After watching the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Paris has always been a dream.
Most opinions I’ve heard about Paris are on either extreme sides of the spectrum – you either love it or you hate it. It’s definitely the former for me. Well it may be a little too fast-paced sometimes. More often than not, you start to realise that everyone else is walking faster than you. But looking back at these photos make me miss the lovely city already. I did have a wonderful time, the city has an alluring charm that only those who step into it would understand and being able to experience that was such a treat. I’m already looking forward to head back and hopefully share this experience with the people I love next time.
All the hearsay about the French being rude didn’t turn out to be true for me. In fact, I’ve actually met a lot of kind strangers without whom I might have ended up wandering in circles like a stray cat. The French people are proud of their language, they are not rude. They love people who try to speak a little French because it shows them we’re putting in some form of effort to be a part of their culture. But of course, having attended a month’s worth of French lessons, I’d say French is definitely a difficult language to grasp but hey, learning a few words won’t hurt!
Basic useful French phrases to know:
- Excusez-moi – Excuse me
- Merci – Thank you
- Un, Deux [duh], Trois [tua], Quartre [cart], Cinq [sunk] – One, Two, Three, Four, Five
- Bonjour – Hello/ Good Morning
- Au Revoir – Bye
- Bonne Soirée– Good Evening
- Bonne Nuit – Good Night
- Aujourd’hui – Today
- Hier – Yesterday
- C’est la même chose [c’es-la-mem-shos] – It’s the same (Lol this was Shaun’s favourite phrase…… Haha it’s useful when you’re ordering the same thing as the previous person)
- Comment tu t’appelles? – What is your name?
- S’il vous plaît [see-voo-play] – Please
- Pardon, je n’ai pas compris. – Pardon, I did not understand. (Past tense)
- Excusez-moi, je ne comprends pas. [zheu neu kompron par]- Excuse me, I do not understand. (Present tense)
- Je ne parle pas français [zheu neu parl par fron-say] – I do not speak french.
- S’il vous plaît, je cherche…… [see-voo-play, zheu share-sh ……]– Please, I’m looking for… (place you’re looking for)
View overlooking the Seine River, taken from the Eiffel Tower.
Facing east from the Eiffel Tower. Here you can see the gold dome of Les Invalides. Besides being a burial site for previous outstanding French war heroes, it was also once commissioned by Louis XIV as a hospital for soldiers.
The view overlooking southeast over Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower, towards École Militaire at the end of the lawn. The tall black building sticking out is actually Tour Montparnasse, where you can get an amazing view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. (Because you can’t actually see the Eiffel Tower from the Eiffel Tower, ha. More pics on that later!)
I’m always in awe of the fabulous architecture in Paris (and the unbelievable amount of good-looking people). Parisians have an extraordinary good fashion sense, especially in Winter. (｡♥‿♥｡)
Alright, more updates real soon. In the meantime, au revoir and have a lovely chinese new year folks! 🙂
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