All posts tagged: photography

Skiing holiday, 2015

Skiing in the Alps, 2015

Published by

Recently I was lucky enough to go away on holiday with my Au Pair family for the week to their house in the Alps. Getting there required an 8 hour car journey from Paris, with an overnight stay near Lyon. After spending the majority of the journey sleeping or reading Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, one can only imagine the sheer excitement that I experienced once we turned a corner and the beautiful snow-covered mountains welcomed us. My Au Pair family’s house is located in a small city in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, called Barcelonnette. Here, you are surrounded by mountains, of which the peak of the highest is around 3412m – very high indeed! Once we arrived at the house, it was clear that it had snowed for a long time before our arrival. Therefore, we had to make the most of it! After loading everything into the house, the kids and I put on our snow gear, grabbed a sledge each, and headed to the nearest hill for some sledging! (Which in French is: faire de la luge) That evening, the eldest …

Snow and Skiing

Two weeks and three (technically four) cities later

Published by

It feels like such a long time since I sat down and wrote a blog post, and oh how I have missed it! My blog, I guess, has become somewhat of a diary almost, except a very public one which friends and family (and others obviously!) can come along with me on my journey. The last two weeks has definitely included many a journey. As you may already know, I have been on holiday for the last two weeks, and I really tried to make the most of my time off. For the first week of my vacation, I was lucky enough to be invited by my French family to go with them skiing! They own a property in a small town called Jausiers, which is located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence of France. I had an amazing time, and cannot thank them enough for taking me away on one of the best holidays of my life! Whilst there, I fell in love all over again with skiing (having been many years ago), and hope that I get the chance to do it more …

Exploring Belleville and Ménilmontant, Paris

Exploring Belleville and Ménilmontant

Published by

Continuing on from the newly created tradition of exploration Thursdays, this week me and Kate ventured off to districts of  Belleville and Ménilmontant. Having never been to this part of Paris before, I was interested to see what exactly it was like. Both Ménilmontant and Belleville are charming cosmopolitan districts which emanate a wealth of cultural diversity and offer a great deal of chances to experience vibrant street art. Our day included heading to the Parc de Belleville, which provides beautiful views of the cityscape. We did a lot of walking around the various streets, becoming fully fledged flâneurs for the day. During our exploration, we also went into the gothic inspired church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville which offered a peaceful sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding area. Overall, we had a lovely time getting to explore new parts of the city, and I will definitely be back to this arrondissement not only to take more photographs from the Parc de Belleville and the various street art adorning the buildings, but also to sample some of the diverse cuisines on …

The Parc de Belleville, Paris

The Parc de Belleville

Published by

Whilst exploring Belleville the other week, we also ventured to the Parc de Belleville, which is reported to host some amazing views of Paris. Situated on the hill of Belleville, to attain these reputed views, one must climb quite a few stairs to get to the top. This strenuous and somewhat taxing experience (well it was for me, but I am positive that after a bit more exercise, it will be much easier!) was well worth it. Unfortunately, it was still hazy over the horizon the day we came, but we still managed to gain an impression of how magnificent the views can be. I’m just upset that I didn’t take more photos – I blame the stairs, all that physical exertion distracted me! However, on a beautiful cloudless day, one will be able to see notable monuments and buildings such as the Musée Pompidou and Eiffel Tower, as well Le Panthéon and Tour Montparnasse. I would definitely recommend coming to the Parc de Belleville, not only to see some stunning views of Paris, but also to get some exercise at the same …

Misty views of Paris from Montmartre

Misty views of Paris from Montmartre

Published by

The weather this week in Paris has been like a yo-yo, one minute it’s glorious and the next it’s rainy. It was also during this week that there was an enigmatic mist covering the skyline over Paris, almost like a lilac blanket keeping the city warm. Whilst on the train into the city centre, I am usually blessed with stunning views of the vista with the Eiffel Tower emerging from the cityscape, however, on this particular journey La Tour Eiffel was concealed into the depths of the mist that engulfed it. Therefore, what better place to get a more fitting view than at the top of Montmartre by La basilique du Sacré-Cœur. There’s something quite magical and enchanting about such a landscape, it’s just a shame I didn’t manage to get a photo of the Eiffel Tour hiding away – next time.

Le mur des je t'aime, Montmartre

Le mur des je t’aime, Montmartre

Published by

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a post all about love! This week I ventured off to Montmartre, and stumbled upon an infamous sight of this area. Stretching across 612 lava tiles, this is no ordinary wall. It is Paris’ Le mur des je t’aime, a wall devoted to expressing the words ‘I love you’ in 311 various languages. It was created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito, who both went round the various Embassies in the city and asked their neighbours to write down the phrase in their own languages, until finally they had gathered an adequate amount of love. Furthermore, what is interesting is that the artist Frédéric Baron stated that the random red shapes which interject various parts of the tiles have a metaphorical function, representing “the pieces of a broken heart” of “which the wall tries to gather together.” You can find this interesting piece of art in Jehan-Rictus Square, which is located right by Abbesses station in Montmartre. There is even a website for the wall: http://www.lesjetaime.com