Pinterest

Paris in 32 hours

Thursday 21 August 2014
2014-08-15 11.48.19 1

Last week, I had to make a quick overnight dash across the channel for a photo shoot and filming. It never fail to astonish this Kiwi that I can hop on the plane at 07:10am, land in Paris within 45 minutes, get on the bus from Orly to the metro station (thanks to Anne for planning my route down to a T) and arrive at St Germain by 10:45am (including the time difference). That's barely 3 hours door to door. Bonjour Pareeeeeeeeeee!

Whenever I yap on about this incredible feat (wow, another culture and language 45 minutes away), my English friends nod and resist rolling their eyes or falling into a comatose state having had to listen to the same blurb for the 100,000th time. #sorrynotsorry.  I decided to travel light as I have to lug around everything I brought along for the next 2 days.

I was given a pair of Nike Free Flyknit 4.0 trainers to test them out (thank goodness because my New Balance 420s are suffering from Repetitive Strain Syndrome). I decided to launch a full on abuse on these sneakers since I would be on my feet for 17 hours each day and using every form of public transportation with the exception of boats (train, plane, bus, metro, tube). As a precaution, I slapped on a band-aid on the back of my ankle.



2014-08-15 12.07.45 1

First order of the day - COFFEE. I've been up since 5am, barely coherent with bloodshot eyes (enough to scare off any humans and critters). I stumbled into Laduree and downed a strong cup of espresso before attacking a frosted almond croissant.





IMG_20140816_090503
IMG_20140817_103041
IMG_20140819_104519

I have 2.5 hours to kill. It was a public holiday in Paris so most shops and cafes were shut. Bugger. The weather was borderline freezing - for August. I wandered around my favorite Paris neighborhood and felt my jaw fell to the ground when I spied the price tag of an apartment located on the Left Bank. I don't think my kidneys are worth that much.......or perhaps it's time to learn how to play the Lotto.



IMG_20140815_230606

I tossed back coffee number 3 at Les Deux Magots to revive my senses and brain cells. Time to concentrate and get some work done (whilst eyeing surreptitiously at the Pierre Hermé patisserie).



IMG_20140816_180749

On the move again to the next location, weaving in and out of Palais Royal, the Louvre and various famous Paris landmarks.




20140815_193649_1

Work done for the day and it's time for sustenance. Gluten and I aren't best friends these days. I had to abandon my go to comfort food lately -  favorite crusty bread and cheese. We opted for Japanese and settled on a set menu but the deluge of dishes that followed had my stomach groaning in agony.



20140816_114251_1
Outfit: Rick Owens leather jacket (or here if you're in the E.U. I wear size IT 42), The Kooples track pants, Chanel WOC, Louis Vuitton 35cm Speedy and Nike Flyknit sneakers (gifted)

The next morning, after getting more work out of the way, it was time to part company and set off.



_34

I wasn't ready to leave Paris without a visit to my favorite Pho restaurant (Pho14). Thankfully, being a lone diner has its advantages. I was ushered in fairly quickly and ordered my favorite "Special Pho" and a glass of jellies doused in coconut milk. I was dying for veggies and practically chucked all the bean sprouts and herbs into my pho.




20140816_141351_1
IMG_20140818_101124

Back on the metro and straight to Le Bon Marché. After a quick wander through new selections of Etoilé Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno Athé, Maje, Sandro, Tsumori Chisato....... I found myself standing in front of the cake display at the Rose Bakery. I peeled myself from the cafe and ........... I don't know what happened. It was inevitable that I somehow ended up in the food hall.

I love fashion.....truly......but food has a way of waylaying any sensibilities. Common sense kicked in. Insanity is..... trying to lug a large tart on the metro, Eurostar, another tube ride followed by an hour on the train and expecting it to arrive intact.



20140816_161059_1

I hauled myself out of Le Bon Marché clutching a small bag of goodies for Lil L and headed off to Gare du Nord before I lick the cake display at the food hall. I glanced across the Eurostar lounge and saw my childhood friend whom I'd grown up with in Borneo and New Zealand. Suffice to say that we ended up having a gorge fest once we arrived in London.

Now, let's talk about how my cool Nike Free Flyknit 4.0 sneakers survived the beating. Pretty darn good. Thanks to the breathable mesh exterior, my feet didn't sweat incessantly despite having to wear them for an extended period. The well cushioned insole and flexible outer sole mold to the foot which is great for flat foot sufferers like myself. Unless you have narrow feet, I would suggest going up a size. More importantly, if you're into pairing trendy sneakers with casual outfits (may the trend continues forever and ever. Amen), these are light as a feather and easy on the eyes.

Au Revoir Paris! See you soon.



**Though the Nike trainers were gifted to me, any opinions either good or bad, are mine.

19 comments:

  1. ugh i'm dying to be there. love your photos as always! and yeah i agree with going up a size on those shoes especially if you're getting on a plane...

    steph / absolutely-fuzzy.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steph, you'll need to make another trip to Europe again.

      Delete
  2. Fabulous photos and I like those trainers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I honestly feel the same way. It's incredible how close Paris (well... France, you know what I mean!) is to the UK; I'd love to be able to hope over to Paris in less than the time it takes to fly from NZ to Australia.

    Looks like you packed a lot into 32 hours, a lot more than I could do over a long weekend, and yay for new trainers! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jamie-Lee, it really amazes me how I can get to most cities within 1.5 hours. Greece was a little further - 4 hours. BTW, I had no idea your family came from Greece!

      Delete
  4. I love my Nike Frees! And I love your life! hehe - best day ever! Amazing pics, as usual, that make me so homesick!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah, this post has got me looking forward to my next Paris trip! You always seem to find the most amazing looking food places wherever you are, yum to all of this. I like the Nikes you are wearing, perfect for all the traveling you've been doing :)

    Take care,
    Daniella xox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daniella, I think it's cheaper for you to grab a flight. You're welcome to spend the night at my place.

      Delete
  6. Great pictures. Love Paris but sadly haven't been there for years. Am interested in the Nike shoes - are they unisex or do they come in male/female sizes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're unisex but they're available in larger sizes in the men's section. They do run small so be sure to go one size up, particularly if you're planning to wear socks.

      Delete
  7. I second Laura. I love your life, too. Greek islands and Paris in one month...... Sigh.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah...but you get easy access to the beach and a weather that doesn't turn psychotic every minute of the day :P

      Delete
  8. It's so liberating to travel lightly instead of having to maneuver on cobblestone, up staircases and around tourists. So, bravo, Marlene! Also, it will never cease to amaze me how interconnected Europe is, you can be in a whole different country in 3 hours. It takes me 3 hours to get to another state from where I live.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen people lugging HUGE suitcases on public transportation. 6 adults = 8 suitcases. And they're so miserable.

      Delete
  9. Nice! I'll definitely hit you up once I'm near the UK. Still wondering how much I should pack for Vienna...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you were moving to the UK, I would definitely say, pack as light as possible. We brought very little over but even then, we shouldn't have bothered with some of the useless stuff. I wished I bought over my cooking utensils etc as it was such a pain looking for them and lugging the stuff back but you don't have to worry about that.

      Delete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...