First Stop – London & Paris!

Bonjour!

I’m currently in Paris with some decent WiFi, so I thought I would start my first of many blog posts about my European adventure! I landed in London a few days, and got to do a little bit of sightseeing before my Topdeck adventure began. I spent a week in London last year, so was already familiar with the sights – nonetheless it was still incredible and it’s great to see things a second time round. Let me know if you guys have been to London and what you think, I’m still undecided as to whether I love it (probably because the culture isn’t too different to Australia, and I love places that are new and exciting/different).

I was soooo excited to be able to spend 2 nights in Paris for the first leg of my Topdeck tour. The city of lights and love … It is an absolute gem. I also visited Paris last year and fell in love, and it’s safe to say that I love it even more now. My absolute favourite thing about this city is the buildings and architecture throughout the streets. It’s so rare to see a major capital city that isn’t filled with huge sky scrapers and modern buildings – the streets of Paris are lined with incredible buildings that look so delicate and pretty, with no buildings towering over about 7 floors high. I also got to ride through these beautiful streets on a bike tour which was such a great experience, I would definitely recommend doing this as everything in Paris is in riding distance. I was so blessed with beautiful sunshine and warmth as well, which is a great break from the Australian Winter right now!

I feel like pictures really do tell a thousand words, so I’ll leave you all with a bunch of snaps I took from my adventures in London and Paris x

The Sweet and Sultry of Paris: La ville de deux amours

I have always dreamed of Paris, and wondered if I would ever get the chance to visit the city of love. Recently, my dreams came true and I spent a week exploring the beautiful city, soaking up the culture, admiring the history and appreciating the architecture.

Romance, elegance, and love are the first things that I associate with Paris. This could possibly be due to my obsession with romantic comedies and the fact that the extremely handsome protagonist always ends up taking his sweet heart to Paris for their wedding, their honeymoon, or in some cases just your average every-day date. Or maybe it’s because those French people just seem to have the most intriguing accent filled with charm that immediately brainwashes you into thinking you love them. Whatever the reason for these pre-conceived ideas are, I can assure you I was not disappointed!

However, I also found myself engulfed in a world of a sexy, raunchy, and sultry love. For me, Paris was a city of two loves: The sultry and the sweet. Beautifully contrasted with one another, the sweetness calmed the raunchiness, and the sultry added excitement for the romance.

Let’s start with the sweet side of the city. It just wouldn’t be right to start this paragraph without talking about the food! Paris is renowned for it’s pastries, creams, chocolates, profiteroles, and basically every other pastry desert under the sun. And let me just say, you will never find yourself looking for a patisserie or in shortage of a macaroon; they will always be right under your nose. The sweets are exactly that; they are delicate and cute, with striking detail and a prettiness that makes you want to keep it wrapped in it’s little box rather than eat it.

Keeping with the notion of sweets and foods, the brasseries are the symbol of sweetness and romance. A small traditional French restaurant, brasseries can be seen on every street immersed in red furniture, paintings, or lighting. You can usually spot them from a mile away as you can see the shining lights of the red neon ‘brasserie’ sign. Giving off a retro and vintage feel, these cute little restaurants are perfect for a romantic meal for two.

Another sweetness that caught my eye every day was the beautiful florists on each corner. And I mean literally every corner. Here in Australia you are lucky to have one florist per town, so seeing all of these impeccable roses surrounding me was something I will always take away from Paris. On my first day in the city, I visited the Sunday Bastille markets where an abundance of flowers circled me and gave off the distinct romantic vibe of Paris. A dozen roses are not only easy to come across, but easy to afford as well!

 

I can’t finish this section without a mention of some of the beautiful symbols of Paris. The Eiffel Tower and the Love Lock Bridge were the two that stood out to me the most on my journey of romance. The Eiffel Tower is surrounded by glorious greenery and gardens, and yes, more roses! With plenty of park benches and quaint little paths, it is the perfect sight for a spring day. Returning at night, you will never see something that defines ‘pretty’ as well as the sparkles of the tower shimmering of the city. Cadenas d’amour, also known as Love Lock Bridge, is possibly the sweetest place I have visited. If anyone else is a fan of people watching and observing (without being creepy), this is the perfect spot to watch all of the couples declare their love and symbolise their commitment to each other.

Now to the exciting part, the sultry side of Paris! Even though I thought Paris gave off a general ‘vibe’ of sexy and sultry, there were particular instances and places that checked the criteria! The moment I arrived in Paris and settled into my hotel, I had already caught a glimpse of the vibe. Above my bed head was a bright pink neon light, which filled the whole room with a dark pink hue. My friend and I had to question whether we were sleeping on the set of a porno at times.

On my second night in Paris I visited the world famous Moulin Rouge. I had seen the legendary Baz Luhrmann film about 50 times, so I was beyond excited to finally make the fantasy reality and visit the worlds most talked about burlesque show. The show fulfilled all of my expectations and more, and presented the perfect balance of steamy behaviour whilst keeping a respectable reputation. Right next to the Moulin Rouge you can walk along streets and streets of strip clubs, adult stores, and risqué bars. The buildings are lit up with bright neon lighting, making yourself question if you ended up in Vegas or not.

The lingerie is in a league of its own in Paris. Known for it’s delicate designs and lace work, the French lingerie is a booming business that can be seen in every suburb of Paris. Not restricted from any public view, the window displays are open for everyone to see and admire, adding to the element of sexy romance.

The sexiness that follows you around everywhere you walk in Paris is the accent. You just cannot escape the seductive voice of those French men. It is as though they have been taught from a young age to train their voice to brainwash females and sweep them off their feet. The French men are also very forward, and although at times it is intimidating, it definitely shows why the French are renowned for romance and raunchiness.

Je t’aime Paris!