TRAVEL DIARY - Paris

Dear all, here is a big photobomb of my time in Paris two weeks ago! As I may have mentioned before, my mum and I go to Paris almost every year because of several reasons. First of all, it is our favorite city in the world, we just love Paris. Second, my mum teaches French at high school so she likes to keep up with the developments in Paris and of course to speak French. Lastly, Paris is relatively close to the Netherlands. By train, you are able to reach Paris in less than four hours from my home town! Paris can be expensive, but if you go to the right area's and stay at for example an AirBNB place which my mum and I tried out this time, you can really keep costs low. Paris will never be a low-budget city, but it doesn't necessarily have to be super expensive. Because of our frequent visits to Paris, my mum and I have already seen all the tourist highlights and since a couple of years we mostly explore non-tourist neighborhoods. Of course, I cannot leave Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower! (21,22,23) But for the rest, we try to do things that local Parisians do. This time, we went to a lot of museums. We visited the new Islamic art collection at the Louvre (more on that in my next and probably last Paris post), the Haute Couture exposition at the Hotel de Ville and the incredible Chanel Perfume Number 5 exposition (15,16,17,18,19,20). This exposition really blew my mind. First of all, the location, Palais de Tokyo, was amazing! It had a really cool and alternative vibe, as if you were walking around in this huge, deserted palace. The walls were stripped and everything was white-greyish with grafitti everywhere. It is hard to explain, but this is an upcoming, trendy place for sure. You should see it yourself. The exposition was set up by the brand Chanel itself and there were lots of archive pieces to see; photos of Coco Chanel, art that inspired her, advertisement campaigns of the perfume throughout the 20th century; extremely amazing to see and all the pieces were displayed so beautifully! And to top things off: the exposition was for free! My mum and I got really lucky because the exposition was on for only one month. I think it has already ended by now. 

My mum and I also rented bikes for one day, which was something we had never done before, but I loved it! It was cheap, only 1,70 euro's for a day, and exploring Paris by bike makes you see different sides of the city! I really recommend it! We visited two parks: La Villette (7,8,9,10,11) where we spotted this huge and incredible mirror globe, and the beautiful park Buttechaumont (12,13,14). I never knew there were parks this big in Paris! (Besides Jardin de Tuileries). I always thought Paris had a lack of nature and trees, but I was wrong! 

All in all, my mum and I once again had a wonderful time in Paris. Paris never disappoints us :) Sorry for this long post, I hope you enjoyed it though! Have a lovely evening and Sunday!

OUTFIT - barok and denim

H&M blouse (new) | Forever21 shorts | Forever21 backpack | Manas boots | DKNY watch

Here's my first Paris post! My mum and I had such an incredible time; we explored parts of Paris we had never visited before and each time we visit the City of Love and Lights we are amazed by all the different neighborhoods and all the cultural experiences Paris has to offer. Even though Paris has about 2,5 million inhabitants, I somehow feel at home and comfortable strolling along old streets such as Boulevard Haussmann, which you can see in these photos above. I guess I feel that way because all the different neighborhoods have a village feeling to them with their own cafés, markets and schools. Recently, I read a book about Paris and the author pointed out that some Parisians who have lived in Paris all their lives have never visited the Eiffel Tower or have crossed the river Seine; they just stay in their own trusted neighborhoods. My mum and I didn't stay in a hotel this time. We made use of AirBNB which is quite a new concept, but a very successful one. Basically, you 'rent' someone's house for a few days while the person who owns the house is away. This is quite a cheap solution and if you search the AirBNB website carefully, you will be able to find beautiful appartements on the most amazing locations. At first my mum and I were a little concerned about the safety and reliability, but AirBNB proved us wrong and it worked really well for us! We will definitely make use of it again in the future! I wore this outfit on Saturday. Paris gives me so much positive energy, hence the happy jumping picture :) A few more Paris posts are coming up, I hope you enjoy them! Beaucoup de bisous, Aimee

NEW - chanel

No words needed to describe how happy I am with my amazing new Chanel earrings. In my opinion they are timeless and can be worn at all ages. I can actually imagine myself wearing them when I'm all old and wrinkly :) I hope they last that long! What do you think of them?

NEW - paris purchases

This is my final Paris post! I bought the perfect bag at Zara, and although I hesitated at first (50 euro's is quite expensive for a budget-buyer like me), I couldn't leave the precious thing lying there! I love the simple cut, the hidden, yet not so hidden, button, and the metal detail at the bottom. As for my new blue loafers, they are so cute and perfect for summer! I don't own a lot of colourful shoes, so these were a nice addition to my collection. The post cards and the little book 'Paris Vintage' are just random things I picked up at different stores. I must say, buying postcards is becoming a bit of an obsession of mine...

xoxo Aimee

• Bag - Zara (€50)
• Loafers - Zara (€20)

HOTSPOTS - PARIS

Ik dacht dat het wel leuk zou zijn om een paar shop- en eetadresjes op te schrijven voor jullie. Parijs loopt over van leuke adresjes en telkens wanneer ik er ben is mijn tas helemaal gevuld met visitekaartjes aan het einde van de dag. Vervolgens, wanneer ik dan weer thuis ben, plak ik ze allemaal in mijn reisdagboek zodat ik kan onthouden waar ik ben geweest en wat ik allemaal gedaan heb. Heel handig voor toekomstige reisjes naar Parijs! Ik hoop dat jullie wat aan de tips hebben!

I thought it would be nice to write down some shopping and eating tips in Paris for you! Paris is full of amazing places and everytime I 'm there my bag is filled with business cards at the end of the day. When I'm home, I stick all the cards in my Travel Journal so that I remember where I went and which activities I did. Really handy for future trips to Paris! I hope these tips are of any use for you! 

1. Vicxite. A - Rue des Abbesses (near the Sandro shop)

Great shop with very reasonably priced clothes. I would describe the style as cute, girly and trendy. I saw the most adorable off-white, embroidered dress which was €60. I didn't buy it though, because this was the first store my mum and I entered, but I kind of regret not buying the beauty...

2. Sandro (there are about 15 shops in the whole of Paris!) - Rue des Abbesses, 37

Very famous brand in France. In my opinion the clothes are very Zara-like, but way better quality, the colours and fabrics are more beautiful and, well, this results in more expensive clothes. French women are very, very fond of this brand! You should really check out the website, the clothes are amazing! So are the accessories and shoes by the way.

3. Librairie des Abbesses - Rue Yvonne le Tac, 30

A cute French book store with a very large selection of (obviously) books, but cards as well. I collect cards and I bought a few special ones here. I also purchased a Nutella Cook Book :)

4. Vintage Desir - next to Librairie des Abbesses (and there is one in le Marais as well!)

Shop which only sells vintage clothes, shoes, bags and anything else vintage. It's a real browse store, so the downside is that it is packed with stuff and there is hardly any fitting space. However, the upside is that the clothes are inexpensive (€10 for a dress) and if you take your time and search well, you may find some real gems. I bought a 60's denim dress here which is perfect for summer! Levi shorts are sold here as well!

5. Sucrées - Rue des Martyrs, 84

Sucrées means sugared and this shop definitely is! The clothes are comparable to the clothes at Vicxite A. Very girly, cute and same price range. There was a gorgeous (fake) leather dress for €60, which unfortunately wasn't in my size... This shops also sells Vero Moda and a few English brands.

6. Spree - Rue la Vieuville, 16

Very cool, modern store with more expensive brands like Isabel Marant, Acné and Helmut Lang. There were some amazing items, but they were all a bit to pricey for me. However, the interior was already worth taking a peak inside!

7. Miss Cupcake - Rue la Vieuville, 22

Cute little shop with a pink interior. The cupcakes were yummy and not to expensive! The shop is filled with this delicious baking scent, because the kitchen is behind the counter. Cupcakes were being made as I was eating my cupcake.

8. Les 2 Moulins - Rue Lepic, 15

I don't know if anyone of you know the French film Amélie Poulain. It is quite extraordinary; one hates it or one loves it. I am a lover. I definitely think the movie is a bit weird, but I think it is brilliant as well. This café is an important setting in the film, so it was nice to sit there and imagine how the place was used for the movie. 

9. le Saut du Loup - Rue de Rivoli, 107

An amazing restaurant with a perfect location! It is situated on the edge of Jardin des Tuileries with a view on the Eiffel Tower ánd the Louvre. I noticed that mostly quite rich Parisian people eat here who are all very well dressed. There weren't many tourists, which is something I like :) The food wasn't cheap, but not expensive either.

10. Troc en Stock -  Rue Clauzel, 6

Great vintage store which sells brands like Chanel, Prada, Acne, Maje etc. There were also a few Zara items, but most of the clothes were from more expensive brands. Even though this store is a bit pricier than the usual vintage stores, I thought the clothes were very reasonably priced. I almost bought a tee from Acne for €24, but I hesitated too much (I always do!). All the clothes, shoes, bags were in good condition and there was a big selection. I loved this shop!

11. Le Loir dans la Theiere - Rue des Rosiers, 3
Hidden away in the Marais, my favourite (besides Montmartre) area in Paris, this Alice in Wonderland inspired café/restaurant really surprised me! The Marais is quite a touristic and busy area, definitely on Sundays. This café was crowded as well, but I could only notice true Parisian people and hardly any tourists. These places often offer the best dishes against the best prices. My mum and I drank tea and ate two delicious cakes (not each though! haha). I ordered a nutella-banana pie, which was mmmmmm, yummy! My mum ate a meringue-lemon tart which was huge ánd delicious! I definitely recommend this place!

12. Chanel - Rue Cambon, 31
As I mentioned before, this shop was heaven! You shouldn't miss out on it, if you are a true Chanel fan like me. No more words needed :)

13. Breizh Café - Quai Thomas, 7
I didn't take a picture of this restaurant, but I can tell you this: this restaurant serves thé best crèpes (sweet) and galettes (savoury) in Paris! There are extremely many crèpes/galettes to choose from and they are all so delicious! I guess my favourite crèpe is one with caramel, salty butter and sugar. It's amazing!

OUTFIT - pony tail

Deze foto's heeft mijn lieve moeder op de derde dag in Parijs genomen! We hebben ontbeten bij de Eiffel Toren, we hebben gewinkeld op Boulevard Haussmann en we zijn DE Chanel winkel (Rue Cambon) winkel ingeweest. Als je ooit de documentaire Signé Chanel, heb gezien, dan weet je wat ik bedoel. Heb je deze nog niet gezien, ik raad je echt aan hem te kijken! De winkel was zo mooi, echt hemel op aarde! Ik heb er gekeken naar oorbellen. Er was een paar van €180, bezet met diamantjes, waar ik meteen verliefd op werd. Duur, maar ze zijn het zeker waard om voor de sparen. Dus dat ga ik doen!

My sweet mum made these pics of me on day 3 in Paris. We had breakfast near the Eiffel Tower, we did some shopping on Boulevard Haussmann and we went inside the famous Chanel shop (which is located in Rue Cambon). The shop was amazing, like heaven on earth! I saw some diamond earrings, which I immediately fell in love with. They were €180. Expensive, but definitely worth saving for. So that's my plan!

• Top - H&M trend
• Shorts - H&M
• Necklace - H&M
• Bag - Pieces