After arriving in Paris on Saturday, I was pretty tired. On Sunday, I slept in a little bit and was cooked the most beautiful home made brunch. It was purely delicious!
Staying in my pajamas simply seemed like the perfect idea but, no, it was my very first day in Paris and I really wanted to go sight seeing a little bit. So, I took to the streets of Paris with my very own personal tour guide! I did not want to do anything major, I just wanted to walk around and take in the city like a local. Unfortunately, on Sunday October 23rd, it was raining, a lot. But this didn’t stop us at all. I honestly thought it was perfect. In its own way the rain made the day more enjoyable. As for my outfit; I decided to be a bit more casual since I knew we would be doing a lot of walking. So, jeans, sneakers and my favorite turtleneck it was. Now, do you honestly believe I’d be wearing athletic sneakers to walk around Paris? Absolutely not! So I wore my favorite Karl Lagerfeld fancy sneakers (Cler Cap-Toe Slides) which are honestly the most comfortable shoes I own. I also accessorized with a Karl Lagerfeld scarf that added a touch of chic flair to my very monochromatic outfit. I also carried my Louis Vuitton Speedy, a bag I received for my 17th birthday and haven’t worn since college! I just felt it was apropos for this day, being in Paris and all! (giggles)
WHAT I WORE:
Shoes–Karl Lagerfeld , Coat–Eloquii , Sunglasses–Forever21, Purse–Louis Vuitton, Jeans–Forever21, Turtleneck–Merona for Target, Scarf–Karl Lagerfeld (similar), Umbrella – Barneys New York (similar)
Doesn’t the city look majestic in the rain? I believe so! Rue Saint Honore is such a beautiful street with lots of fabulous shopping! All of life’s most luxurious brands have their boutiques there; such as Chloe, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Fendi, the list goes on for miles. This is where I was walking around mostly, naturally. I also came across the prettiest flower shop that I believe sells only the most beautiful arrangements and bouquets of roses. The shop is called Roses Costes which is located in Hotel Costes; A very chic boutique hotel! In the pouring rain, I couldn’t help but stop and fawn over how beautiful they all were in the various arrangements of colors and types of roses. I think I stood in-front of the boutique for a good 5 minutes. I wanted to walk inside and “smell the roses”, but like many shops in Paris on a Sunday, they were closed for business. I will definitely have to stop in next time I visit.
Discovering different districts in Paris such as Opera, Place de la Madeliene, and Place Vendôm (Paris’s diamond district), was such a treat! The architecture in each district is so pleasing to the eye, and funny enough the sidewalks are very narrow. They are only large enough to fit two pedestrians walking side by side at a time, if that. Very different from the wide sidewalks of Manhattan. It took a little bit of time to get used to. As we continued to explore Paris, I took notice of a news stand that had the magazine titled, “Feminine Psycho” with the cover photo of a very pretty woman dressed in a big smile (not looking like a psycho at all) in its window. I started to laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes because I thought this was the funniest magazine title, ever! Understanding at first glace that it was a women’s health magazine, I still thought this was hysterical. I am still laughing now as I write this. If this magazine titled the same waywent to print in the US, it woukd be a major news headline! Yes, I am very amused by very little thing! Haven’t you noticed this already? (giggles)
Just look at the images below of how beautiful Paris looks. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Phantom of the Opera playing in Paris at the Magador Theatre. I really wanted to see it, but I believe the theater was closed for rehearsals. But, all I could think about was how the story of The Phantom of the Opera takes place at the opera house Palais Garnier (now known as Opera National De Paris) and how it should have been playing there now! I’m a sucker for sentimentality, what can I say!
Walking around in the rain for hours would make anyone yen for something sweet, right? RIGHT! So, we headed back to Opera for some hot chocolate. Little did I know I was in for a really great experience! Arriving at Cafe de la Paix was a treat for all of the senses. It is placed right in-front of the Opera house, it is furnished with the most beautiful furniture and art, everyone is greeted by a beautiful sculpture of a ballerina when entering the foyer in the main dining room, the atmosphere is elegant, chic yet comfortable, and the scents of all the delicious food and deserts being prepared was heavenly. Looking at the menu was a real treat, also. There were so many deserts and all different types of coffee to choose from but since we decided to go for hot chocolate, hot chocolate is what we got! Oh La La, this was the best hot chocolate I ever had in my entire life! I did not want it to end. It was like drinking pure chocolate! Thick and creamy to perfection! (Who wants to ship me some back to NYC from Paris? You? Oh Great! Merci Beaucoup! I’ll be sure to provide you with my shipping address shortly!) (giggles)
As we finished out hot coco, I text an old friend from college who I hadn’t seen in six years who now lives in Paris. Joey joined us for a few hours as we continued to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of Cafe de la Paix. It was so wonderful catching up with Joey after all this time as we insulted each other continuously out of love, just like old times! Learn more about Joey and her Fashion Illustration work here! It was great to know that despite the lack of communication and a change of address, nothing much has changed!
We left the cafe around 7:30PM and from all the sugar I was so hungry! Eating sugar makes me very hungry! So, me and the beau decided to go for dinner. However, this was not as easy of a task as we thought. Like I said earlier, it was a Sunday in Paris and most places were closed for business. We spent almost three hours trying to find a restaurant or bistro that was open that did not cook with peanut oil. (I have a severe nut and peanut allergy) This was surprisingly impossible. I felt horrible and extremely embarrassed about it but I was made to feel very comfortable and better about the whole situation since it was completely out of my control! After searching and searching and searching… for a restaurant, can you guess where we ended up eating? McDonald’s!! I found this extremely comical! Out of all the places to eat in Paris, the night resulted in us getting a Big Mac from good old Mickey D’s! I thought this was even more interesting since for months all I heard was how McDonald’s in the states doesn’t hold a candle to how the McDonald’s in Paris tastes. Ordering there was from the future. You did not go up to the counter to order your meal, oh no no, you ordered on huge computer screens. Then you walked up to the counter to retrieve it! (Haha.) On the walk home I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into what I has been told was a magical fast food experience. When we got back, and I took my first bite in otherworldly epicurean anticipation, all I could think to myself was how it tasted EXACTLY THE SAME AS IT DOES AT HOME!! I was laughing so hard!! I thought my world would have been changed from all of the previous talk about how it’s life changing! But, it was just a good old fashioned McDonald’s hamburger. However, it did the trick because if I didn’t eat something soon I was going to freak out! (haha) I don’t think I’ve ever been that hungry in my life! It became a joke for the rest of the week!
It was the perfect first full day in Paris!
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xoxo Dara Senders – The Style Senders
Street Style Photos by: Rudy