Paris: A Visual Post (part three)
At the risk of forgetting all about the fact that this is, after all, a beauty blog… I’m posting the final part of my Paris travelogue today. Most of you will be relieved to hear that it also includes a quick mention of the beauty bits and bobs that ended up in my basket along the way.
Day 3 started with an early-ish check out from the hotel who stored our suitcase until we were ready to collect en-route back to Gare du Nord. We wanted to grab some breakfast on the run, and being the thoroughly unhealthy sods that we are currently, we opted for a traditionally Parisian chocolate eclair from L’atelier des Pains. What?!?! WE WERE ON HOLIDAY! In fairness, we shared.
For those of you who think that chocolate eclairs do not a breakfast make. Get off my blog.
Otherwise, as you were my friends…
oh God, so good…
We began our final day of sightseeing by jumping on the Metro to Pigalle. It was at this point that I realised why I hadn’t seen any fat Parisians… there are so many steps in the Metro system that it’s simply impossible to put on weight. Talking of steps, when we reached ground-level I put my exercise-dodging plan into action and jumped on the Montmartrobus to take us up the back roads of Montmartre to its summit and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur.
The bus was full of pensioners, physically unable to make the ascent under their own steam… whilst we sat there, being lazy bastards. With a small amount of shame, I turned to look out of the window, watching the poor sods puffing up the hill alongside, sweat pouring down their faces in the extreme midday heat… cackling to myself all the while. We got off the bus about 100m from the basilica and and mooched around the back streets and markets for a short while.
Alphonse Mucha and Toulouse Lautrec are two names synonymous with this district
I promise I didn’t eat any!
Then it was on to the church itself, a long-held personal favourite spot in the city. I remembered visiting as a young teen and being about as impressed as a teenager can possibly be with a tourist attraction. I have to say, despite the crowds and hawkers, it still didn’t disappoint. So beautiful and so impressive towering over the city.
you’re all spoiling my photo… get out of the way!
more steps, suckers!
the view from the top
We walked around the interior but I have to admit that the number of “squash a penny” machines jingling away didn’t do much to add to the atmosphere inside. I donated some pennies and lit a tealight in memory of my Nan before heading back outside and down the steps for the descent back into the city centre. Next stop, The Avenue des Champs-Élyséefor a bit of shopping!
You can’t go to Paris without seeing two things. One of them is the Eiffel Tower, and let’s be honest… it’s pretty hard to miss. The other? The Arc de Triomphe! It’s one of those monuments that if you don’t tick off the list… you haven’tbeen to Paris! Saying that, I hadn’t seen it before… well, not close up and I properly fangirled, laughing at the time on Instagram that it was probably a bit weird to fangirl a monument.
I had to wait for 4 lorries, 2 vans, 43423 mopeds, and a bus to pass before I could take this photo
It was at this point in the day that Mr. L started to groan a little… you see, I had barely done any beauty shopping. I was being so virtuous and pointing out this fact every. single. time. I walked past the entrance to a pharmacy. “Look how good I’m being! Aren’t you glad you married me?”
inside the “pharmacie”
Only, at this point… I caved a bit. Mostly because I felt as though I was on familiar territory. Infact… if I’m honest… I basically sprinted towards Monoprix and the next-door English-speaking Pharmacy. Sure, it’s probably not the best-stocked pharmacy in Paris, and neither is it the cheapest… but I’ve always had really good, non-rushed service inside and I knew I’d be able to pick up what I wanted. I was more disappointed with Monoprix though which seemed to have bumped most of its lesser-known French high-street lines in favour of the stuff we can get over here anyway. I boo-ed.
my Parisian beauty buys
forgot to include this one in the last shot ha!
I’ll do another post on my purchases soon but the above photos should give you an idea that I was pretty well-behaved non?
Disappointed by my lack of makeup purchases and the fact that I didn’t have time to hunt down a Fragonard, I went and consoled myself with a giant Croque Monsieur and a Creme Brulee (as you do) and the world was (almost) completely mended again.
Croque Monsieur at Le Comptoir Boetie
can you hear the “crack”?
Alas, our time in Paris had come to an end and we returned to our hotel to pick up our luggage before heading back to the station for our train home. All in all, it was a memorable 52-hours in Paris… horrendously expensive and physically exhausting but I wouldn’t have changed a single second of it.
Day 3 started with an early-ish check out from the hotel who stored our suitcase until we were ready to collect en-route back to Gare du Nord. We wanted to grab some breakfast on the run, and being the thoroughly unhealthy sods that we are currently, we opted for a traditionally Parisian chocolate eclair from L’atelier des Pains. What?!?! WE WERE ON HOLIDAY! In fairness, we shared.
For those of you who think that chocolate eclairs do not a breakfast make. Get off my blog.
Otherwise, as you were my friends…
oh God, so good…
We began our final day of sightseeing by jumping on the Metro to Pigalle. It was at this point that I realised why I hadn’t seen any fat Parisians… there are so many steps in the Metro system that it’s simply impossible to put on weight. Talking of steps, when we reached ground-level I put my exercise-dodging plan into action and jumped on the Montmartrobus to take us up the back roads of Montmartre to its summit and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur.
The bus was full of pensioners, physically unable to make the ascent under their own steam… whilst we sat there, being lazy bastards. With a small amount of shame, I turned to look out of the window, watching the poor sods puffing up the hill alongside, sweat pouring down their faces in the extreme midday heat… cackling to myself all the while. We got off the bus about 100m from the basilica and and mooched around the back streets and markets for a short while.
Alphonse Mucha and Toulouse Lautrec are two names synonymous with this district
I promise I didn’t eat any!
Then it was on to the church itself, a long-held personal favourite spot in the city. I remembered visiting as a young teen and being about as impressed as a teenager can possibly be with a tourist attraction. I have to say, despite the crowds and hawkers, it still didn’t disappoint. So beautiful and so impressive towering over the city.
you’re all spoiling my photo… get out of the way!
more steps, suckers!
the view from the top
We walked around the interior but I have to admit that the number of “squash a penny” machines jingling away didn’t do much to add to the atmosphere inside. I donated some pennies and lit a tealight in memory of my Nan before heading back outside and down the steps for the descent back into the city centre. Next stop, The Avenue des Champs-Élyséefor a bit of shopping!
You can’t go to Paris without seeing two things. One of them is the Eiffel Tower, and let’s be honest… it’s pretty hard to miss. The other? The Arc de Triomphe! It’s one of those monuments that if you don’t tick off the list… you haven’tbeen to Paris! Saying that, I hadn’t seen it before… well, not close up and I properly fangirled, laughing at the time on Instagram that it was probably a bit weird to fangirl a monument.
I had to wait for 4 lorries, 2 vans, 43423 mopeds, and a bus to pass before I could take this photo
It was at this point in the day that Mr. L started to groan a little… you see, I had barely done any beauty shopping. I was being so virtuous and pointing out this fact every. single. time. I walked past the entrance to a pharmacy. “Look how good I’m being! Aren’t you glad you married me?”
inside the “pharmacie”
Only, at this point… I caved a bit. Mostly because I felt as though I was on familiar territory. Infact… if I’m honest… I basically sprinted towards Monoprix and the next-door English-speaking Pharmacy. Sure, it’s probably not the best-stocked pharmacy in Paris, and neither is it the cheapest… but I’ve always had really good, non-rushed service inside and I knew I’d be able to pick up what I wanted. I was more disappointed with Monoprix though which seemed to have bumped most of its lesser-known French high-street lines in favour of the stuff we can get over here anyway. I boo-ed.
my Parisian beauty buys
forgot to include this one in the last shot ha!
I’ll do another post on my purchases soon but the above photos should give you an idea that I was pretty well-behaved non?
Disappointed by my lack of makeup purchases and the fact that I didn’t have time to hunt down a Fragonard, I went and consoled myself with a giant Croque Monsieur and a Creme Brulee (as you do) and the world was (almost) completely mended again.
Croque Monsieur at Le Comptoir Boetie
can you hear the “crack”?
Alas, our time in Paris had come to an end and we returned to our hotel to pick up our luggage before heading back to the station for our train home. All in all, it was a memorable 52-hours in Paris… horrendously expensive and physically exhausting but I wouldn’t have changed a single second of it.
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