Bonjour Madame

Hey guys!  I started this extended blog about my travels to Paris, but I thought the story of my trip would be told best through photographs.  Enjoy!

First night in Paris and heading to dinner.

I knew you wanted a closer look at my outfit.  

Dress H&M (No longer available)

Shoes:  You can't see so it doesn't matter.

First official breakfast in Paris.  It was work to find breakfast because Parisians don't care about running out of food.  It was delicious by the way.

Still at breakfast killing time and waiting on our other friend to join us who went solo to the Catacombs.  We were like "Okay girl.  Let us know how it was."

Next stop, the Musee du Louvre!

And of course I had to take a photo.

Trench:  (Vintage Vera Wang by way of her Kohl's collection.  I've had it for about 10 years)

Bodysuit:  Zara

Jeans:  Zara

Ballet Flats:  Zara

Last photo before we head inside.  It was a beautiful day!

The ceiling of the Louvre.  Simply stunning.

My favorite painting in the building....Joan of Arc.

She's not as tiny as people made her out to be, but she's still pretty underwhelming. Sorry ML.

In case you didn't realize, the euro's value has decreased significantly over the last year and a half, so it only made sense to take advantage of the significant price reductions in Europe.  I made a slight purchase or two at the Jo Malone, located inside the Louvre.  It was on the way out so...

We found this crepe spot right across from the Louvre.  It was a nice snack in between sights. Next, we were headed to the boat tour.

At this point, I'm still in awe that I'm actually in Paris.  

The boat tour was right by the Eiffel Tower and it was a sight to be seen.

Stunning.

Needless to say, I was having a blast.  

The next day, we had a full day planned.  Breakfast, shopping, and a wine tour. 

Jumpsuit:  Target (Circa 2016)

Blazer:  Zara (Still available)

Scarf:  H&M (Still available)

Mules:  H&M (May still be available)

Once again, we found ourselves having issues finding breakfast, but we still managed to take a minute to enjoy the sights around us.

We got a little lost trying to find our breakfast spot, but we stumbled upon the cutest little buildings. 

After lunch (because they ran out of breakfast), we made it to the Les Caves Du Louvre, a wine tasting tour in what seemed to be an actual cave.

The cave was pretty cool.  It included a room where we were able to smell the various notes of different wines.  They set it up as a game where we were allowed to guess each scent.

The part of the tour where we were able to taste some of the notes.  I won't lie. It was disgusting.  We didn't spend too much time in this room, as gorgeous as it was.

My favorite part of the tour.......the actual tasting.  Wine in a cave......I can dig it.

Off and on the entire day we were searching for a Pharmacy or le Pharmacie as they say in France because I had a major bath and body emergency.  Apparently the French don't believe in face towels. (insert confused face)  I forgot my loofah at home (where I have plenty), so I was forced to use a damn hand towel.  That was miserable.  The crazy part is that a lot of stores are closed on Sundays in Paris. Who would have thunk it?  Parisians really can't be bothered.  Parisians be like Eff yo feelings, Eff yo needs, Eff yo breakfast and Eff yo face towels.  So I was thrilled when I found an open Sephora.  I've never been so happy to find a Sephora in my life. I was able to find a loofah at Sephora and all was right with the world.

After buying my loofah, I was in the mood for a snack.  So we hit up a cute little place down the street from our hotel.

You don't want to know how good these mussels were.  It would just make you angry.  And they were dirt cheap.  

Nightfall was approaching and we were on our way to dinner before the big show, Moulin Rouge.

Oufit Details

Dress:  Zara

Shoes:  JustFab

Necklace: Kendra Scott

We were super excited to check out the infamous Moulin Rouge.

We thought we were getting ready to see a great show.  Forgive me for the lighting, we were waiting in line in a poorly lit area.

It was indeed a full house for the 11 pm show, but brace yourself, because I'm about to go in. First, the attendants were like the flash Nazis.  They were heavily policing flash photography before the show even started.  But after watching the show, there was clearly nothing worth snapping on that stage. I've never seen a bigger collection of rhythm-less dancers in my entire life.  I mean, what in the world was that? Now, the costumes were fabulous.  The costume designer owes me nothing.  But the actual performers were pretty lackluster.  I was borderline offended. I enjoyed the filler acts in between sets a lot more than the actual Moulin Rouge numbers.  This was the one thing I would suggest you skip in Paris.

The next day we were headed to the Hop on Hop Off Tour and I was in a good mood.  But I was in Paris, so why wouldn't I be.

Then came the exciting part.  I was about to walk into the infamous Louis Vuitton on Avenue des Champs-Élysées.  I knew what I came in for, and I wasn't leaving without it.  There was a slight wait and it was cold outside, so my friend offered to lend us her bosom to keep warm.  She looks like a proud mama, doesn't she!

They were out of stock of the exact bag I wanted, but the SA showed me an alternative and I loved it.

The beautiful ceiling in the atrium of the second floor of Louis Vuitton.  It was simply captivating.

This was one of the absolute highlights of my trip.  The Sacré-Cœur, or aka the Sacred Heart church was breathtaking.  I couldn't stop looking at it.  Pictures really do not do this church justice.  Even though this was on our sightseeing list, we accidentally stumbled upon it as we were on our way to dinner close by. I'm grateful that I was able to see it at night.

Wow.  We made memories that I will cherish forever.  Paris is truly a magical city.

The next day we took an early train to Amsterdam, which was about a 3.5 hour train ride from Paris.  We arrive at the train station and there are only a hand full of cars outside.  But we look across the street and see this.  WTF.  Amsterdam is serious about their bike riding.  

I want to call this city, the city of Tulips, because the city was filled with them. Not to mention, this is my favorite flower. There's actually a tulip museum in the city!  Who knew!

We were determined to make our way to the I Amsterdam sign and we did. However, it was a little underwhelming because there was so many people at the sign.  So I'm wondering, how in the world are people taking solo pictures with this sign?  This seems like an impossible feat.

So I had to take what I could get. 

Just thinking about how cute this city is and wishing we had more time to explore.

The infamous Riksmuseum. 

Van Gogh Museum......as if you can't read.

This is Magna Plaza, a popular shopping center in the heart of the city.  

One last look at Amsterdam before we head back.  :-(

Big arse sigh!  It's official.  We have come to the end of our trip and it is our last day in Paris. On a bright side, we were table to snag a table at the highly coveted Holybelly for brunch.  We'd tried unsuccessfully a few days earlier.

By this time, I was beginning to feel a bit under the weather, so I wanted a cup of tea.  I was slightly amused at this mug.  I didn't realize how true this statement was at the time.

Holy chat!  This is the best breakfast I have ever had in my life.  The pancakes were made with a bourbon glaze.  Need I say more?  We were highly satisfied and off to our next adventure.

The next stop was Fragonard, a parfumeur and parfume museum where we received the history of how parfume came to be what it is today.  It was truly an informative tour.

Enjoying the aroma of the fragrances.  I was in heaven.

And of course, they had a plethora of fragrant products to choose from.  I may or may not have over did it.  

At the end of the tour, we can cross off yet another fun adventure in Paris.

Reveling in our last day.....bittersweet.

Outfit details

Oversized Jean Jacket:  H&M

Oversized Shirt:  Zara

Leggings:  Zara

Pink Adidas:  Academy Sports and Outdoor (old but we have a similar style available) 

These shoes are so cute and stylish and a good alternative to a white sneaker.

Last stop....the Eiffel Tower.

Views from the top.

Well...almost last stop.  I took an "expensive" Uber ride to the Milani store, because we passed by it on an earlier ride.  I didn't know Milani had physical stores, so I was determined to get back to it.  However, it wasn't much of a store at all.  I was bamboozled.  It was like the equivalent of someone selling Avon or Mary Kay.  All of those items were like twice the price.  I assume that Milani is not readily available in France, so this shop operates more like a broker.  Although Milani (which started as an ethnic brand in the US) is not currently marketed as an ethnic brand, I could tell that it was highly coveted as such in France.  All of the customers were of African descent.  Anyway, I quickly moved on and found this really cute boutique right next door.

Ahhhh, well this looks interesting.  Sashays my way into this store.

The shop housed a lot of pieces with gorgeous ethnic prints.  I die!

After a little more investigation, I realized that it was a shop that featured products from four different designers. The shop included apparel, jewelry, a few home goods pieces (like the pillows shown), and leather goods (handbags and small leather accessories).

Here is a closer look at the featured designers in the store.  I have their card somewhere that gives more information.  Once I locate it, I will update the post.

I picked up the handmade grey croc/leather card holder.

This gorgeous suede handbag was everything.  

More cute handmade goods....

Last dinner in Paris.  It was simply an amazing trip with an amazing group of women.  If you've been to Paris, comment below about your favorite memory.  I hope you enjoyed me sharing my journey with you all.  

SSJ