Vacation | GlamSpree

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Monday, June 25th, 2007

April In Paris

Bonjour everyone! My name is Sara Humphreys and I am an intern at Glam and frequently write lovely blogs on (the best blog ever) Glamspree. I am so excited to write this new entry because it has to do with the best spring break ever! (I know, totally, right?!?) Usually my spring break consist of homework, homework, and more homework. Ah yes, the life of a college student. But this year my parents surprised me with a fantastic vacation getaway to the fashion capital of the world, Paris, France! For 8 days I was absorbed in Parisian culture and taken away from the menial day to day tasks that were waiting for me back home. It was the best vacation and the experience of a lifetime. The people were delightful, the food was mouth watering, and the shopping, oh the shopping!
Everywhere we went and everything we did people were genuinely nice and outgoing. I don’t speak a lick of French other than the usual, “Bonjour, Au Revoir, Merci” and that’s about it. It seemed as long as you tried (with a thick gooey like voice) the French were more than happy to try and assist you. Most speak English so they were very patient as I tried to read off of the menu, simply saying, “We have an English version if you would like.”

Statue in front of our apartment

Paris!

The markets had fresh produce daily and the bakeries had the sweet aroma of croissants, crepes and pastries. I ate breakfast at the corner bakery every day. My favorite: chocolate croissant with fresh strawberries and a hot chocolate.

Mom and I at the local market.

Yummy!

Easter Sunday…So many people!

Crazy break dancers in the park right next to the Moulin Rouge.

The two largest shopping centers in Paris are Printemps de la Mode (think Neiman’s, Bloomy’s, Saks, and Bergdorf’s all wrapped up into one department store with more runway and red carpet apparel…I wish I could have taken a picture but security was real tight) and Galeries Lafayette (again, think all four). Printemps de la Mode has 7 levels of pure luxury goods and a café on the roof that over looks the entire city! The first level is the largest beauty department in the world with over 4500 products totally dedicated to beauty and body care. The 2nd level is devoted to housewears, and then the next 5 are devoted to clothes, clothes, and more clothes! The definition of haute couture lies within the walls of these department stores. Names like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Celine, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Sonia Rykiel, Missoni, Viktor and Rolf and so many more. There are also creative French brands such as Paul & Joe, Paul & Joe Sister, Tara Jamon, Vanessa Bruno, Zadig and Voltaire, and Kenzo are just a few of the very tempting fashion designers.

Au Printemps de la Mode

Mom and Dad atop Au Printemps at the cafe.

A sneak Peek look at the Tara Jamon collection.

Street fashion. Paparazzi shot in the metro.

After leaving (tear) Au Printemps I looked like a kid in a candy store. A big wide smile and one shopping bag (I seriously broke the bank on just one purchase) with my favorite Parisian souvenir, a dark blue LongChamp handbag. Very Parisian.

My bag but in brown.
Our last day in France we took the train up to Versailles to see where Marie-Antoinette laid her powdered-wig at night. What an amazing site to see. The Palace of Versailles included a church, an opera house, several apartments (living quarters), statue filled hallways, and several other rooms that were not shown on the tour. The grounds were exquisite and stretched for miles and miles. There were so many people visiting the palace that day it was overwhelming (much like the rest of the tourist spots).

The Palace.

The grounds at Versailles.

I was so sad to leave. A week is definitely not enough time to really get a feel of Parisian culture. We did all the touristy things like go to the major museums: the Louvre, Musee de Dorsee; went to all the churches: St. Chappell and Notre Dame; and visited the famous land marks like the Eiffel tower, Napoleons tomb, and the Louis Vuitton Head Quarters (my favorite). The last night we ate at a small café just up the street from our apartment. It was quaint and quiet and a perfect ending to a perfect trip. It was a trip of a lifetime and I definitely cannot wait to go back!