Chantilly in Chantilly!

Me and one of my friends decided to take a day trip to Chantilly since it is not too far from Paris and of course it has a castle! It is located North of Paris in the region of Picardie and it is a quick train ride from Paris-Gare du Nord. We easily spent an entire day here exploring the beautiful gardens as well as the inside of the castle which is the Château de Chantilly. There is so much history to learn about especially when you visit inside the castle which is a beautiful museum filled with tons of art work and preserved artifacts.When you reach the entrance to the land where everything is located, you will be overwhelmed by the massiveness of this place! It's so beautiful though, even on a cloudy day. Right before you get to the castle, you can visit the horse stables as well. Horses are big part of Chantilly so you will see horse statues in the area.The town of Chantilly itself is quite lovely filled with many shops, cafes, bakeries and a pretty big market going on in the main square. We wrapped up the day of course by having chocolat chaud with Chantilly! Crème Chantilly is a sweet whipped cream used in pastries as well as toppings for hot drinks like coffee and hot chocolate.

Entrance to all the gardens.

First view of the castle after coming from the horse stables.

Main entrance to the castle.

View of the whole castle from afar.

Side view of the castle.

Back of the castle.

Peaceful gardens...

Bridges within the gardens.

Inside the castle...

Beautiful halls inside the castle.

Inside one of the libraries that the castle has.

Day Tripping in the Netherlands: Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans was a short train ride away from Amsterdam and it was perfect for a little day trip to get to know the Dutch! It is a beautiful and peaceful place filled with many historic windmills and cute little Dutch houses. In Zaanse Schans we saw how traditional Dutch clogs are made, went inside windmills to see how they function in the manufacturing of products, got to taste cheese made at the cheese farm, and visited cute shops such as one very old antique shop filled with many treasures. Later that day we went back to the craziness that is Amsterdam!

Windmills!

Cute houses in Zaanse Schans

One of the many windmills we visited.

Inside a windmill where they make different types of spices.

Clog making workshop! 

So much detail on these clogs!

Clogs galore!

Little Dutch lovers!

 P.S. It was pretty cold here so dress warmly! 

What Happens in Amsterdam, Stays in Amsterdam *wink*

The title pretty much sums up the average weekend in Amsterdam. I'll keep it PG though! ;)

My journey began with a 7 hour bus trip from Paris to Amsterdam with a quick stop in Brussels. After that ride, I was glad to have chosen to take a train back home which was only 3 hours long. I met up with my friend, who was arriving from Germany, at Amsterdam Centraal Station and off we went!

Amsterdam Centraal Station- This is only the middle part of it! So big!

Besides having things related to sex, drugs, and weed practically thrown in your face(haha) there were plenty of other things that the city had to offer so there's definitely something for everyone. Here are some of the highlights of our stay in Amsterdam!

The Anne Frank Huis
This was extremely interesting since I had read the Diary of Anne Frank probably in 5th or 6th grade. Even if you're not into museums, this is definitely a must see. Once you go in, it's like you're walking through a real life timeline through the life of Anne Frank and the time she went into hiding. It was so surreal to walk into the rooms and seeing how she and her family lived there as well as seeing the secret bookcase which provided a passage to another room. Also, reading passages of her diary throughout the museum, it was very moving for me to visualize how it was for her to not even be able to look outside for the longest. Once me and my friend left, we were definitely inspired to read the book again. Maybe French for me and German for her!

The Pancake Bakery
Your visit to Amsterdam is not complete without a visit to the Pancake Bakery! This is THE place to get your humongous sized Dutch pancake, sweet or salty! They are the size of a large round plate and you can get them with different fruit toppings or if you don't want sweet, plenty of cheese, veggies and meat options. This was also where I discovered my love for Stroopwafels(typical Dutch treat of thin baked waffles with a caramel like syrup in the middle.) since it came with my hot chocolate! 

Dutch Pancakes! Mine had cheese, mushrooms, and bacon. 

Hot chocolate with a stroopwafel on the side. Can't go wrong.

Canals, Monuments, and All Types of Shops...

It's really nice to walk around the canals everywhere you go and very refreshing to end up in the Red Light District multiple times. The Red Light District was quite a change from where I come from. I don't know any other place where women are standing behind windows waiting for their next "client". There's so much nice scenery and tons of coffee shops available where they also have space cakes available or if one prefers, weed by the gram. Other shops include Smart Shops which sell a variety of "happy stuff" for lack of better words and sex shops. 

Condomerie- Same street as our hostel lol

Amsterdam at night. The peaceful side of it at least lol

We also left the city for a day trip which was very fun! :D Next up I will post about it and share some pictures of life outside the city in the Dutch countryside. Also coming up, a post about my day trip to Chantilly, France. Upcoming trips are Lyon, France, Germany, London and more!!!

À tout à l'heure mes amis!

My Top 3 Ways of Eating in Paris Without Going Broke

Before I even arrived, I was already being told that everything was expensive in Paris. Well even though many of us are on a tight budget while being abroad, we have to eat! Here are my suggestions:

1. Have a good old fashioned picnic! This, of course, depends on the weather, but there is also such thing as an indoor picnic. With all the beautiful parks available in Paris, why not? This is a certified way of saving lots of money! Whether you are meeting up with 1 or 10 friends it works out perfectly for everyone to bring something different and then share with the group. People can bring a baguette, ham, cheese, fruits, and cookies etc. Also, there's no excuse to not have a bottle of wine when you can get some for as cheap as 2 Euros! 

2. Rue Mouffetard! Located in the 5th Arrondissement(5th District), specifically in the Latin Quarter, it is one of the oldest streets in Paris dating back to the Roman period during the 1st Century! It is one of my favorite spots in Paris with a variety of shops and tons of places to eat, many of which are actually not expensive! I recommend L'Ile de Crete, a Greek spot for some Grec Frites for only 5.50 Euros! Very good, fresh, and filling! If you love tacos, quesadillas & burritos(even salads) then you must go to Chido's. It is a Mexican family owned spot where you can get tasty and fresh food for under 7 Euros! There are several spots that have a combo of a panini, a crepe and a drink for under 7 Euros! You can also find plenty of spots for French food and many other countries. If you love fondue then you will also love it here. For your sweet tooth, there are many bakeries and macaron spots as well.

                                                     Grec Frites at L'Ile de Crete!

Tacos at Chido's! Oh, did I mention they 

have frozen margaritas AND happy hour?!

3. Stay local and stay away from the extremely touristy areas! As obvious as it may seem, people can sometimes believe that the whole city has the same prices for things. There are so many neighborhoods in Paris and so many streets that are not deemed popular among tourists but you can always find a hidden gem there. This country is full of fresh and delicious food that is waiting to be enjoyed by you! Tourist traps should never be the way! 

Bon Appétit! ;)


*Coming up soon, a post about my adventures(and misadventures) in Amsterdam last weekend!

Bonjour, Paris!

Points of interest in Paris...

                             Les Invalides- the French army museum

The other side of Les Invalides

                                    The Pantheon- contains the remains of many 
                           well known French citizens such as Voltaire

                       The front of the Notre Dame Cathedral- also a major
                       representation of French Gothic architecture

The side view of Notre Dame

                                  Pont des Arts, also known as the "love bridge"

                                           Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel-built to 
                           commemorate Napoleon's military victories

         Arc De Triomphe- built in honor of the people who fought and died for France during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Took 30 years to build!

                                 St. Michel Fountain- built during the reconstruction 
                               of Paris as commissioned by Napoleon lll.

                           Obelisk of Luxor at Place de La Concorde- Given to France 
             in exchange for an 1845 copper clock which is now in Cairo, Egypt

Provins, The Medieval Town!

On Saturday I got to take a fun day trip from Paris to Provins, a town which takes you back to the medieval times! Only an hour away from Paris, it is quite a change of scenery! It is also listed as a UNESCO heritage sight and once you arrive you can see why. Provins is also known making a variety a products made of roses such as rose jam, honey, ice cream, and even macarons! 

The Bell Tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val: It is all that is left of the church of Notre-Dame-du-Val which was destroyed during the French Revolution.

                                                                  Jardin Garnier

View of the town and Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church which was                  once attended by Joan of Arc

Tour Cesar(Cesar's Tower)-Former prison during the 12th Century

                                                   View from the top of Tour Cesar

                  Remaining architecture from the medieval period in the city center

                                Souvenir and soap shop with original architecture

                               Enjoying rose ice cream in the middle of the street!

                                                          Walls that still remain                                       

                             The huge wall continues pretty far after that opening

The continuation of the wall

                                        Open fields! I'm not in Paris anymore! :P