Today's Daydream...

A magical city where everything glitters…
Paris, France.

photo credit: luxury retreats

Today's Daydream...

Paris, Paris. 

Treasures of the Louvre (Paris Part 2)

Many worlds await in the Louvre. Entering the Lourve feels like entering a giant treasure trove through

the glass pyramid. 

I have always taken a fancy in the ancient civilizations and to my delight a world of ancient Egypt awaits me in the Louvre thanks to Napoleon. I was welcomed into the world of ancient Egypt with statues of the Spinhx, God & Goddesses. Artistically systematically labelled and displayed, it was definitely a treat to the eyes. The glass cabinets were filled with artifacts which ranged from exquisite jewelry to cat mummies. The collection is huge and i felt very much transported back in time.

After walking for three hours in the museum, we took a quick bite at the modern decorated Lourve cafe serving a variety of light snacks from french pastries to a nice cuppa. (Advisable to take a heavier breakfast before entering the museum if you intend to spend at least 5 hours in there which we did)

I was really "digging" into the food coz i was so hungry!...

There was just too much to see and i decided to be selective just viewing the "famous" pieces of which, these are some of my personal favourites this time around.

Remember to say "Hi" to Mona Lisa!

There is just something i really like about being in the museum.

My third time at the Lourve and every trip is never the same. 

This is the reason why.... 

More treasures to be unveiled...  I guess i will be back again!

After all that time indoors, it is really nice to breathe in some fresh air and we decided to take a walk through the Jardin des Tuileries which was just across the Louvre. 

Most of the trees were beautifully pruned, somewhat modelled after Marie Antoinette's gardens lined with giant flower pots from her era. 

I personally prefer to just sit down and soak in the last of the summer sun. 

I also thought it was nice to do a little picnic having spotted a Paul's kiosk in the park.

I decided to carry on my stroll....

and to my surprise, i walked right into Paris Fashion Week!

You can just imagine my excitement! It was timely, as i managed to get a glimpse of Anna Winatour and Anna della Russo. In that moment, the world of Vogue came alive! The paparazzi was overwhelming, clicking away. I decided to join in the fun!

Was totally not dressed for Fashion Week under the sweltering heat!

In Paris, it is just mandatory to have macaroons for tea, and that day i decided to try the ones from Paul!

Decided to go for the large sized ones to satisfy my craving!

They were decent, but not quite like the Laduree & Pierre Hermes ones! 

TBC.... 

Click here to read J'adore Paris! (Paris Part 1)

J'adore Paris! (Paris Part 1)

Being in Paris is always like a dream. A kind of deja vu I long to have over and over again. Everything just seems to glitter in Paris!

Here i am in Paris again, my 4th visit but yet Paris never fails to excite me with her graceful allure. Like a beauty queen, every corner of Paris is always a surprise exuding her own charm. Getting downtown to Paris from the Charles De Gaude Airport is fairly easy by the RER transiting over to the Metro except if you are not overloaded with baggage. The stairs up and down the Metro can be quite a feat for most. Also beware of the lurking pickpockets at the Metro stations. That imperfect side of Paris literally hidden in its undergrounds isn't quite alluring for tourists.

Arriving at mid day, we figured that the best thing to do would be to hit the shops armed with the shopping list we compiled from family and friends that we had better get going since most shops in Paris close by 7pm. We decided that we were going to first pick up items on our list from the flagship Longchamps store at St Honore.

(i kept all my purchases in my supermarket bag to avoid being mugged by gypsies)

Wanting to get a bag to commemorate my trip, i decided to get an Eiffel Tote which apparently is only for sale in the flagship store in Paris.

Shuffling my way through the store, a kind of familiarity loomed in the air with spoken Singlish. The store was half filled with Singapoarens like ourselves trying to fulfill that long shopping list we got from relatives and friends back home. Initially a little embarrassed by the commotion my fellow citizens were making in the store, i actually felt comforted listening to all the fuss of "lahs" and "lohs". It was nice seeing some familiar faces miles away from home afterall.

Being one of the last people out of the store, we stepped out into the orange Parisian skies. It was a little past dusk and the sun was setting and we hurried along St Honore down the street to the nearest open space and found ourselves standing at the Place de la Concorde.

The Place de la Concorde is a great place to capture 2 iconic towers. One being the Obelisk from Luxor and not so distant, amidst the orange skies, the Eiffel tower can also be spotted glistening in the last lap of sunset. The view here is picturesque as you can simply watch the orange skies turn to yellow and fade into the dark night sky when the lights come on.

This was the beautiful dusk of the Extended Summer of September 2011.

TBC...