PARIS: Photos & Journal

I knew that I would like Paris (who has ever heard of anyone who hated it) but I never expected to love it so much.  I can definitely say: "J'adore Paris!"  I was surprised how beautiful the city was - it looked like a very elegant and refined lady who gracefully survived time, wars and tourists. Walking around Paris I had the feeling that the city was frozen in time and I was there to see the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. There are no tall and modern buildings, only very pretty turn-of-the-century architecture everywhere.  And the Parisians were surprisingly mellow and nice - contrary to popular belief.

The high points of my week in Paris are two very opposite things but both filled my heart with so much joy, I almost got teary-eyed.  The first one was to go to Opéra de Paris (Bastille) to listen to the Requiem of Verdi - a very energetic piece.  I don't listen to classical music very often but I like to see an orchestra live because it is a whole other experience.  I love to see the musicians play, the energy and the emotions. I think about the many hours the musicians had to practice to be there, to be the best of the best.  It was champagne to my ears.

The second high point of my trip was a very lavish feast at Le Cinq - the restaurant of the hotel George V. I don't mind spending money on good food and good service. I don't know if it's because I have been working in the Hospitality Industry for 15 years but I love to see the servers taking care of the smallest details. I have had wonderful meals in my life but nothing prepared me for this - a truly one-of-a-kind experience. During the whole meal, I was thinking: "If someone would tell me right now that I am in fact dead and this is heaven, I would believe it!" It is not a figure of speech, I would have truly believed that I was in heaven. Subtle flavors that exploded like fireworks, the most perfect service ever, welcoming and not stuffy - like they genuinely wanted me to have the best time of my life.

Travelling alone was something completely out of my comfort zone but I really enjoyed it.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  This trip had been planned months in advance but it arrived at the perfect time in my life.  I really needed this time alone after my break-up to figure myself out.  People describe me as very independent - and I am - but somehow I always lose myself in my love relationships.  I stop thinking about "I" and I start thinking about "We".  This time was not as bad as my previous relationship but I could not believe that I had done it again.  It has nothing to do with the person I am with, this is of my own making. Traveling alone to Paris and doing things that I love for a week put me back on the right track. There was also an incredible feeling of pride of doing everything by myself - from driving 1½ hour in traffic to the airport, to keeping myself company at dinners and figuring out the Paris subway system.  I really needed this boost of confidence.  I came back knowing that if I was able to visit Paris on my own, I surely would get over this break-up.

All the following photos were taken by me!

(Left) Les Invalides from the Musée Rodin - (Right) The rose garden of the Musée Rodin

(Left) Le Penseur, one of Rodin's most famous sculpture - (Right) The rose garden of the Musée Rodin

Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris

The ceiling of the Palais Garnier auditorium

The foyer of the Palais Garnier

A metro sign

The Eiffel Tower and a carousel

View from The Seine river

View from The Seine River

View of the Quartier Latin from The Seine river

Notre-Dame-de-Paris Cathedral

Les Bouquinistes, used-book sellers along the Seine around Notre-Dame-de-Paris

(Left) Me and the Eiffel Tower - (Right) View of the Champs-Elysées from the Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre from the Tuileries

The dome of Galeries Lafayette

The street where I was staying

View from the Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

(Left) The Eiffel Tower - (Right) View from the Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre

The Louvre

The Louvre, the Italian Paintings Gallery

"Le Sacre de Napoléon" at the Louvre

Métro sign in front of the Louvre

MENDING A BROKEN HEART IN PARIS

So here I am in Paris.  It's 1 AM and I can't sleep because of the jet lag.  Who am I kidding?  I can't sleep because less than 72 hours ago I broke up with my boyfriend of five years. My whole chest hurts.
This trip had been planned for months. I thought that it would do me some good to get away from my life but now lying in bed in this beautiful Parisian hotel, I wonder what the hell I am doing here.  Travelling has always brought me so much joy but now I feel like I am trying to turn a funeral into a party.  It feels very awkward.

After travelling for several hours and getting lost in the Charles-de-Gaule airport, I sat in a café and I tried to enjoy the first real meal I had in hours.  I noticed a young French couple sited next to me. They were stylish, beautiful and - horror of horrors - in love! I didn't know if I felt like smashing their beautiful faces together or cry and feel sorry for myself.  I opted for option #2 because I already had enough problems. So there I was, alone in Paris, and nobody was waiting for me at home.
- Marie

N.B. For those of you who were worrying about me, I woke up the next day and I felt better.  It is amazing what a good night of sleep and a breakfast will do to you. As soon as I started visiting beautiful Paris, I forgot about my troubles. Paris is the perfect cure for a broken heart!

PHOTO VIA

MY FIRST SOLO TRIP

The original plan was going back to Italy with my sister this summer.  We had such a fabulous time last year in Rome, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast and Venice that we wanted to see more of Italy and decided on Milan, Lake Como, Verona, Cinque Terre and Florence for our 2-week vacation.  That was until my sister scored her dream internship and couldn't travel.  I was devastated.  I had lost more than a travel companion but someone I always have a blast with.

I started looking for someone else but the options were very limited.  My boyfriend bought a restaurant last year and wouldn't take time away from his business.  I asked a couple of friends but they all couldn't travel for various reasons.  Soon I was faced with the awful dilemma: staying home or going alone.

The idea of travelling alone was not very pleasant at first but my passion for travelling - or simply the depressing idea of watching tv as my vacation - helped me come over my fear.  I was not so much scared of taking the plane alone - it wouldn't be a first - but of what my days would look like.  Would I get lonely? Would I have a good time - even if I didn't have someone to share it with? What about eating alone in restaurants?  Was I independent enough? Would the voices in my head that are screaming "Loser" ever shut up? But first and foremost, was it safe for a woman to travel alone?  After a week of driving myself insane with "should I?" and "shouldn't I?", I decided to grow a pair and I booked myself a trip.

The only criteria for my trip was that it had to be a metropolitan city.  I wanted to be able to spend a week in a city without getting bored.  A friend suggested London but there is something about the weather that is not appealing to me.  The same friend suggested Tokyo.  I had visited Hong Kong a few years ago but for my first trip alone it sounded too ambitious.  I had visited Rome last year, went two times to NYC and three times to LA.  A work colleague asked me why wasn't I going to Paris.  Paris was never a city on my bucket list.  I am French-Canadian and because I am familiar with the culture, this city doesn't sound exotic to me.  I also like to learn new languages and my first language is French.  But after giving it more thought, I realized that the idea was brilliant.  I was already nervous about travelling alone and knowing the language and the culture would make it easier on me.

The hardest part was making the jump: buying the plane ticket.  After that, I quickly found out the advantage of travelling alone...no compromise!  So I decided to plan my dream vacation and spoil myself rotten.  I will visit as many museums as I want, make reservations in fancy restaurants, shop in cute little Parisian boutiques, drink champagne at lunch and eat lots of French pastries.  I also love La Belle Époque (Paris between 1871 and 1914) and it will be the theme of my trip.  I will visit all the mythical sites that sill exist.  In the end, travel companion or not, I decided that I would have a hell of a good time!

What about you? Would you ever travel alone?

PHOTO VIA

WELCOME!

I have been writing the blog a Prettier Place about fashion, interior design and art for three years.  Now and then, I included posts about my trips and about travelling in general.   I fell in love with travelling after my first plane ride - I was 19, alone and going to Los Angeles to meet a friend. I absolutely loved the adrenaline rush that came from travelling which was new to me since my parents hated to travel.

I am going to Paris in June and everything is already planned.  I am an intense planner when it comes to travelling: I read reviews on TripAdvisor, I choose the restaurants where I want to eat, the activities, I plan itineraries according to neighborhoods and I always make sure to leave room to spontaneity.  It's a lot of work but I love it.  I figured that since I am already doing all the heavy lifting why not share all my planning with you guys.  I decided to create this new blog Escaping the Cubicle for people - like myself- with steady jobs but with a passion for travelling.

- Marie

VENICE ♥ Italy Part 2

My sister and I spent 3 nights in Venice and I have mixed feelings about this portion of our trip to Italy.  It was beautiful but the hordes of tourists are a serious turn-off.  Cruise ships - bigger than cities - come to Venice for the day and pour its occupants onto St.Mark's Square.  It felt like I was at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  And because there are a lot of tourists, street vendors are everywhere selling all kind of useless junk. Venice is victim of its success and is losing its authenticity.  It was sad to see.

Also, my sister and I didn't plan enough time in Venice.   We shouldn't have followed people's advice.  I guess that if you only want to see St.Mark's Square, a day is enough.  But the point of going to Venice is to live like the Venetians and we felt rushed.  We got lost more than a few times too - even with a map - and it is very frustrating when you don't have time to get lost.  We saw an American girl in an Internet Cafe who stopped by to ask for directions.  She looked so lost.  When the Internet guy told her that it was typical in Venice to get lost - that after 12 years of living there he still got lost - she looked like she was about to burst in tears.  

On the other hand, the Venetian food was sooo good.  I would go back just for the food.  My sister and I had the most wonderful evening at the Ristorante Riviera.  You must forget about pizza in Venice and go for their specialties.  If you like fish and seafood, you are going to be in heaven. 

Overall, I am glad that I went.  Venice is fascinating but I would do a couple things differently.  I like to live like a local and get to know the place when I travel.  I don't want to stop by some famous monument, take a picture and leave.  This is what it felt like and I didn't like it.  So if you ever go to Venice, plan extra time so when you will get lost you will see it as an adventure not as a big pain.  Also, try to find stuff off the beaten path so you have a true venetian experience and not a touristic one.

PS If you want to see the first portion of my trip - Rome, click here.

All photos by me and my sister

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ROME ♥ Italy Part 1

There are no words to describe the beauty of Rome. 

The architecture, the thousand fountains, the warm sun and - surprisingly - the greenery everywhere. 

Let's not forget the food - the fresh mozzarella, the gelato, the Sicilian pastries, the homemade pastas, the wine and the pizzas.

Everything in Rome is a delight (except maybe for the streets that are labyrinths).  

I would go back in a heartbeat.  Maybe next summer?

Here are a couple of pictures from my June trip to Rome.

  

All photos by me and my sister