Archive for 'BAR TRIP'
In Nepal, we decided to head out of Thamel and see Swayumbhunath, also known as Monkey Temple. The temple is outside the city, so we taxied out. It dropped us off at the bottom of the hill and we looked up at a thousand steps. The walk up Swayambhunath was quite fun. There are monkeys are everywhere! They are not afraid of humans at all, and the locals actually have to scare some of them off because they flock around so much. On the way down the steps, a dad was carrying his little girl, and a mama monkey lost her baby, so she jumped on the dad’s back and started shrieking. Although I’m a giant fan of monkeys and all that fun, I do NOT want one shrieking on my back!
One of the most interesting birthdays I’ve ever had was in Turkey. We had been travelling for over two months on our bar trip in 2010, and I had forgotten the days. We arrived in Cappadocia a few days before my birthday in November, and immediately booked a hot air balloon ride as it was the most popular way to see the fairy chimneys and pigeon houses. The night before, when we were getting ready to go to bed, I suddenly exclaimed, “It’s going to be my birthday tomorrow!” Kat then followed suit with, “We are going on a hot air balloon!” Needless to say, we were incredibly excited when we went to bed that night. However, we did not feel the same at 4 am, when we woke up groggy eyed, took a long shuttle to the boonies of the boonies, sat through an excruciatingly long safety video in the cold room by the takeoff spot, and sipped on on hot chocolate to stay awake. Finally, the balloon was ready for us, so we and about 20 others trooped outside to see the last phase of the helium…and I suddenly woke up. This stunning sight was the first glimpse I had walking out of the headquarter building, and I ran to take this picture before it lifted off the ground.
lucky charms, amulets, mascot, juju, talisman… call it whatever you want, we got it. We picked up a few along the way, never on purpose. Each country has its own way of believing, and each amulet is different, but the meaning is all the same: to protect us from all evil.
I took these on my iphone. They were photoshopped on my iphone as well. I just discovered this feature and it’s so much fun. I took these on a walk around the Marais by the apartment. There is just too much fun stuff everywhere you walk in Paris, and the Marais is one of the best places to shop for unique items. I am not a fan of macaroons, but they are such fun to photograp. I bought a small hot chocolateat the chocolatierie below. It’s thick, dense, and really really delicious on a cold night.
Skulls are the fad now. I see them everywhere on blogs I read. This store in the Marais sells the most awesome rings for decent prices. Too bad I never look up to read the names of the stores, but no worries, there are plenty of them around the area. Just walk around and you are bound to find some fun stores no matter what.
Boutique shops thrive in the Marais. Metro stop St Paul is the main area…but in my neighborhood, I have a few favorites. Rue de Blanc Manteaux and Francois Bourgeouis are my favorite streets. The best boutiques with the best style for both men and women. I didn’t buy anything for myself [that’s rare], but my Italian roomie bought stuff I picked out for her [my inner stylist coming out]. Gorgeous jackets, cashmere sweaters, and beautiful accessories…all top of the line, all unique, and all distinctly Parisian.
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We tried to get into some free concerts at the American Church of Paris, but were unsuccessful. On the way back, we decided to walk through the Champs Elysees, Rue St Honere, and Rue de Rivoli so that Nike could see the city in all Christmas lighting glory. The Winter Village is in full swing now, and we stopped to buy gauffres, a waffle-like pastry sold o the streets of Paris, Russia, and other European countries. We got a gauffre nutella, gauffre chantilly, and a gauffree pomme. All three were delicious.
