An evening with the Eiffel Tower

An evening with the Eiffel Tower

Thursday, December 12, 2019

After a full day at the Louvre we took an UBER back to our apartment and took a quick reset - we took a nap (and by we I mean J did). I wanted to show J what the Eiffel Tower looked like at night. I personally think it's the prettiest at night time with all the twinkling lights. We stopped by for a quick bite at another local café and then we walked over to the Eiffel Tower.

*It's important to note that I am afraid of heights, however J is braver than I am.* Oh the things we do for those we love.

I've been up to the top of the Eiffel Tower the last time I went to Paris. J was looking forward to going up to the top to see the 360 city views. J loves taking city pictures so this was exciting for him. The city views up at the top of the Eiffel Tower is amazing (definitely top 3 of the best views in Paris in my opinion)!

The admission to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower is not included in the Paris Pass. Depending on the time of day you go will determine how long of a line you have to wait to a) get tickets and b) wait to get to the top. You have two options for purchasing your tickets: lining up or online. You can purchase skip-the-line tickets online at www.eiffeltickets.com. We did not purchase ours online, we lined up. We waited maybe less than 20 minutes in line so it wasn't bad. I forgot how much exactly our tickets were but I believe they can range from 20-50 euros or maybe even more depending on what kind of experience you want.

By the time we got to the Eiffel Tower it was evening already which means it was colder especially at the top. Just my luck, it was also a windy evening. I completely underestimated the temperature as I was wearing a dress with a trench coat (definitely not weather appropriate). Long story short I was miserable and cold. I hung in there as long as I could for J but eventually I had to go inside and he stayed outside until it got dark out and the light show started.

Even though I couldn't hang, I was happy J got to experience this and he really enjoyed it - and he ended up with a bunch of amazing shots of the city!

Heres to many more city views. What a good end to our first full day in Paris. Cheers!

Chanel inspired tweed dress: Shein | Lawson Trenchcoat: Aritzia | White sneakers: Adidas Stan Smith | Goyard St. Louis PM tote

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Here we go again...

Here we go again...

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Location: Vancouver, Canada

HERE WE GO AGAIN! So here I am restarting my blog again (and I really hope this time I stick to it). You might ask why am I not consistent with my blog? I have a couple of answers for you:

1. I am a PERFECTIONIST. I wanted it to be perfect but I mean lets face it nothing ever really is. However, this was my biggest set back as I am my biggest critic.

2. This leads in to reason number 2. I guess I am scared. It takes a lot to put a blog out there (well for me). You get really vulnerable and open. Sometimes I get in my head with even just my Instagram posts so I can't even imagine what my blog would do to me! With the help of a few supportive people, I am building the confidence to do this as I am doing this for FUN! This is an outlet for me! At this time this will be something I do for fun. Will I ever take it to the next step? Never say never!

3. I am not a full-time blogger/influencer/content creator. I have a full-time job; I am a nurse: 4 days a week, 12 hours a day and it is GRUELLING. I love my job as a nurse but it can be taxing and I turn to content creating as an outlet!

There's something rewarding to me about creating something and have it turn out into a beautiful picture. You can look back to this countless times, whether it is a simple flat lay to a full on #OOTD photoshoot. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. In life we create memories, a picture is a simple way of capturing each moment and keeping it for a lifetime, and this is why I find true joy in content creating.

This blog has been a work in progress to say the least! I created this in the beginning of 2018, it is now 2019. I have put it in the back burner for too long, its time to buckle down and get serious! So here's a promise of commitment to myself, I will post once a week and make sure I will be up to date! I recently went to Europe with my boyfriend back in April so the next upcoming posts will be all Europe content and I can't wait to share that with you all! I have posted tons of Paris/London content on my Instagram: p.buenaventura already so make sure you guys go take a look and follow me!

With that being said, here I go again in this journey! I welcome anyone and everyone who would like to join me! Here's to a bright future, and here's to what the future will bring me and my blog! Feel free to leave a comment down below!

A quick thanks to today's blog post location: Papparoti for a quiet place to work.

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10 Paris Tips

10 Paris Tips

Monday, November 26, 2018

Location: Paris, France

I know I've only been to Paris once but here are my top 10 tips for when you decide to go:

1. Brush up on some basic French.

Remember, you're the foreigner. At least make an effort to speak their language. I know you'll sound funny, but trust me, they know you're not French and they will appreciate the gesture. Make sure you know the french translation to these basic questions/words/phrases:

Hello!
How are you?
Where is the ___ ? *especially asking for the bathroom*
Where do I go?
How much?
Please & thank you.
I don't speak French.
I can only speak a little bit.
I am Canadian. *a foreign country always assumes you're American if you speak English*

2. Keep an eye out for pick pocket-ers/gypsies.

There are a lot of gypsies/pick pocket-ers in Paris. They are mostly found in tourist congested places, so that means all the Parisian monuments and tourist attractions. I've been warned. Make sure to stay away from people "doing surveys." The trick is one will distract you and ask you questions or ask you to fill some type of form while another will go through your bag/purse. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Keep your bags/purses in front of you at all times where you can always see it.

3. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY in Paris smokes.

If you want to stay away and enjoy your fresh air, stay inside restaurants or cafes. Mind you, a part of being in Paris is enjoying your Parisian pastry with some coffee while sitting outside a cute little cafe.

4. Plan out your trip wisely.

I am an OCD traveller. I planned my Paris trip down to the hour. Paris is a HUGE city. Make sure you tackle one section or an arrondissement or two at a time so you're not going north to south or east to west.

5. Some things in Paris take a longer duration of a visit than others.

You have to take into consideration how much time you want to be at one place. Something like going to the Louvre can take, and I suggest that it should, a whole day to enjoy. But that's just me, I love my museums. If you're the type to just take a couple of photos of a monument and you can move on to the next, you can actually get a lot of things done in Paris in a day. I on the other hand take my time enjoying the place, and also the taking pictures part takes time as well.

6. The Paris Pass is a good investment.

When I went to Paris I purchased the 3 day Paris Pass. I planned our trip wisely to map out the monuments we plan to visit for the next three consecutive days. Gentle reminder, once you activate your Paris pass you have to go use it consecutively as you cannot pick and choose which day you want to use it. The 3 day pass cost about 200+ euros. The Paris pass gets you to the front of the line to avoid LONG line ups. You have to remember theses museums and monuments are WORLD RENOWNED therefore no matter what day or time you go there will be A LOT OF PEOPLE. We used 2 days to go to the monuments like the Tour Eiffel, and the Arc De Triomphe, and museums like the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, and we even went  on a double decker tour bus as a day ride is included in the Paris Pass. We used the last day to go to the Palace of Versailles. This needed to be a day trip as it is outside of Paris and we took the first train out of Paris to go to this place before it opened. There was a line to enter but our line was significantly shorter than people who were buying tickets to the palace that morning. In the package they give you when you purchase the Paris Pass, it comes with the map of Paris and all of the Museums & monuments included in the Paris Pass. I purchased my Paris Pass online and picked it up at the Big Bus Tour office.

7. When ordering water, order bottled water ALWAYS.

They don't do tap water like we do here in Canada over in Paris (it is not clean). Also, when ordering water make sure you mention whether you like flat or fizz because 9 times out of 10 they will give you the fizzy water (I guess Parisians like their fizzy water).

8. Make sure to enjoy some French cuisine/delicacies.

As much as I was disgusted by the thought of eating a snail, I had to eat an escargot. How can I not? Surprisingly it tastes really good, very buttery and garlic-y. I ended up eating it a few times during my stay in Paris. You need to enjoy some bread, cheese, and some wine. Friendly reminder, wine is cheaper  than water in Paris. Once you've had French pastry/bread nothing back home will taste the same.

9. Make sure to wear comfy shoes (or at least pack some backup).

There's a lot of walking to be done in Paris. I don't think I've done that much walking in my life. Also, they rarely have elevators. Depending on where you stay airbnb or a hotel most DO NOT have elevators. If you want to take some awesome outfit pictures, just pack an extra shoe and change to the comfy ones afterwards. Also, I love how everyone in Paris can be wearing a dress but would have white sneakers on. #ParisianFashion

10. USE UBER.

I cannot stress it enough on how much I love UBER. Thank goodness they have UBER in Paris. It's easier and not to mention safer. Also, with the traffic in Paris your meter can run pretty high. With the UBER app you can see how much your trip will cost already and that is the price you pay even if you get stuck in traffic.

LASTLY, enjoy. Paris is a beautiful place. Although I am an organized traveller, take some time to just walk around and get lost in the city - you find the cutest gems this way.You will not regret making a decision to come to this city. You will be in awe for sure.

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Château de Versailles

Château de Versailles

Location: Versailles, France

One of the MUST-GO-TO places in Paris is actually about an hour or so away from Paris and it's The Château de Versailles. I've looked forward to going to the Palace of Versailles since hearing about it in History class in high school. Paris has a lot of palaces and castles to go to and I'm sure one day I will visit them all! It should be noted that Versailles is a day trip so plan accordingly! We made sure we woke up super early and our first stop was a local café to grab our usual: coffee and a croissant(or two). We took the first train out of Paris to Versailles. The train system was not too complicated, just make sure you pay attention to the signs or else you'll end up in a whole another side of town! This was the only time we used the train system during our whole stay in Paris, otherwise we used Uber. The good thing is when you have a distinct perplexed look, you will get approached by a kind Parisian and be given directions. Thank goodness we encountered so many friendly and approachable Parisians! It is important to buy your ticket in advance or use your Paris Pass to avoid long line ups! You can chose your own experience throughout your visit. If you are a history buff and would like to be fully submerged into the history I recommend for you to join some kind of guided tour. There are different levels of guided tours. I also saw people carrying what appeared to be a cassette recorder which gave an audio recording explaining each painting/piece in each section. We wanted to go at our own pace and not be tied down to a group so we walked around and read each tidbit for each piece. Also, at some points we managed to eavesdrop the tour guide and listened in and we weren't even a part of the group (LIFE HACKS). We took our time going through each of the rooms. We especially spent a lot of time in the hall of mirrors, I mean how could you not mirrors everywhere calls for selfies and multiple photo ops! After spending some time inside, we moved on to the gardens. The reason why you need to spend a day at this place because the palace grounds is HUGE! We walked for the most part weaving through some secret gardens and some mazes. Eventually we got tired and we rented a golf cart to explore the rest of the palace grounds.

To say this place is beautiful is such an understatement. I recommend everyone to visit this place you will not regret it. History, architecture, beauty & elegance. What more can you ask for? 

As per their website the prices of the self-guided tours start from 15 euros to 20-27 euros. If you want to include the private rooms it goes up to 450 euros! As for the guided tours, its an additional 10 euros to the entrance fee of your choosing. They also offer "private" and "prestige" tours, go check out their website for full details.

Tips for the trip:

1. Leave early!

2. Either buy your ticket in advance or use your Paris Pass! We got to the palace about 30min to 1hour before it opened and the lineup to get tickets was double the size of those who had advanced tickets. Also you have to consider that tons of guided groups attend daily so THERE WILL BE LINEUPS.

3. Be sure to check the time the palace opens as it differs per day. Each section of the palace grounds also have different hours of operation.

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Nude & light in Paris

Nude & light in Paris

Friday, November 23, 2018

Location: Paris, France

Patricia back at it again with a nude outfit. I mean what else did you expect? Colour? Not over here. Clearly I have a theme going on: romantic & feminine. Its summer in Paris! Of course my outfit of choice will align accordingly. Light fabric. Light colour. Breezy feeling in the heat!

We decided to walk around the area by our AirBnb to wander, and get lost while looking for places to take pictures. We walked to Notre-Dame cathedral and we saw this bridge overlooking the Seine. I believe this picture was taken on the Pont Notre-Dame, another bridge that crosses over the Seine. I absolutely love the multiple bridges that crosses the Seine River. If you're looking for a chill activity to do, pack a picnic and hang out by the river! You just need 5 things: wine, cheese, bread, a blanket and of course some french pastries!

Aritzia: Aritzia Wilfred Promener Blouse / Aritzia Babaton Lazarus Culottes / Aritzia Babaton Concentric Square Scarf / Adidas Stan Smiths Sneakers / Goyard PM St. Louis Tote

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