Paris

As some of you may know, I spent last week in France. I decided to make a post about my time in Paris and include some of my OOTDs :) Hope you enjoy!

First I went to le Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens). It was so beautiful, and when we arrived there was a wedding taking place, which made the atmosphere so much more magical. It was so relaxing to walk around and watch the birds in the fountain. I could have spent a whole day there sketching and taking pictures.

Blouse: H&M / Dungarees: Topshop / Parka: Topshop / Shoes: Converse / Bag: Vintage

After Luxembourg we visited Notre Dame. Not only was the church gorgeous inside and out, so was the surrounding area. That's the amazing thing about Paris, everything is beautiful. There was a lovely French man in clown makeup (which freaked me out at first due to my Coulrophobia...) who gave me a bit of seed so I could feed the birds. At least three or four were on me at once! 

We got paninis and crêpes in the surrounding area and I did some people watching. There were so many fashionable people! I saw so many Chanel, Prada, Miu Miu, Mulberry, Céline, Proenza Schouler, and Louis Vuitton bags I thought I was going to faint. Isabel Marant's sneaker wedges appeared over and over again as well! Hopefully I will be able to go back and snap some pictures.

When night came we went to the Eiffel Tower... It was so surreal to be in front of my laptop background. Right as we arrived it lit up as it does every hour and it was truly magical. I still couldn't believe I was in Paris, it really only hit me when I went to the top (by STAIRS... my legs felt like jello!). 

The view from the top was indescribable. No pictures do it justice. I was leaning up against the fence smiling like an idiot for at least ten minutes. It was very windy and cold but so worth it. When we went back down I wanted to go right back up again! But I went on the carousel behind the tower which was very fun :)

The next day we saw the Louvre, and like most things in Paris, indescribable. I could have spent a whole week in there! My mom is an art history major, and her love for art rubbed off on me. I was so excited to see Venus de Milo, Artemis, the opulent ceilings, and of course la Jaconde aka the Mona Lisa. Walking around inside was so surreal and overwhelming. There is so much to see and for me there was so little time!

Sweater: DIY / Jeans: TJMaxx / Shoes: Converse / Parka: Topshop / Bag: Vintage

This little boy has more style than me...

We also walked up tons of stairs to the most spectacular view of Paris with Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart). On one side was the church with its lovely Byzantine architecture, and on the other was all of Paris! There was also a lot of street art on the way up which was so interesting to look at. There was even someone in the process of spray painting a wall!

I quickly found a talent for finding macarons wherever I go, and there was a little bake shop next to the church where I got a chocolate one. Even though none of the people there spoke English, I was kind of glad. Going to Paris was the perfect opportunity to practice my French, which I have been speaking for almost 7 years now. My friends would always make me order for them in French!

When you go to Paris you have to go to l'avenue des Champs-Élysées. I was looking forward to it so much, for it was home to La Maison Ladurée. If you don't know what Ladurée is, it's the legendary French macaron house in Paris. As an avid baker and lover of macarons, I have been dreaming of going there for years! Unfortunately, I was only given twenty minutes to shop, and it was on the other side of l'Arc de Triomphe where we came through. My friend and I sprinted to the shop, which of course had a long line. I waited in line for ten minutes, go to the front, then had to turn around and sprint back. I was so disappointed, but it gives me a reason to come back to Paris. And don't worry, I got LOTS of macarons at the Ladurée in the Paris airport.

Another highlight of my trip to Paris was seeing CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. We had just had dinner in this amazing restaurant right next door and I almost had a heart attack when I saw it. It was closed, of course, but another task has been added to my bucket list: go inside!

Last thing I will share with you all was my fascination with the architecture. Here are some of my favorite buildings from Paris (Each time I saw a new one I said "that is my future apartment").

Much love xxx Nina