Living in a tiny Parisian Apartment

I may be getting my mojo back. Was just at the movies a while ago and I saw '3 days to Kill'. That movie was just ok, but the stage is beautiful. It's set in Paris and it reminded me so much about my honeymoon and the places we have been. Rockstar and I were trying to figure out the names of places all through out the movie. 

Anyway, since my mojo is back. Let's talk about Paris. Paris is such a beautiful city. We spend 8 days there for our honeymoon and 4 of those nights were in a tiny Parisian Apartment at the bottom of the Sacre Coeur steps. Doesn't it look so adorable. Very small, with a big cosy bed and a small balcony that looks out into the rooftops of Paris. Just like in the movies. 

The toilet was so small that we had to sit on the toilet bowl just to brush our teeth. And the shower is even tinier than an plane toilet. Just enough to fit in and maybe turn in a circle. I wouldn't know much about that being just 5 feet tall :) Taller people might keep bumping into the water heater just above the shower, so uniquely quirky with it's Tomato Can design. 

The kitchen was tiny too but just nice to be fully functional. There was a fridge where we kept our store bought wine, toaster to heat up frozen pizzas and stove to fry some eggs for breakfast. It was kinda nice impressing my new husband with my skills in the kitchen. Haha.. 

Tadaa.... One of our many meals in Paris. Nothing beats pizza and wine, snuggling in a big cosy bed and watching the sun set in Paris, as the lights come slowly twinkling on, while listening to the soulful cooing of a Parisian singer from the CD player.  

The owners of the apartment provided many guide books and recommendations on places to visit and eat, and various music. They even gave a basket if we wished to walk down to the morning market for some bread and fruits. 

A iron wrought gate, entrance to our apartment on the 8 floor. There are 2 gate, which means 2 security access, making it very safe. Just a short stroll away took us to the bottom of the steps to Sacre Coeur, tiny sidewalk cafes, bustling tourist shops, tiny gift shops bursting to the brim with knick knacks, bakeries, art stores, and so many more. I could spend so much time getting lost, wandering in the tiny alleys and streets of Montmartre. 

A iron cast lif, where we had to open the metal gate, step into the lif, close the gold-lined wooden panels before the lif slowly makes its way down. Very tiny, just enough to fit 2 person. Thank God for it as the apartment was on the 8th floor. But it was also kinda creepy cos every time we passed the 3rd floor, the lights on that floor are off. 

Small, narrow, weirdly angle corridors , leading to our apartment. Check out the huge gold doorknob in the center. I love everything about this apartment. The smallness, the quirkiness and the authenticity of it. Its like everything I've watch in movies. 

View from our Balcony. Isn't it beautiful? No view of Eiffel Tower as we were facing North East. I am so thankful that I got to experience living like a Parisian. It's am amazing experience. If you are going to Paris, I would recommend finding an apartment and staying there. Then you'll truly discover this beautiful city of love. 

Something that made this apartment even better, a tiny Vietnamese store just around the corner that serves amazing Pho. Gosh, I'm craving for Vietnamese now. 

So yeah, my experience living in Montmartre, the artsy fatsy creative area of Paris.  

The secrets of Opera Garnier, Paris

Opera Garnier is well-known not just for its plays and performances but for its deep history  in France. I won't go into details of the history as I am sure you can find it elsewhere. Rockstar and I had the opportunity to visit this beautiful place when we were in Paris. It was quite a last minute choice and since we had to check out by noon, we rushed over and got ourselves booked for a free tour in the morning via the Paris Pass. No regrets!!! It was one of the best thing we did there and its worth the time, money and effort. We learned so much more about France history in just that mere 1-2 hour/s of tour. 

I won't be able to tell you how magnificence this place is, nor describe how opulence it is or even show you how much richness this place oozes out. All I can do is just post some pictures which could never capture the true essence of this place but will suffice for now. 

The ceiling of the lower level

The Lobby

The Lobby

The grand staircase where people ascent up and socialise while waiting for the play to begin

The stairways heading up and down

Inside the theater hall

The boxes where the wealthier people sits

The grotesque ceiling of the theater hall. It has a very interesting story to it.  About artists and love and passion. 

Ceiling of another room. (Can't recall which one)

Ceiling of the room where men came to talk and smoke during intermission. Women not allowed. 

Gold inlaid pillars

The tour group I was in listening attentively to our very good tour guide

It has another interesting story behind this but for the life of me, I can't recall it too. *sigh*

Our tour guide provided lots of interesting anecdotes and stories while she showed us around. If you are ever in Paris and is considering this, I would highly recommend that you DO NOT miss this. Also, please pay for this guided tour. Definitely worth it. 

The most interesting and mysterious part. Our tour guide told the story about the Phantom of the Opera and showed us his reserved box. Sadly it was locked, or I would have searched for the secret door :p If time permits and if there were no restrictions, I would have walked the entire place looking/ searching for hidden doors and secret lovers. 

As we left the place, I looked back and Opera Garnier seemed to mock me - Rich and bright yet mysterious and secretive at the same time. I wondered what other secrets it holds in its basement and in its dark boxes. 

Dining at the top of Paris @ 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant

Climbing up Eiffel Tower is something that have been on my bucket list for the longest time. And when I was in Paris on my honeymoon, I told myself I must up there. No matter what it takes. Little did I know I did get up there but it was much harder than expected. 

So here's what happened. The day we decided to climb up Eiffel Tower was wet and downcast. Since we had made reservations to to have dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant, we got ourselves dressed up and the taxi drop us opposite Eiffel Tower. 

When we confirmed our reservation at the restaurant counter at the base of the tower, we were told that the lift will only take us to the 1st floor where the restaurant were located, and if we want to get to the higher floors we either had to pay extra or take the stairs. Rockstar and I look at each other and without hesitation, we said 'Stairs!'. I think the additional 14 Euro per person was a turn off. So stairs it is. 

The 1 century old lift took us up and drop us off at the 1st floor. Sadly, the view wasn't that great. It was still drizzling slightly. We found the stairs and started climbing. It was fun at the beginning. But slowly, it became harder. The stairs seems endless, going round and round and up and up. Panting, puffing, stopping whenever we could. It's no joke. We stopped like at every platform at the top of each flight of stairs. We did see people passing us but they were all heading down. I think we were the only crazy ones climbing up Eiffel Tower in that weather. 

But finally... finally, we arrived on the 2nd floor @ 115m above ground. Weeeee!!! I almost jumped for joy if my legs didn't ache that much. Even though it might not sound that we did, but I guarantee you, we did enjoy it. The cool weather helped kept us cool. 

The view is so beautiful. It was getting late and as the rain was still drizzling, we did not get a view of the sun set. However, we did get to enjoy a hot cup of hot chocolate while huddling together in the strong, freezing wind, as we watch Paris comes to light. 

Although I wished we had continue our journey up to the top, time and the weather did not allow us that. It was getting really, really cold and late and we had to be at the restaurant in time for sitting. The lift took us down and dropped us off again on the 1st floor.

We had the Opera Menu which comes with a glass of wine, starter, main course and dessert for 67 euro per person. Our table wasn't fantastic as we made a last minute reservation. We were told that if we wanted a table at the side with an unhindered view of Paris, we had to make reservations at least 6 months in advance. Tip for travelers : Don't hesitate. It's an experiences not to be missed. Book way in advance. Anyway, here's what we had. 

Starter : Seared tiger prawn, avocado, soya and sesame dressing

Starter : Smoked salmon terrine, citrus dressing and olive oil pearls

Main Course : Seared salmon fillet, carrots, green peas, white butter sauce

Main course : Roasted chicken breast, green asparagus, morel cream sauce

Dessert : Profiterole with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce

Dessert : Rum cake with vanilla whipped cream

The food isn't superb but good enough to pass. We didn't have much view of Paris. Our table was so cramp that if I wanted, I could have reached out and helped myself to a piece of lamb of our next-table neighbour. But these are what made it so special. It's so uniquely French with its tiny tables, light french conversations floating over the chinks of wine glasses, soft music, and black bow waiters. And I could not have asked for a better company :) 

It was a wonderful experience (although our pockets hurt quite a bit) and one of our highlight in Paris. And I can at least say that I did climb Eiffel Tower with my bare legs almost freezing with the cold and my 4 inch heels. :) 

                     

Post-Wedding and Honeymoon Photoshoot in Paris

As mentioned in my previous post, we offered the floor of our honeymoon suite to a good childhood friend who was in Paris and in returned, we got so much more. He graciously took absolutely gorgeous pictures for us as we wandered the streets and attractions of Paris. And as I was preparing to write this post, I decided to use his pictures instead. So this post is dedicated to Jonathan Lim, for graciously taking our photos. It really brings back good memories. All photos below are taken by him except stated otherwise.

After a really good breakfast at the hotel, we started at the Eglise De La Madeleine, because that's near our hotel. Sadly, the whole place was under construction and we could only take pictures from afar.

Then we headed across the road to the famous Laduree for macaroons. They have so much varieties and their desserts and pastries are so tempting. 

Then we walked down Rue Royale, which munching on macaroons and peeping into famous brands and boutiques. It really is impressive, with its straight lines and tall trees. 

We arrived at the Place de la Concorde and took lots of pictures and funny poses with the gold-tipped Obelisque. The story here is that 1300 people died here between 1793 and 1795 including Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. I shall not bore you further with history lesson. 

Then we took a long stroll up the majestic, broad tree-lined Champs de Elysees. Stopping just for some photoshoots and people watch. We passed by The Grand Palais and The Petit Palais and decided to keep it for another adventurous day.

We passed by a huge gate with a long tree lined pathway, guarded by 3 hot looking guys and assumed that it was a secret club or something. But as we wandered up the peaceful garden and arrive at an atrociously designed front entrance, we realized that we have arrived at the infamous Abercrombie and Fitch. Inside is dark, with latest tunes banging from the speakers, smell of aftershave and hot looking male and female models walking around makes it feels more like a club then a store. Of cos, I couldn't resist taking a picture with the topless male model. :p

We headed up Champs de Elysees again, passing by huge brands and small cafes and arrived at the Arc de Troimphe. It's an impressive sight. But avoiding tourists and trying to take a decent picture requires patience and skills. This behemoth is build as a homage to the armies of France. 

We took the underpass to the center of the Arc, paid an entrance fee and proceeded to climb up the winding steps to the top. Not for the faint-hearted as you can get dizzy going round and round. :)

But the sight on top is simply amazing. Arc de Troimphe seats in the middle of the Charles de Gaulle and its also known as I'Etoile (star) because it has 12 straight avenues radiating out from it 

*photo taken by me. Sorry for the slant.It was hard enough being short and that I had to tiptoe and stick my head betweeen the barriers to take a decent shot. 

*photo taken by me

A pictures that Jon managed to capture of Montmartre and the Sacre-Coeur and I am posting it up because we spend half our honeymoon there hold up in a tiny Parisian apartment. More on that in future posts.

A subway ride back to the hotel because we were too tired to walk further. We had a good time with Jon. Thanks again for the great pictures. If you want to view more, click here