Uncharted

Uncharted- Sara Bareilles 

I'm baaack! France was a gorgeous, inspiring whirlwind of a trip. I ended up being completely spontaneous and just went wherever felt right, I got horribly lost (but felt pretty awesome when I figured things out!), ate waaay too much delicious bread and whiled away many perfect moments in cafes. 

I started off in London and then went across to Calais, hoping to catch a train to Rouen to see Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.... hmph. Good plan, not well executed! Having the French vocabulary of a middle schooler didn't make figuring out the train schedule any easier! But after ending up on a train going the wrong way and finding myself in the middle of nowhere France I decided that Giverny wasn't going to happen... so on to Tours in the Loire Valley! 

This was the best decision ever; as soon as I arrived I felt at home. The city is gorgeous, with the most amazing old architecture and winding cobblestone streets. It was hard to leave, but I wanted to head south, so my next stop was Bordeaux. I went to outdoor markets here and stumbled on a pretty amazing fashion shoot. My last stop before Paris was Toulouse... way further south than I was intending to go! It's such a vibrant city and I loved people watching from cafes here. 

My last few days were spent strolling around Paris. I don't know what it is about that city, but it gives me butterflies! My first glimpse of the Eiffel tower from across the Seine had me so excited that I had to stop a passerby and ask her to take my photo! I went to museums, wandered around Montmartre, figured out the Metro (wooo!), looked at a million books at Shakespeare and Co. and hunted down the perfect macarons. Traveling by yourself is exhilarating, slightly lonely, but so worth it. When it finally dawned on me that I could do whatever I wanted and go wherever I wanted I felt reckless and independent. 

Chunky Knit Circle Scarf and Black Jeans: Gap, Stripe Top: H & M, Camel Boots: Liz Claiborne via Winners, Purple Belt: American Apparel, Turquoise Ring: Aldo, Heart Pendant: Le Chateau, Black Watch: Guess

Statues outside the Louvre

Macaron display at a Maison Fondee in Bordeaux 

Best fountain ever in Bordeaux

Eeek! First glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!

Sorry about the incredibly long post! Editing down the hundreds of photos was tough. It was such an amazing trip, I can't wait to go back!

I hope you've all been having a lovely time as well!

Au Revoir!

love

xxx