Paris Weekend (deux)

All set for more Paris?

Good. Because this may have been the best part: getting to go to Shakespeare and Company. Which just so happened to be right next to the restaurant where we had dinner plans. FATE. I'm sure of it.

Do you know how long I've wanted to go here? The answer you're looking for is about ten years, when I first heard of it. That's a long time to want to go somewhere! And we just ended up right next to it by chance! Magnifique! Incroyable!

Fun fact: You're not allowed to take pictures inside Shakespeare and Company.

Funner fact: you are reading the blog of a REBEL. I couldn't resist taking a few sneaky snaps. SORRY NOT SORRY.

Especially of this little saying above the permanent book collection upstairs. Dreamy. Do you know what else was upstairs? The giant white cat that lives in the bookstore. That's right. Lives there.

And here is the little restaurant where we had dinner!

Jenny & I had a little whisper about if we'd ever tried escargot and after discovering neither of us had, we decided to split it for an appetizer. It came in this amazing puff pastry and inside was this delicious herb and cream and mushroom sauce.

And the snails, obviously. Which.. eh. They reminded me of muscles, which I think are disgusting. And I'm not a picky eater. Anyways, now I can say I had escargot in Paris! And that will likely be my first and last time.

Then: French wine and duck in caramel sauce. I don't even think I need to say anything else.

Afterwards, Jenny, Alice and I stumbled home on the metro before everyone else because we could barely keep our eyes open at the dinner table.

One more Paris post to follow about our Sunday afternoon at Versailles!

xx

(Don't forget to check out #TTDERbridalpartyinparis on twitter and instagram for everyone's snippets of the weekend! There's some gorgeous snaps on there!)

Paris Weekend (une)

Bonjour! Long time no see mes amis!

Last Friday, at about six in the evening, I got a message from the lovely Charlotte, "can you come to Paris tomorrow morning, by any chance?" After about, oh, maybe a second of thought, my answer: "OUI!"

Throwing some dresses in a bag borrowed from my housemate, I hopped on the train to Charlotte's for the night (Ee! Actually saw the TTDER craft room in real life!) and then bright and early found myself on the train to Paris.

Life is a bit surreal sometimes, isn't it?

We went for Charlotte's hen party (someone is getting married in just over a month!!) and it really was a dream weekend.



Filled with cakes and macarons, Seine strolls, Eiffel tower snaps, bookshop browsing, long luxurious lunches and dinners, French wine, exploring the immense gardens of Versailles and Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon, all with a group of the most lovely ladies.

I've got so many photos I want to share, so first of all, here are some from the first part of Saturday:

Lunch and cakes and macarons at Ladurée on Champs-Elysées.

Walking along the charming Parisian streets to find ourselves at the Eiffel tower.

Accidental outfit and shoe twins



  Merry-go-rounds with the most gorgeous of views behind.

 


We luckily had the most gorgeous weather Saturday, perfect for blue sky pictures and long walks around la belle Paris.

I've got about two posts more of photos to share, so if amazing bookshops, escargot and the Palace of Versailles are up your alley, keep checking back for more Paris adventures!

xx

(ps. we've been instagramming and tweeting up a storm, so check out #TTDERbridalpartyinparis on both to get a peek of everyone's take on the weekend!)

25

I turned 25 this month!

And like all mature 25 year olds, I sent out invitations to my birthday party.

Which was an afternoon tea.

Last year (if you recall) was my very first afternoon tea ever with my new (and now best) London pals, and even though I'm back in Canada I couldn't resist having another here.

Now, my dining room is no Bea's of Bloomsbury, but I have to admit I think I did a pretty decent job whipping up some treats and sandwiches for me and my friends. I say whipping up as if it took minutes when really it took perhaps a week and couldn't have been done without my sous-chef, AKA my mom. Thanks mom!

So everyone came over and we ate all the treats (tea sandwiches and macarons and fawn shortbreads and eclairs and scones and cake, of course) and drank all the teas. And all the prosecco, if I'm being perfectly honest. What's a birthday without a little bubbly?

The cake I baked was from this lovely book that I got for Christmas and it was deeeeelicious. Seriously delicious. My mom and I made the homemade jam and paired with the sponge layers and the cream in the center.. cake heaven.

So that was my birthday! And now I'm 25.


A few side notes:

1) Let's pretend the 12 Days of Baking Mega Fail at Christmas never happened, okay?
2) I should probably have some wise list of things I've learned in my quarter-century on earth but I don't and I'm sure if I did someone else has probably already also learned them and blogged them in a much more eloquent post than I could possibly ever write.
3) I move back to England in two months!
4) I have given up social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for Lent. I don't usually give anything up but one of my friends was doing it and social media has kind of taken over my life so, if you're wondering why I haven't tweeted about my breakfast or instagrammed a sunset in a while, that's why.
5) I wish I had that cake again right now

Oh Comely Perfect Strangers Swap

On a whim, I decided to sign up for Oh Comely's Perfect Strangers Project. You just sign up and then send a little parcel with whatever you want inside to someone somewhere in the world! Totally up my alley. Pen pally things are my faaaavorite. Who doesn't love a snail mail suprise?

My partner, Niamh, is from Ontario (I requested to have a swap partner within Canada, but you can leave it open to be paired with someone from anywhere in the world!), and she sent me a package full of things I love; cute little woodland creature magnets, a super cool fox & bear mug, three different teas (which made the whole box smell amazing). She also added one of her favorite books, a tiny foxtail keychain, a handmade kaleidoscope, super cool unicorn party picks and a little journal for us to write in and send back and forth.

I don't think Niamh has received my package for her yet, but it was so much fun finding things to go in it and baking some treats for. I think the next Perfect Strangers swap isn't until May, but it was so much fun I'll definitely sign up for it again!