Eurotrip, chapter 4: Pre-Christmas Paris

... Continued from Eurotrip, chapter 3: Osnabrück, Germany

After our short visit to Luisa's house, we boarded the train bound for Frankfurt for our flight to Paris. That day was mostly travel filled, with a little stop in Denmark, so we didn't arrive in Paris until it was fully dark. The metro was super easy to navigate and we were able to find our line quickly and find the apartment we had booked.

Left: Inside Charles De Gaulle airport, Paris.
Top right: train station in Ösnabrück.
Bottom right: writing in my diary on the train from Ösnabrück to Frankfurt

Up until this point during our trip, we had been able to get away with speaking English to everyone we've encountered. We had gotten by with a few greetings in the local language but really not much more.

That was until we arrived at our apartment in Paris, or what Jason and I like call the most stressful part of our trip. Instead of the English speaking apartment manager we called at the airport, we were met with a little old French speaking lady who didn't know a word of English! 

Our tiny 20m² Parisian apartment

Hand gestures and animated talking was able to get us some of the way but paying for the room became a problem as we had to ask where the nearest ATM was. Fortunately, we met a lovely Spanish man who spoke both French AND English and was able to show Jason while I waited anxiously in the room. 

Other than that awkward encounter, we were stoked with our apartment - which was positively Parisian (and has apparently changed a bit since we last stayed!). At a small 20m², the little room was able to fit a double bed, a small dining table and even a kitchen which was hidden inside a cupboard! We also had our own bathroom next door. We were close to a metro station, supermarket and within walking distance to most attractions in town. 

Notre Dame

We spent our first morning just wandering the streets without really having a plan and we didn't even realise we were at the Notre Dame when we arrived! To be perfectly honest, I had expected it to be a little bigger so it took us a little while to figure out where we were! It was incredibly humbling being inside a building that had been around for hundreds of years and stepping into the cathedral was like stepping into a whole different world. The stained glass windows were so very grand, as were the thousands of lit candles that decorated the interior. 

Top: Centre Georges Pompidou
Bottom: Stravinsky Fountain

Just up the road was the Centre Pompidou which houses a large public library (the Bibliothèque publique d'information), a modern art museum (Musèe National d'Art Moderne) and the IRCAM, a music centre. We didn't end up going inside as there were massive lines outside that never seemed to be moving but were content marveling at the 25ft free-standing art installation which decorated its exterior.

We had lunch by the Straivinsky Fountain (La Fontaine Stravinsky) which includes 16 scuptures inspired by Igor Stravinsky's major works. 

Left: Marché Franprix - the supermarket underneath our apartment building
Top right: Jason bites into a Croque-monsieur
Bottom right: banana and Nutella waffle from Häagen-Dazs

We found that food was generally very expensive in Paris so we were pretty stoked to have our own kitchen. Most nights we shopped in the supermarket beneath our apartment building for goodies such as cheese, baguettes, eggs and cured meats. Fruit was quite expensive as it was the middle of winter but wine and chocolate was a lot cheaper than back home!

E. Dehillerin

Inside E. Dehillerin

One of our stops along the way was E. Dehillerin. I put this on our list as it was one of Julia Child's kitchen store while she was attending cooking school. Stepping inside was akin to entering some sort of hoarder's paradise. The interior was filled, top to bottom, with pots and pans of all shapes and sizes, chocolate moulds, catering sized pots (ones that I could fit in!) and even the ceiling had ladles and whisks hanging off it!

Tuileries Garden

The Tuileries was a bit bare in the winter and we weren't able to witness the lush green gardens that had been described to us. Instead, we saw bare ground and bare trees which, in my opinion, had a charm of its own. 

Palais Garnier

After seeing photos of the Palais Garnier opera house, I knew we had to visit. Used as the setting for The Phantom of the Opera, Palais Garnier is the epitome of high society and everything lavish. The opera house presents about 380 performances of opera, ballet and other concerts each year.

The Grand Foyer

Next stop: Euro Disney, Paris

Eurotrip, chapter 3: Osnabrück, Germany

... Continued from Eurotrip, chapter 2: Berlin, Germany

Shortly after our big pretzel in Berlin airport, we touched down in Osnabrück. I don't think it's a place people normally put on their travel list but we made a little detour to see my friend Luisa's home town. We arrived late in the evening, after a full day in transit, so it was nice to see a familiar face when we arrived.

On the way to town on a beautiful morning

Osnabrück was a very welcome stop for us as our poor feet were sore from days of walking and we were quite glad that we didn't have to stress out about public transport for a few days. We woke up the next day well rested and to gentle snow falling outside!

Streets of Osnabrück

Although it was snowing, it didn't feel very cold. We found that we didn't need to wear our thermals and could get away with just a down jacket. Luisa took us into town for a hearty breakfast buffet at Cafe Blatt and then for a walk through the town. 

The University of Onsabrück

Walking through the town reminded me of walking through a Disney movie. The cobblestone streets were incredibly tidy, lined with pastel houses and old timey lamp posts. The bare trees and snow just added to the charm.

Leysieffer Chocolate Boutique

On our way, we stopped into Leyseiffer which, Luisa said, is a must visit. They are a very well known German brand known for their incredibly indulgent and luxurious chocolates. There was a cafe in the rear end of the store with cabinets filled with delicious looking cakes and patisseries while the walls were lined with chocolatey treats. I took my time here to get a couple of slabs of chocolate as presents for the family. For the record, the Elderflower chocolate is delicious!

Small model of the town covered in snow

Schokokusses and putting up the Christmas tree

We wandered into a Christmas market before it started to get dark. It was far quieter than the ones we saw in Berlin which meant we could spend a little more time browsing without worrying about getting pushed around. The highlight trying my first Schokokuss, which is a sofr marshamallow covered in a very thin layer of chocolate.

After the markets, we stopped off at the local garden centre in Hunteburg for a Christmas tree to decorate with all things turquoise -Luisa's favourite colour.

Snow covered landscape

We were only able to stay a day here but it was great to be able to see an old friend again. We weren't there long but we left knowing a little more about what Christmas is like in Luisa's little corner of the world. 

Next stop: Paris, France

Eurotrip, chapter 1: Venice, Italy

Hi lovelies, 

The last time you heard from me, Jason and I had just gotten engaged and were about to head off on a 2 month trip to Europe and China..

..And then I sort of went missing.

I'm sorry. 

I haven't died. I've just been overwhelmed with life.

I'd like all the foodies out there to know that I have been keeping up to date with your blogs during my lunch breaks (while drooling over your great recipes). I started feeling a bit guilty last week about not posting so I thought I'd start by catching you up on our (not so recent) holiday!

I'll try to be more active from now on. 

Love, Lucy

One of the many enchanting alleyways

The first stop on our trip was beautiful Venice, Italy. The first thing that hit me was how colourful this city was. That, and the total lack of cars. Before you call me silly, let me assure you that I was expecting canals and gondolas in Venice but, somehow, it slipped my mind that it would be used for non-tourist applications..

Silly me.

Gondolas (parked?) outside the Hard Rock Cafe

We arrived on a cold, foggy morning which had just begun to drizzle. We had been told that winter was not the best time to tour Europe, but the fog just made the city look more enchanting and we found that we didn't mind the rain at all. It felt like we were in a fairy tale.

Our hotel

It took us a little while to find our accommodation  which is situated in Cannareigio, as we weren't prepared for a city without many street signs. Luckily, we didn't take too many wrong turns and, eventually, we were welcomed in to the warmth of our hotel.

Squid Ink Pasta (not pictured: lasagna)

For lunch, we found a cute little restaurant nearby where we had Squid Ink Pasta and Lasagna. The squid ink gave the pasta a very light salty flavour which was quite pleasant but, I have to be honest, I was expecting a little more. Unfortunately, we didn't rate the lasagna very highly.

Rialto Bridge

But what kind of people would we be if we let something like an uneventful meal ruin our time in VENICE??

St Mark's Basilica

Although the city seems small on a map, our little feet got quite tired after walking on cobbles for a couple of days. We made full use of our vaporetto (water bus) passes and were able to get a great view of the city from the canals. The locals were super friendly and there were even people offering free hugs (although, I have to admit, I thought they were going to rob me at first!).

Free hugs in San Marco

Whilst wandering through San Marco, we decided to ditch the map and do a little exploring of our own. This led us down a few random alleyways and we ended up a little lost..

Spaghetti mare e monti

Instead of panicking, we settled ourselves down in a nearby restaurant (they're never too far) for dinner. We were able to share a set menu and, fortunately, this meal was a great improvement compared to the meal we had earlier in the day. It definitely pays to wander off the main tourist paths for food! Whether or not it was intentional..

Steak and chips (sorry, I forgot to get the name on the menu)

The spaghetti was delicious, with clean seafood flavours from the clams and mussels on a tomato base. Our second course of steak, chips and spinach was also well cooked and followed with a delicious tiramisu.

Staff at Harry's Bar dressed nicer than us

One of the places near the top of my Venice list was Harry's Bar, the home of the Bellini -a favourite drink of mine. They are also famous for carpaccio and the dry martini. One of the most fancy places I've ever been to, the staff were meticulously dressed in sharp white suits and made us feel quite under dressed for such a fancy place.

Peach Bellinis from Harry's Bar

The menu here is incredibly pricey but their reputation means they can pretty much charge whatever they want. Our Bellinis were 16.50€ each and came to us with a bowl of olives and a history of the bar and its owner.

This was easily the most expensive thing we spend our money on in Europe, but I think it was worth it. Jason and I had never enjoyed olives more than we did that day.

Every morning looked like this

We absolutely loved our time in this city and found that we didn't really mind being here in winter. The misty mornings made our surroundings seem magical and it was nice not being in large crowds.

Hope you enjoyed a snippet of our Venice photos and I look forward to showing you the rest of our trip.

Ciao for now :)

Next stop: Berlin, Germany