Packing my mini suitcase especially making it easy and portable for me as I need to catch tube ride to Heathrow airport terminal 5 which is 1.5 hours away.
So I made sure I was ready to be leaving at 12pm lunchtime giving me plenty time for transport, check in, security and customs when I got to the airport.
I arrived at airport by 2pm and check in and at the gate by 33:0pm to depart by 4:15pm. We had only just boarded the plane and got up into the pilot announced our arrived into Paris.
Below is a birds eye view of Paris at night time taken from plane window.
After check in, security and customs I get out of the airport at 10:30pm as Paris has a 1 hour difference from London.
When I arrived and walked around the airport and there was not many people around and I didn't have to line up for security or customs. When I looked around there was no military or police officers/security around the airport and I didn't get patted down at security which every airport I entered.
Once I was at the exit of the airport, I was looking around there was nothing open at the airport to organise transfers to hotel or purchase a French sim card as I had no phone reception from my UK sim card. I wanted to try and catch a Uber or figure out the bus/train transfer into the city centre. No one was around to help or could speak English.
Its around 11:50pm and after 30mins trying to figure out what to do... I had to catch a taxi to my hotel an hour + $74 euros later - I was not a happy woman! :-( I arrived and checked into Hotel Peyris Opera around 12:30am on Friday night. I was absolutely exhausted!
The view of my hotel room
24 HOURS IN PARIS
The next day woke up 6am to have breakfast downstairs and roam the streets at dawn before my epic day of exploring around in Paris. This experience was extra part of my international fashion research of fashion history + development.
PALAIS GALLIERAM
First stop Palais Gallieram... Paris Fashion Museum
This exhibition proposes to discover the wardrobe of Countess Greffulhe whose legendary beauty and elegance inspired Marcel Proust and the greatest designers of his time.
For the first time, the Palais Galliera exposes the exception wardrobe Countess Greffulhe, born Elizabeth de Caraman-Chimay (1860-1952). Cousin Robert de Montesquiou, passed to posterity in the writings of Marcel Proust in the famous novel -In Search of Lost Time.
* NO cameras were allowed inside :(
The Countess Greffulhe whose legendary beauty and elegance inspired Marcel Proust and the greatest designers of his time to produce some incredible and one of the most fabulous haute couture wardrobe of the early 1900s. Designer Marcel Proust was ahead of his time. I wish I could have taken some photos of how everything is being redesigned + copied in this century as well as how preserved these garments were that are from the 1860 - 1950s.
PARIS FOOD MARKETS
Next stop on our 24 hour trek around Paris was the Weekend food market. I went around food markets trying out food left+ right - testing and tasting that I didn't get too many photos because I was eating heheehhee
The smells of the different delights and the eye full of colours everywhere from the food market are one of a kind and I will miss the smell of baguettes!
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
The next stop - Musee d'Art Moderne...
As a setting for the first European showing of Shadows (1978-79) in their entirety, the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris is devoting a remarkable exhibition to Andy Warhol (1928-1987). Comprising over 200 works, Unlimited highlights the serial side of the Warhol oeuvre – a crucial aspect of his work – and his ability to rethink the way art should be exhibited.
Hehehehe there was security staff in each section... but I was sneaky + naughty and took some shots of the exhibition!
At the museum, there was a cool option to do a Warhol digital painting...I thought be real serious in the photo just like Andy (missing the sunglasses) :P
EIFFEL TOWER
Next stop the Eiffel Tower... Every time I visit Paris I always need to visit the Eiffel tower. There is something about it, the iconic symbol of the city, that draws + pulls you into her. Next minute, I thought fuck it I am going to walk to Eiffel tower and have a explore of on the way through the streets of Paris.
Here's a lucky quick shot of the hustle of the street at the Eiffel Tower
LUNCHTIME
It was around 3:30pm and about to burst down with rain plus I was little exhausted (been up since 6am) and getting hungry so I went to a little deli café and got baguette and took a taxi back to hotel to have a little recharge.
Here's a beautiful shot of the streets of Paris near my hotel
GALERIES LAFAYETTE
Next stop was Paris top shopping called Galeries Lafayette. The Galeries Lafayette is an upmarket French department store chain. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
After exploring around Galleria Lafayette I caught a taxi and I went back to the hotel. After refreshing, I went downstairs walked down the street to find a cute small bar where I ordered a glass of red wine and small cheese platter, then found myself a lovely spot outside and watched the world go by in my last night in Paris.
I had to go to bed by midnight, as I checked out at 4:00am of Hotel Peyris Opera. I pre packed and ordered a taxi to be picked up at 4:30am.
I arrived at the airport at 5:30am and my flight was at 7:45am. I walked around the airport and there was not many people in the airport, I didn't have to line up for security or customs, there was no military or police officers/security around the airport and I didn't get patted down at security which every airport I entered I was searched each time. I found lots of lacking of concerns especially from a city that had been mass terrorists attack only 2 weeks prior to me arriving in Paris.
I arrived at the airport at 5:30am and my flight was at 7:45am. I walked around the airport and there was not many people in the airport, I didn't have to line up for security or customs, there was no military or police officers/security around the airport and I didn't get patted down at security which every airport I entered I was searched each time. I found lots of lacking of concerns especially from a city that had been mass terrorists attack only 2 weeks prior to me arriving in Paris.
After 30 mins flight back to London, 1.5 hour Tube train ride transfer back to
apartment, London bridge, I was happy to be back at the London apartment. Re-group + re-ground myself and make sure I get ready for meeting on Monday.
Stay tuned for more behind the scenes of 2015 British Council - ACCELERATE program for next 2 weeks!
Stay tuned for more behind the scenes of 2015 British Council - ACCELERATE program for next 2 weeks!
Keep working hard, believing in yourself + never stop dreaming!
TJ xo
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