When in Paris..

Hey guys! As I've promised, this is the post that I've been working on since yesterday ;p Hope it would help you guys!

Anyways, as some of you may have or may have not know about this, I've actually visited Paris during my Easter break this year since I've decided to stay on in the UK for the Easter holidays instead of heading home. Well, and this Paris trip was actually my second one. I've been to Paris when I was in my second year of Concord College few years back. So, what I'll be doing for today is highlighting about the places that you should visit/it's worth visiting and things that you should do during your visit to Paris. Hence, hopefully this short list would be able to help you out if you'll be visiting Paris soon for the first time and have no idea where to go and what to do! 

Taken at Palace of Versailles x

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What are the places to visit when you're in Paris?

If it's your first time visiting Paris...

1. Visiting the Eiffel Tower is definitely a must. If you've been to Paris and haven't got a picture taken with the Eiffel Tower before, that wouldn't count as having been to Paris at all! ;) Also, a picture taken during the day of/with the Eiffel Tower and during the night would look entirely different! Thus, if you have the time, try to take two different shots of & with the Eiffel Tower itself because the night view of it is certainly more romantic than during the day! teehee:p
2. If all you have is time during your visit in Paris, I would suggest that you pay a visit to the Louvre museum! The entrance to the museum is entirely free for students. Therefore, if you are a student, make sure that you bring along your passport & student card with you, because without them, you'd have to pay for the entrance! & Trust me, a day or two isn't going to be enough at all for you to cover everything in the museum, it would at least require a week! Therefore, what you MUST do if you are in short of time but still insists on going there, IS that you must definitely head to the section where the painting of Mona Lisa is displayed. Get a picture of it, and voila! You've basically highlighted the most important part of your visit in the museum! & trust me, the painting of Mona Lisa in reality is actually just a very small painting covered with glass and you can only see it from a distance. Do not get overexcited about it, as you may just be disappointed by the actual thing! Once you've taken a picture of it, you could always drop by at the Greek paintings and sculpture section. It would be an interesting area to pay a visit too. Apart from that, the other sections in the museum basically requires a lot of time, so, it's entirely up to you whether you would like to linger longer around to see other stuffs! 
3. If you've covered the first two list, and you happened to be someone who loves visiting historical/breathtaking places, I would suggest that you take the time to pay a visit to the Palace of Versailles. This historical spot itself would take up at least almost half a day of your time, plus, the palace is actually not located at the city centre of Paris itself, instead, it is located about 30 minutes away from Paris, that is the suburb part of Paris, to be precise. Thus, to get to this place, you have to be prepared to fork out extra expenses to travel by a cab or either by the train. Personally, I loved this place so much. The immense historical value that the palace has was truly an eye-opener to me. I would definitely go for a second time if I could. What's so nice about the palace? Well, when you enter the palace, you basically could see a lot of different sections built, such as the king and queen's chamber, the room where they dine, their study place, chapel etc. By visiting every part of the palace, you could already imagined how much money was spent on building the palace and maintaining it, and that why French Revolution occurred back then in the olden days. (They have sections that tells you how the palace kept expanding from just a small palace and to a bigger version over time.) Also, the highlight place in the palace itself would be the Hall of Mirrors. This spot is a beautiful section in the palace where the room is greatly filled with mirrors that you can eventually imagine how the royalties used this room as a place to dance, throw parties and big occasion back in those days. Apart from that, once you've covered every section of the palace, you are now ready to exit the palace. But no, you're not done yet, because, there's another section to be covered, that is the Garden. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this spot. The garden is absolutely beautiful that it was designed in such a way that it contained man-made lakes, many fountains, and a maze of plants. It is so stunning that you wouldn't be able to put your head around the idea of how people back in ancient days came up with such wonderful designs. Oh, and when you're in the garden during summer, do take the opportunity to witness the fountain musical performance. ;) Also, outside the parameter of the palace, there are a village of small houses that was built back in those days by the King specially for the Queen as play houses. I didn't manage to visit that site since I was short of time. But from what I've heard, the empty land surrounding the palace and garden would be a great place to have a stroll on a weekend, as it offers a really serene environment.
4. If more monuments is what you're after apart from the great Eiffel Tower, then you can always pay a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. A picture with it would definitely indicate that you've been to Paris! This monuments is basically another attraction site apart from the Eiffel Tower. It was built to commemorate the victories of France and to honour the ones who've died in battle. 
5. If all you're looking for is just entertainment and fun but not those historical places, try paying a visit to the Disneyland theme park! You'll be amazed at what kind of rides that you could find there and not at other Disneyland's like in Hong Kong or Japan! 

Basically, I've narrowed down my list of places to visit to FIVE based on my personal experience and the short time frame that I was given when I visited Paris. Therefore, I hope the list above could help some of you in deciding the places that you should visit when you come to Paris! ;) Moving on, apart from the sightseeing and places to go, next up would be the things that I would highly recommend that you should try or do when you visit Paris!

What are the things that you should do or buy for when you're in Paris?

1. If you like the brand Chanel, do visit her very first Chanel boutique on 21 rue Cambon. Haha, visiting the very first Chanel boutique by Coco Chanel herself just made you feel like you've got closer to not only the brand itself but also herself. ;p Some also said that she used to live just above the boutique before for some time. Well, that I'm not sure whether it's true, you can always find that out by yourself ;) Not to mention, in my opinion, this boutique itself has one of the most choices that you can obtain ranging from the colours of the bags, to the accessories. However, to keep in mind that one person is only entitled to buy at most two pairs of earrings only if you want to do the tax refund. Well, this is apparently implemented quite recently I reckon.
2. You must definitely get the macaroons from Pierre Hermes. A box of 16 would do just fine. It's definitely cheaper to get them from Paris rather than London. Not only that, the ones from Paris somehow just taste much more delicious than anywhere else in the world:p Haha.
3. Having a tea at Laduree cafe. It is definitely different from the ones in London. After all, the cafe itself was originated from Paris. Therefore, the standard and quality of food & service are in a more controlled manner than in London. Also, you must not forget their macaroons as well!
4. If you're a Mille Feuille freak like me, definitely pay a visit to the Cafe Angelina. Their Mille Feuille I wouldn't say it the best, but it's definitely one of the best that I've tried apart from the usual ones that I go to in Manchester/London which is Cafe Aubaine. And when you're in Cafe Angelina, don't forget to try their well-known Mont Blanc dessert as well as their thick & rich hot chocolate that comes in a small jar. Do not be too ambitious by ordering per jar for per person. You might end up feeling tooooo sickened by the taste of the hot chocolate already, so, sharing with someone else is advisable. At the same time, the hot chocolate is best to have with the desserts. They usually go well together ;)
5. Eating seafood in Paris is also another MUST.  Especially the OYSTERSSSS, they are to die for! The texture and freshness of the oysters in Paris cannot simply be found in anywhere else in the UK!! So, if you love seafood as much as I do, JUST HOP IN TO ANY RESTAURANTS THAT SERVE SEAFOOD! I can assure you that any random restaurants in Paris that serve seafood usually serve waaaay better and fresher seafood than anywhere else you can get in the UK/MALAYSIA. 
6. If you love Foie Gras, rest assured, Paris is your heaven. Almost every restaurants that I've ever been to in Paris serves Foie Gras; from the raw spread ones to the pan fried ones. For example, burger that comes with beef+pan fried foie gras. Where else can you get 'em? They are everywhere! Just take your pick ;)
7. Visit the largest Louis Vuitton building on Champs-Elysees. It is definitely going to take time to explore everything in the store, therefore, be prepared to spare some time in this store if you're a fan of LV! If you're not, but just would like a visit, just take a tour around the whole entire store and you'll just be amazed on how huge the place is.
8. When you're in Paris, don't ever forget to eat their pastries. Especially their croissants. I can guarantee you, the croissants that they serve are 100% made freshly from the oven. Not some preheat or pre-made ones that breakfast places usually serve elsewhere. In my experience, so far the restaurants that I've hopped into randomly to have breakfast when I was in the rush, the croissants that I've ordered and tasted have been one of the most amazing experience that I've ever had. I can't believe that just a small random restaurant would serve such great quality pastries. From what I can recall is that they taste really soft, fresh, and buttery. Not even the freshly baked Marks & Spencer croissants can beat that.
9. Visit at least one Pharmacy in Paris. You cannot miss checking out any random French pharmacies in Paris! DO NOT EVER LEAVE THIS OUT! Trust me, you would be amazed and surprised at the choices of products in terms of cosmetics, skin care, hair care, and anything else that the pharmacies in Paris could offer you! From my personal experience, paying a visit to the local pharmacy ended up being the cure to my acne problems, that is the Bioderma cleanser! It helped me in cleansing my skin so thoroughly and that it made such a drastic improvement to my face! Therefore, do not ever underestimate these pharmacies, they could offer you probably one of the best chances in overcoming the acne problems that you've been facing all these while. And rest assured, in almost every pharmacy that you go in Paris, they will have at least one certified pharmacist there to assist you with the queries that you have regarding any products and also to guide you in making the best choice that complements your face/skin conditions if you're in doubt. If, you are really in short of time and would want to head to one of the pharmacies that offers you a range of choices for skincare, try City Pharma at 26 Rue Four, 75006, Paris. This pharmacy is recommended by the famous makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge. It's one of her favourite pharmacies that she often visits to stock up her kits. So give this one a try!
10. Buying Long Champ bags, especially the super large ones that can act as an emergency portable carrier bag when you're out of baggage space while you're traveling. Trust me, in Paris, these can be obtained easily in whatever colours or sizes that you want. And not only that, the price is not really a matter since it's likely to be the cheapest that you can ever get when you've claimed your VAT ;) 
11. Visit Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris. If you can't decide what you would want to get whether it's the type of food or items that you would want to purchase back as a souvenir or present, you could always pay a visit to this deparment store. They are similar to Selfridges in the UK;) Also, in this department store, you will be able to have a wide range of choices in buying back any food items back home like the Foie Gras paste that comes in a jar etc.
12. If Galeries Lafayette department store didn't give you much choice, you can always try visiting Printemps department store in Paris instead. However, this department store serves more purpose for you in search of fashion and interior items instead of food choices. 

Well, I could basically go on & on, but what's the point when you can obtain the extra help from the internet by just Google-ing? Heh. These are the lists that I've created based on my own encounter when I visited Paris. & In my personal opinion, I strongly believe that the lists that I've created would definitely assist you in narrowing down the things that you would wanna do or buy and the places that you would want to visit when you're in Paris for just less than a week or more precisely, a 3 days two nights/ 4 days 3 nights trip! So, I hope that this post has been helpful to those of you who are bound to visit Paris soon or even to those who are planning to visit Paris somewhere near in the future.

So that's all for now, till then!

KRYSTAL XX