totally worth the trip. Learn some basic French because not that many people speak English and even if they do, understanding how they pronounce things will make the trip easier.

The food was okay, but nothing that blew me away. I was much more impressed by the burlesque dancers then the food and I’m a huge foodie.
Go see shows! No one suggested I see a show which is weird to me. It was one of my favorite things about the trip. I do have a background in music and dance so I’m into that type of thing more than the average person.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night is a must! It sparkles for about 4 minutes at 10, 11 and 12. The whole city seems to come alive at night. It’s beautiful.
Don’t get hustled. There are a lot of people asking for money and the bike guys will rip you off if you let them. Go sit by the water and have a picnic. You can have alcohol outside of the bars and restaurants. Buy a bottle of wine and enjoy the beautiful view.

Taking a cab everywhere was expensive so try to take the train and save money. The metro runs pretty fast, similar to NY. The driving is crazy. I wouldn’t rent a car and drive there, personally.
There’s a beach. I didn’t go however, it’s nice to know it’s there and that will be something I check out when I visit again.

It’s easy to say I fell in love with Paris.

My next stop, Italy. Just so everyone knows, I love me some pasta and Italian food! Italy was a must! I’ve wanted to visit Italy for a long time.

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Au revoir Paris!

Finding the Glamour

August 8, 2016 by niajae 4 Comments

It was important to me to eat some authentic French food while in Paris. I told my waiter I wanted to try the most popular dish. From what I understood, lamb is really popular. There was another name in French, but in English I order sliced lamb with fried potatoes and salad. I also had a glass of white wine.

French dish

The next day I decided to take a tour to all of the monuments on one of those bike carriages that are all over the place. I found a young, spunky driver that blasted music so he was perfect for me. After taking me to the best places for pictures with the Eiffel Tower, Musee du Louvre and a few other places he dropped me off at Pizza Pino. He explained the food was really good right before over charging me for my tour. I heard it’s common for tourist to be over charged.

Pizza Pino

The waiters kept coming over, smiling and asking me where I’m from. Everyone was friendly and the place was really busy. The pizza was pretty good. The wine was good also. I had to try the wine, of course.

Pizza and wine in Paris

After dinning at Pizza Pino I decided to explore the area that the bike driver who over charged me, claimed is the best in Paris. There were awesome stores and the further I walked the better they got. There was a multi-level Abercrombie and Fitch store that looked like a castle. I don’t shop there but the exterior looked so fancy I had to go inside. It was gorgeous. Who knew Abercrombie and Fitch had it like that in Paris? It’s definitely worth checking out if you shop there. The inside is breathtaking.

I decided to keep walking a little further and there it was! The glamour!!! Everything I envisioned Paris to be! Designer shops, fancy people carrying nice handbags and things just seem to sparkle. I didn’t actually go in any stores because I was sweaty and gross from my tour. My all white outfit now had dirt spots because of the splits in front of the monuments we visited. So I just admired the luxury from the outside. I walked pass the Harry Winston store and there was a 5 star hotel attached to it in a world of its own. The balconies had these bright red flowers on them that just made the whole street come alive.

The Hotel Plaza Athénée is a historic luxury hotel in Paris

This is what I pictured when I pictured Paris. It was just as fabulous as I imagined. I had to stop and ask where the Christian Louboutin store was and they told me it was closed for the day but it was in the opposite direction. Because I was exhausted from the tour I chose to not turn around and leave that to be one reason to return to Paris.

I continued down this luxurious street. At the end of the block, I look up and it’s the Eiffel Tower. I stopped at a restaurant for a glass of wine and to rest my feet before I journeyed back to my hotel. Chez Francis sat on the corner and I people watched while I enjoyed my wine. I love the diversity in Paris.

Wine at Chez Francis

After my glass of red wine I continued walking. At this point the sun was setting and I didn’t want to just catch a cab back to my hotel. I wanted to soak up every bit of Paris possible. I found more beautiful places to take pictures and do splits in front of, of course.

Once it got dark, it was time to head back. As I walked along the water something said turn around, and I’m so glad I did. The Eiffel Tower sparkled and glittered and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I actually said out loud, ‘I can’t believe my eyes’. Anyone who knows me, knows I love glitter, sparkles, bling, and anything that glistens basically. So to see the entire Eiffel Tower sparkle and light up, it was dreamy! I tried to capture it on video but the video did it no justice. This is definitely something you have to see in person.

I knew it! I knew Paris was absolutely glamorous! Once I tapped into the glam vibe everything started presenting itself. The next day I came across a really popular show called the Crazy Horse. It’s a burlesque show. I love burlesque. I considered going to see Moulin Rouge but after looking at the previews for both shows, Crazy Horse definitely was my choice. Now this show is a little riské but hey, it’s Paris.

As soon as the cab pulled up I knew I was going to love it! It had a red carpet and huge bright red glittery lips in front of it.

Crazy Horse red carpet

The inside had low red lighting to set the mood and the stair cases had lights on them that made them sparkle. We’ve established how much I love some sparkle. I was fortunate to have a front row seat. It’s totally because I tapped into the glam vibe.

Blurry cell phone picture but I had to show the sexy ambiance

I absolutely loved the show! The curtains were sparkly, there were bottles of champagne being popped every other minute. This was the glamour and luxury I was waiting for in Paris. The girls were gorgeous, the dancing was impressive, the costumes were great… Well, what little costumes they had on. Just a heads up, they get nude. If you’re shy about that kind of thing, this is not the show for you. There were two guys that tap danced in the middle of the show and even that was phenomenal. They didn’t get nude, don’t worry. I enjoyed the show from beginning to end.

After leaving the show I had to see the Eiffel Tower glisten one last time. A local informed me it happens every hour after 10pm. So I was able to catch it twice! It was amazing each time. I held my hand over my heart taking in the beauty and the local asked me are you okay? ‘Yes’, I replied. ‘It’s just so beautiful’. I’m sure he’s used to it but I can’t imagine it ever getting old.

There were people lined along the water partying and drinking at the bars. It was great. I could not have asked for more in this trip. The history, the glamour, the wine, the entertainment. It was perfect. I love Paris! I definitely will be back. Hopefully with money to shop and some French lessons under my belt. I’m so glad I found the glamour!

: Louis Vuitton

: YSL

: Dolce & Gabbana

: Beautiful restaurant with perfect view of the Eiffel Tower

: Chanel

: Versace

: Fendi

Paris for the Complete Novice

August 3, 2016 by niajae 1 Comment

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. I purchased a Paris Groupon Getaway for this trip and extended the length so I can go to Italy. The flight from France to Italy was very inexpensive so I thought it was a great way to maximize this experience. I knew nothing about Paris going into this trip. I researched it as much as possible online but not speaking or reading French did not play in my favor.

The cab ride from the Paris airport is a flat rate of 50€. There was a lot of traffic and my initial reaction was, ‘this reminds me a lot of NY’. I was born and raised in NY, a fun Niajae fact.

The Groupon included airfare and accommodations and was fairly cheap so I didn’t expect much from the hotel. I didn’t plan to spend much time inside because I had my heart set on exploring as much as I could. I stayed at an Ibis hotel. I realized during the cab ride there are several Ibis hotels. The one I stayed at was Hotel ibis Paris Bastille Faubourg Saint Antoine 11eme. It was tucked away on a little street, very small and quiet for the most part. It probably was one of the smallest hotels rooms I’ve ever stayed in. However, it was clean and got the job done.

Splits on the bridge in the middle of sight seeing

If you’ve never been to Europe let me be the first to tell you, the outlets are different. You need an adaptor to plug in your American devices. When I discovered this there was a moment of panic, how am I going to charge my laptop??? Luckily they did have USB ports for my cell phone but I immediately went to the front desk and two store in search of an adaptor.

When I travel to other countries normally there is a safe in the room so you can put important things in like your passport, money and other valuables. There was no safe in this room. That was disappointing. There actually wasn’t much in this room. There was no mini bar, water, complimentary toiletries or even wash clothes. I know there are plenty of people that don’t use wash clothes but I wasn’t even given the option. I assumed this is because it was an inexpensive hotel. The included breakfast was very, very basic. I almost felt it wasn’t worth getting up for and I should have slept in. I will say, the staff was very helpful and I had a lot of questions. They answered all of my questions and called me a cab when requested.

Trip Advisor- Compare Paris hotels, find deals and read reviews.

The hotel was about a 20€ cab ride from the Eiffel Tower. From what people told me the closer you get to the Eiffel Tower the more expensive EVERYTHING is. I had my heart set on eating somewhere that had a view of the Eiffel Tower but everyone explained it’s so expensive. They said I would spend at least a 100, safe to assume they were referring to 100€.

I did get on the subway, for experience purposes and again, it reminded me a lot of NY. The signs were all in French so initially I went in the wrong direction but noticed after one stop and went back the other way quickly.

There weren’t as many people who spoke English as I expected but I did like the variety of nationalities. A melting pot, again a lot like NYC.

Musée du Louvre

I expected Paris to be a little more glamorous. I pictured fashionable women walking around with designer handbags that looked like they just left a runway show during fashion week. I expected the streets to sparkle and lovers and writers to sit at the cafes drinking cappuccino or wine. Close, but it’s not exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I will say, it is gorgeous at night when everything is lit. Watching the sunset over the Eiffel Tower then seeing everything light up was priceless.

A few things you want to know before traveling to Paris, you will need an adaptor for American plugs. There are a lot of people begging for money, especially at the Eiffel Tower. There are also, what I would assume to be Africans forcefully trying to sell you keychains. Be prepared for tiny hotel rooms unless you want to pay a lot of money. The subway is an option if you don’t want to spend about 20€ per can ride. These are minor things and seeing the Eiffel Tower is well worth it. Even being a complete novice, I definitely suggest everyone visit Paris.

Fearless in Paris

August 1, 2016 by niajae Leave a Comment

Cab driver: Where would you like to go?

Me: I don’t know.

This is my first time in Europe and I have to be honest, I know nothing about France. It’s on my bucket list to get a photo of me doing a split in front of the Eiffel Tower. Not knowing a word of French, here I am, in Paris.

Those that know me, knows when it comes to travel and business I’m fearless. So I told the cab driver take me towards the Eiffel Tower. On the way I saw bright lights and huge Ferris Wheel. I asked him what this area was and requested he drop me off here. It was perfect timing because as he pulled over the Eiffel Tower was in site. There it was and I was flushed with emotions! There’s this feeling that comes over you when you are moments away from checking something off of your bucket list.

The Big Wheel on Place de la Concorde

I walked towards a bridge that had a direct view of this famous landmark and it was perfect. The carnival to my left, the Eiffel Tower to my right and water underneath me. The sun was setting and I am a sucker for a beautiful sunset. It was the perfect way to start my Paris exploration.

Eiffel Tower

Plan your trip to Paris!

I stood on a bridge and took as many selfies as I could then I walked along the water. Making my way back towards the carnival, I stopped at a cafe for food and wifi. This moment was exactly what I envisioned. Sitting at a table on the corner, at a cafe, I sipped red wine. I took a deep breathe in and soaked up all of the awesome Paris vibes.

I couldn’t help myself

This was my first day in Paris and I was slightly jet lagged. I ended the night early but I knew this was the start to what was going to be an amazing experience.

Paris at night is magical

My Split in front of the Eiffel Tower

What’s on your bucket list?