> July 2011 | CITY GIRL RIDES

versailles

7/31/2011


long after the rain poured to it's hearts desire, i finally got to go to Versailles. many of you know by now that i consider myself a little French historian by my own right, i've read so many books, porquoi pas? i've always known Versailles to be King Louis XIV's greatest prizes in his fine tastes, after all the Sun King had exquisite style and fine legs, of course he'll need a grand palace to strut and impress his guest, and what an impression it made! all i kept thinking was what a lucky landscape artist Notre was to design the gardens of the palace. it is very large, full of fountains, lush with flowers,orchards, beholding a beautiful view of the grand canal of Versailles. along with this grandeur, i was fortunate enough to go the Petit Trianon, where Marie Antoinette escaped away from court life of the Versailles Palace. just a little beyond the gardens of the Petit Trianon you can find the small village she had made for herself for fresh milk, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. even a queen needs to feel a little normal sometimes. it's all very romantic and i'm so glad i got to see it. if you ever get an opportunity for such a venture, take advantage of it. you could spend a whole day in Versailles enjoying the gardens, walking, picnicking, biking, boating, eating ice cream and wandering through the museums.

aside from Versailles, i'm beginning to count the hours till my return to SF. very excited to share more with you all. i mean, there's just so much Paris has to offer!
bisous
xoxo

bon weekend!

7/29/2011


bon weekend tout le monde! this is my final weekend in Paris before i head back to San Francisco. just when i was finally getting comfortable and familiar with the city of lights it's already time to go, ah! i know i will miss Paris but there is something special between me and this city. i think my love for Paris will always draw me back but i hope to someday return not just as a tourist but maybe as a resident, hopefully by that time i'll be fluent in french! it is a dream to work towards too. my hopes are high, mind is set, and fingers are crossed.

there is still so much more for me to see, although i've done so much but there is no end to Paris, so my weekend will be filled with further exploring's and bicycle adventures. have a great weekend everyone and thank you again for all your kind words, birthday wishes, and support. i promise to make these next few days absolute heaven for you.
xoxo.

p.s. my wonderful friend Diana from Our.City.Lights. was kind to mention the wonders of my adventures in Paris. stop by and say hello to her, she too has a wanderlust heart and i think you'll just love her.

birthday boating in the bois de vincennes

7/28/2011

yesterdays festivities was one of the greatest adventures i had in paris so far. my friend christine and i had been planning this trip out to Vincennes for some time but it's been raining nonstop. since it was my birthday we decided to make it a day picnicking, boating, and hiking around 3.8 miles of beautiful scenery and landmarks, rain or not. from my experience, i can understand why Kings and Monet got away from Paris and came to Vincennes for inspiration and hunting. you can literally spend a whole day walking through the Bois de Vincenne's to escape bustling Paris. it may have drizzled a bit while we boated but it made the whole experience even more enchanting. christine and i also think this is were Eric took Arial when he "kissed the girl",  the scenery was just like the movie and they were French no? well, i think if anyone comes to Paris, Bois de Vincennes is definitely a  lovely day trip away from the city. after the festivites in Vincennes, i returned home to cake and champagne and made it an easy evening, t'was perfect.

oh, and thank you all for your warm birthday wishes as well. they came in handy.
xoxo

bday in paris

7/27/2011

guess what you guys, 7-27 marks my bday! i'm extremely excited to be in the city of lights to celebrate the luckiest year of my life. looking back on the last year i've had many of my dreams fulfilled and i consider myself lucky and extremely happy to be so young and filled with wonderful experiences. i feel like paris is  inspiring this next year for greater things, i really cannot explain what an eye opener this city is on inspiring my future but for now i'll live in the glorious moments of savoring Paris on my birthday.
xoxo

paris pastriesgram

7/26/2011

i don't know what it is about paris but i have a major sweet tooth here. everymorning i'm hitting up the boulangerie to get a tartelette framboise, macaron, pain au chocolat, or eclaire. you know what's even better? that i don't feel an ounce guilty about consuming something sweet with a meal, i savor every bite, and maybe order another one to take home for later. don't these make you drool? seriously guys, if there is anything i love about this place it's the pleasure of eating food. taking it slow, savoring every flavor, and experiencing something spectacular that nurtures the soul. making you drool yet? i'll miss this about paris the most.

AT Champ Elysees TDF

7/25/2011

Bonjour monday! I hope many of you had a grand weekend either pedaling away or watching the Tour de France. noticeably, many of you already knew where I was at, Champ Elysees in Paris of course! My friend Christine and I had the honor of being able to get front row seats at the race, which we patiently waited for. the crowd wasn't bad and neither was the view. I had been dreaming of being able to watch this race for a while and I finally got to do so live, it was pure bliss! All the racers were just amazing, as i'm sure they were exhausted from the rides, they performed magnificently. While standing in the crowds you could see homeland flags and supporters cheering and showing their support as racers speed by. In the end, Cadel took first and took the prize home. Above are some snapshots I took at the race, it was hard to do so because they ride so fast creating gusts of wind as they speed by. It was magical! and this is the most fun i've had for a TDF race! and i'm sure you can see why.
xoxo

tour de france pre party!

7/23/2011

how many of you are stoked about Tour de France? I AM! i've been keeping up on those awesome live blogs and sitting in cafe's watching the race while hanging around Paris. and you know what? i'm also going to be on Champ Elysees where the race finishes in Paris. i know, awesome right?! earlier today, i went to Champ Elysees to watch today's race then walked around to witness the spirit of TDF. today's race was pretty hardcore, my favorite so far, and you could just feel the excitement around you. also, there were so many spandex babes riding on Champ Elysees, like if they won the race already. don't you just wish you could be here to see it all? well, to get your spirits up about the race and what Paris is like the day before the final race, i give you the above photos of the spirit of Le Tour de France. 
btw, like my swag? i'm totally wearing it right now.
xoxo.

paris velo expo

7/22/2011

yesterday i had the joyful opportunity to attend the historical velo expo in paris. i took so many photos but here is a few that i really like. sorry if they are a little bleary as it was difficult taking photos with really low light levels with screens surrounding bicycles. well, of a 150 years of cycling, i got to see every bicycle that was invented from 1818 to 2010 by the french. i loved what they called their first inventions, the hobby horse and the velocipede. the oldest bicycle they had there dated from the 1860's, it was pretty amazing, no pedals yet, you pushed with your legs, and it required a very tall man. although i could barely understand the french text in the expo, some were in english, the artifacts from bicycles, paintings, posters, news articles, photos, books (the size of the bible), tour guides, maps, to manuscripts, gave me a sense that the expo was celebrating the cycling culture that france birthed and the freedom that it represented. speaking of freedom, when you see anything related to velib in paris, it's always related to liberte and egalite. now this is something i won't go into as i'm still becoming acquainted with french politics, but when you see the photos, manuals, news clippings, and guides, you'll always see a woman cycling, fixing a bike, creating her own wear for comfort, and expressing her joy of freedom on bicycle, and the words in large print "LIBERTE". this is strongly celebrated during this expo and it makes me very excited to say, well, the french had it right from the start. in retrospect, the bicycle was a great egalitarian representation and tool for the women's liberation, so there's something to said of that. of course going through every piece in the expo was amazing, it was quite something to really think about and process. and while velib helps sponsor this expo, for many subscribers, you receive a huge discount at this expo just for having a velib subscription, 50% off your ticket entry. paris is not cheap, so i encourage people who are traveling to paris now till august 13th to get on this, just remember to subscribe!

well, i hope you enjoy your weekend and if this doesn't inspire you enough to get on your bike and fly, then just have fun imagining what it would have been like learning to ride that hobby horse!
bon weekend, bisous!
xoxo

parisgram deux

7/21/2011

here's a second round of parisgrams. it's still raining so visiting museums, sitting in cafe's reading, window shopping, and going to the cinema have been my daily agenda. i have to admit though that cabin fever is starting to kick in. i really just want to go outside and play in the sun! so while i wait for sunshine to return i'll make the most of rainy days cause there's no other place i want to be in right now besides Paris. i've gotten really good at using instagram and you can see more of them on my flicker page, add me as a contact and i'll return the favor so you can see more wonders of paris.
xoxo

vblog from paris!

7/19/2011


my first vblog on the blog ever! hooray me! i wasn't sure how to approach this so i just rambled as much as possible. i did this on facebook because i'm not tech saavy with this laptop and i just went the easy route, as usual. i hope you find it 
entertaining cause there will be more, oh yes, there will be more. next time i'll have a lot of stories to share for your pleasure. if you have any questions or interest in my adventures leave me a love note, i love letters!

cycling in paris


i like to think i have a brave and adventurous spirit so i tend to just go all out when i really want to do something. this has payed off, i assure you, as i've done lots of research and planning for this trip in France. cycling in Paris is one of those things that requires bravery, i say this honestly because Paris is a large and busy metropolis. you'll see lots of cyclist and lots of pedestrians but the roads are flooded with traffic too, and it moves quickly requiring one to keep up or move out of the way. yet, one thing i noticed is that the Parisians are very relaxed about traffic laws and such, giving pedestrians and cyclist more freedom than motorist, that's what you get with a green mayor who started the bike share program Velib in Paris. there are bike lanes everywhere, as there are velib stations, and bicycle traffic lights but it's challenging accessing them as double bike lanes can all the sudden become part of one way traffic lanes or just end at a stop light. regardless, cars always give you the right of way. i have to admit, my first day riding got me incredibly lost, i was looking for the safest routes, but following bike directions is not my forte here as i try to keep up with traffic, me being brave at my finest. whenever i feel lost, i eventually find my way back to the Seine, bless that river, it always saves me. what i love about cycling in Paris is that when riding in the bicycle lanes i'm not sharing or riding in door zones, usually i have a whole lane to myself, sometimes separated, sometimes just painted bike lanes. whenever i feel like getting off the bike and walking, i just take the velib to the nearest station and lock it. if i want to get back on i just go to another station and take one depending where i am, so in this case, it's like i'll never forget where my bike is because there is always Velib, it's quite lovely! although the amount of cars, lanes, traffic circles, and streets might be intimidating at first, it's enjoyable to gain a sense of Paris on two wheels.

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