A Weekend in Paris, Part Trois

Saturday was a very very long day. After seeing Dirty Dicks (a bar, people!) in Pigalle, we just walked around the areas and explored for a bit, taking in all the beauty of street corner here and a building there.

A Weekend in Paris, Part Deux

So we woke up far too early for breakfast that was scheduled in at 9am. I kid you not, we had an itinerary of sites to see so I could see as much of Paris as possible.

After breakfast at Claus (not the best, but the cakes were lovely) we headed straight off to the Louvre.

A Weekend in Paris, Part One.

I've never been to Paris before.

I know I know it's like 2 hours away (quicker to get to than where I went to uni in York), but I've just never made it over there. And it's like always been my dream to go. The romance, the beauty the chic women, the pastries and patisserie!! The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe! Oh and stripes and moustaches of course. I wanted to see it all.

Finally, a few weekends ago, I ended up going. I was praying I didn't get that Paris Syndrome that Japanese tourists get when they go to Paris because they're so disappointed that it's not like the movies. I had however heard about, and prepared myself for shit-covered pavements and rude waiters.

Arriving Friday evening after work, I was swiftly whisked away for dinner at a gorgeous little wine bar/restaurant called O Divin! Found after hours spent perusing blogs about Parisienne restaurants (the reputation in London is that the food there isn't great) I decided on this one from the great Paris restaurant blog, The Paris Kitchen.

We sat outside in a little courtyard on a very balmy evening and ordered the 6 course set menu (which changes weekly) along with a delicious wine pairing.

So, I can't remember what this is (or most of the dishes, we didn't have a written menu) but what I do know is that the first two dishes were interesting and ok, but not outstanding. However what followed was the best food we had in Paris!!

A Quick Weekend Getaway to Almeria, Spain

Desperately in need on sun and a recharge, we looked up flash holiday deals on Wednesday....and Friday that week we were away to Almeria in Spain. 

I immediately spotted the Central Mercardo, my favourite place in Valencia if you remember. I was once again in heaven. Jamon as far as the eye can see, boqueones, wines, salted fish and fruits as big as my face.

My boyfriend is such an addict to Jamon Iberico, he bought a shoulder of ham and took it home with him - as in back to England. In his suitcase. Hand luggage, I might add.

Barbados.

Before you say anything, I know I am one very very lucky girl.

Way way back in May - blogging has taken a backseat lately - I went to Barbados with one of my best friends.

I knew just from where we were staying that we were in for a treat. It turned out to be one of the holidays of a lifetime. It is bursting with beauty and the people are so friendly and wonderful.

I swam with sea turtles, went on a rum-filled cruise and ate as much sea food as I could possibly fit into my tummy, saw sands whiter than white and a sea the most perfect crystal blue.

I've just posted my favourite pictures from what we did including my favourite restaurants we visited, a boat cruise I would most DEFINITELY recommend and my favourite sites to see. 

Take a look at paradise. 




We saw the most incredible sunsets.

Valencia

I found it really difficult to write this blog post, mostly because I really wanted to do Valencia justice. I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and completely fell in love with the place. So here goes....

I had my doubts before I went to Valencia, I have been to Spain previously and never really liked it, having been to the tourist-laden areas void of any real Spanish culture.

However having only spent a couple of hours in Valencia, all the old memories of Spain were wiped away. 

It is an astonishingly beautiful city, every building is reminiscent of it's grand old days, each with some magnificent painting or masonry. Most also have the most incredible, huge double doors at the entrance, probably with the original wood and metal nuts and bolts. I think I annoyed S with amount of times I said "Look at that DOOR!!!"

The weather is pretty much guaranteed over there and Valencia also lies right next to the beach so those, like me, who need a Summer break with some sea in it too, it is perfect.

From what I can tell, Valencia, the 3rd biggest city in Spain, has not been affected too badly by the recession and the troubles of the Eurozone. Designer shops, extremely well-dressed women and men in suits all litter the streets, so it is still a fairly bustling and rich city in the grand scheme of things.

There is an area of bars and clubs in Valencia, (you'll know where it is from the direction hoards of people are travelling) but during the day it is does not look seedy or dirty at all. It is a nice area, we even ate there one night (where we also happen to see the most gorgeous man in the history of the world. Seriously, he was not real).

Things you HAVE to see (after the jump!) :

Late at the Library: The Party Rules

On Friday the British Library held one of their late night openings to promote their Propaganda: Power and Persuasion exhibition. The only information given about the evening was that it was a party with Hot Chip DJing and a set from the band Public Service Broadcast. Entry to the exhibition was free with the ticket and "former British Library Artist in Residence, Christopher Green, together with his 'Party Police', will use a variety of propaganda techniques to ensure you have a good time."

Interesting! 

First of all we headed to the Euston Tap for some pre-party drinks. Set in the old archways to the gardens, they are very interesting buildings. If you love your craft beer you will love Euston Tap. It was a little lost on me unfortunately as I don't drink beer, but they obviously had a choice of spirits. It is tiny and rather uncomfy-looking inside, but it was a sunny day and everyone was happily sprawled outside.

Opposite Euston Tap is its sister Cider Tap, London's only dedicated cider bar, so if you're more into your cider you can pop across the road and grab a cider.

Then we headed to the Library for the party - an oxymoron, no?

The library had been transformed into a dictatorships haven, complete with secret police watching from the top balconies.

We were given a passport with various tasks we had to accomplish in order to get different stamps. We had to collect stamps from the "Party Police". Tasks included "effervescing, dancing, singing and creating communal joy". This was a dictatorship that would make sure you were going to have fun and party. 

Hula hoops were twirled, glitter was thrown, badges were made, dissenting began. Protests were thwarted, people were not allowed to not have a good time!!

Not sure this guy was a member of the secret police, but he sure had an incredible beard. Bravo.

If you're into electro music, with no words alongside performance art, you will love Public Service Broadcast. I liked it for the first few songs - not sure you can really call them songs though, more like a musical score as the music played like a soundtrack to the videos playing behind them. However, the novelty quickly wore off on me. I guess I'm just not hipster enough.

My sister really got into the Communist spirit:

The exhibition itself was really interesting. We all know how propaganda played a huge part during the wars. This exhibition bring to the forefront the ridiculous accusations and the mind games that both sides played. Shocking books were secretly commissioned by the Hitler regime to create hate towards the Jews and books were published in America to persuade them that Churchill was a madman. Ancient propaganda from all over the world is shown too, but the real eye opener here for me was the recent forms of propaganda, less noticeable because they are less ridiculous, from NHS HIV/AIDS leaflets stating "Don't share needles" to the green cross code or "what to do in the case of a nuclear attack " in the 80s. Truly interesting.

The Exhibition runs till September, so you still have loads of time to get down and see it.