by Hanzky — Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 9:00 am
in Today's Outfit, Travel and tagged with Charles & Keith, Europe, France, Geulis, H&M, Paris
Day 1
Second city I visited was the fashion capital. We arrived there around 6 PM and since our hotel is within walking distance to Eiffel, we took a stroll there and relaxing at Champ De Mars (The park lining up to the tower). We also let the kids played the merry go around just across the tower. Since Paris didn’t get dark until 10 o’clock at night, we had plenty of time enjoying the area when the sun was still up.
The Eiffel tower is obviously grand and magnificent, I think my heart skipped a beat at the first glimpse of it, I was in PARIS!!. Too bad it was overly crowded at that time that made the experience wasn’t as dreamy as I had imagined it to be 
(Btw, I didn’t know that the steel is in gorgeous brownish color, I always thought it was silver!)
Taken by the Seine river just across Eiffel tower. Here you can board the Siene river cruise, take a walk along the river or eat in the outdoor cafes. Imagine living in one of those rows of apartment with panoramic view of both Seine river and Eiffel tower!
Seine river runs through Paris so the city has so many beautiful bridges
Today we also went to Notre Dame, Grand Palais, Galeries Lafayette and meeting the FDers, Ayu & Sisi at Champs Elysees, an avenue filled with stores and cafes!. We actually met at Louis Vuitton flagship store (I had to change Jehan’s diaper..:p). Sisi couldn’t stay long so we parted ways in one of the alleys in Champs Elysees.
Look at Sisi and Ayu, their style is the typical casual chic Parisian. Simple clothes, solid colors/simple stripes, designer bag, no make up, hair in a messy bun or casually tossed around. After that, Ayu and I walked up to Arc De Triomph and took the metro to the Louvre.
I’m glad Ayu took me to the Louvre from the passageway of the museum as it made for a breathtaking entrance seeing the beaming pyramid from the empty and underlit tunnel. And favorite moment was when we dipped our aching feet in one of the fountains. Ayu also brought some cherries and peaches and stashed them inside her Balenciaga, so we were munching on them while catching up on the latest gossips under the starry sky..:D. We were there until eleven and then called it a night.
Day three
Today, we got to experience the different side of Paris. The side that I LOVE the most because honestly, up until this day I wasn’t too crazy about Paris. The city fell short of my expectation. Sure it houses many majestic architectural buildings and historical site with its stunning river and bridges but I didn’t know that it also come with crazy traffic jam, pushy street vendors and many beggars and homeless walking around. It also didn’t help that the beautiful city is noticeably dirty. I found dog poop and litters everywhere 
. I know, it’s a mouthful to call other city dirty for someone who lives in Jakarta. But since I went there straight from London, the difference is apparent. I mean I escaped from Jakarta certainly not to experience the same kind of thing that can be found here you know .
Anyway, thanks to Montmartre hill that wrapped up my Paris trip beautifully. I went there by bus and walked all the way up instead of taking the lift because honestly, I didn’t know there was one . But I was glad I walked because had I took the easy way, I would miss the beautiful old village leading up to the Basilica with its French chic houses. The area has small, cobblestones narrow streets lined up with patiserries with its fresh baked smell of croissant, creperies and small cafes on each side. Next to it is Place du Tertre, a square where there are many street painters and street musicians. It’s such a charming place!.
In front of one of the creperies
Basilica of the Sacre Coeur
The breathtaking view of Paris from the stairs of the Basilica. I could just stand there and watch the world goes by (This picture doesn’t do it justice!)
On my way back to the hotel, we drove past the iconic Chanel boutique and apartment at 31 Rue Cambon. Wish I could stop by there and bring home one or two Chanel haul…:p
Being a fashion capital, you would naturally think you’d see the latest trend everywhere in Paris. But Parisian definitely has their own style that can’t be bothered with trends. I only caught a handful of people wearing all the latest trend from the runway and the display of the high street brands. I guess they are content with simple but good quality clothes that fit well, monochromatic colors, natural make up with bold lips, and either flats or killer heels. I wonder how they manage to stay polish despite the heat. Paris was hot when I was there and something that was such a surprise to me was the fact that they rarely used air conditioner. Many apartments and office buildings don’t have air conditioner installed. Even most of the restaurants (and fast food joint) and stores I’ve been to didn’t have one, except for Louis Vuitton and Sephora (I didn’t go to too many stores). No wonder people like to sit outside there and they like it facing the road for people-watching. By the way, the hot and sweating condition reminds me about the rumor on why perfume was invented in France, they say it’s because they were always sweating there and smelled bad..LOL.
And oh, it’s true that Paris is expensive. It’s even more expensive than London even though it has higher currency.
Anyway, that’s my take on Paris. I found it surprising too that I’m not head over heels with it. I might be the odd one here because everyone seems to have Paris as one of their most favorite cities. Maybe I have to stay there longer. But when I make my way back to France, I would rather visit the countryside, especially the southern part.
Next up: Barcelona report
EuroTrip: Bonjour, Paris! http://fdly.me/aF5uvN
Pejing bencong RT @fashionesedaily EuroTrip: Bonjour, Paris! http://fdly.me/aF5uvN
Apa pula ini?! HuaaaaRT @yuncesbeibeh: Pejing bencong RT @fashionesedaily EuroTrip: Bonjour, Paris! http://fdly.me/aF5uvN
Ah kereeen! RT @fashionesedaily: EuroTrip: Bonjour, Paris! http://fdly.me/aF5uvN
Meningkatkan Rank Alexa dengan Bertukaran Review Alexa…
I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog 
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aw hani bruntung skal-ski bs kesana…am dying ingiinnn….*dadah2 ayupi n sisil, hawayu gals? lookin’ fab!!!!
Didoain mudah2an bisa kesana secepatnya yaaa leela darling…:)
allô Leela!!
kabar baik. kamu apa kabar?? hihihi
ahhhh i miss paris even more and the girls too
Kemaren nggak mau ikut sih…:p
Pengen liburan ke sanaaaaaaa
Brangkat dong langsung?..hehehe….I wish bisa segampang itu yaa…:)
makin iriiii… btw, hanzky makin mulus aja mukanya deh… itu juga bikin iri…
Waduh mulus darimana..difoto aja karena kecil keliatannya mulus..balik dari liburan frecklesnya tambah banyak nyak nyak…:)
Woah… my heart stopped beating when I looked at the photos. Always dreamed to go to Paris but haven’t had chance to.
You should shop there Han, heard the designer brands are priced crazily low there (LV, Chanel or Longchamp perhaps?
Mudah2an soon yaa. Iya LV memang lebih murah, khusus utk di Paris, 2% lebih murah daripada di negara Eropa lainnya..bedanya jauh banget sama disini, bisa dibeliin tas lagi dari perbedaannya itu.
too bad i did not enjoy paris just like you did
it was too crowded and very hot when i visited eiffel tower and the traffic even make it worst (nasib jalan2x pake tour)
Kalo pake tour memang gitu ya, grabak grubuk. Gue sih enjoy2 aja, tapi seperti yang udah gue tulis diatas, nggak yang head over heels gitu, padahal gue kira bakalan cinta mati sama Paris…:)
Montmartre & Basilica of the Sacre Coeur adalah cinta pertama di Paris *halah* berasa keren aja klo di situ
) dan gw juga poto di depan tukang crepes itu, yg belakang gereja kan yah…tapi gw potonya pas malem kan abis nge-buruh…hahaha
sayang, belum kenal Ayupi pada saat itu…
Ya ampun, kok bisa sama tjeepp latar fotonya? hihihi..ihh udah ke Montmartre nggak bilang2..mestinya dari awal gue dipesenin untuk mampir kesitu dong, jadi bisa lebih lama disitunya..huhuhu…
sayang banget ya tjep, padahal kan akyu ada tuh pas kamu kesini. ayoo main sini lg deh… ajakin tante tuh rame2 hehe…
The only thing I want real bad in addition to a Paris holiday with my family is that gladiator sandals. LOL
Love the post and pictures, Hanzky. Thanks for the eye candies!
I love those sandals, Pia. Enak banget dipakenya, ama sekali nggak sakit, padahal baru dipake pas di London itu. Jarang2 ada gladiator sandals yang ada wedgenya sedikit, biasanya kan flat. Tapi itu sendal udah gue tinggal di Dubai soalnya udah diabuse abis abisan..hehe. Pengen beli lagi deh, harusya masih ada di Little Things She Needs.
dari cerita temen2 gue emang Paris is a bit overrated. kotanya kotor dan orgnya kasar2. makanya gue dari dulu gak pernah terlalu napsu mau ke Paris, lebih pengen ke Swiss dan Austria yg semua org bilang luar biasa indah pemandangan alamnya. tapi ya Paris is a must-visit city sih, if only to take pics in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe hehehe oh btw denger2 emang countryside-nya bagus banget!
Iya sih gue juga ngerasa orang2nya kurang friendly, terutama yang nggak bisa bahasa Inggris. Gue juga pengeen ke Swiss..well basically any countries/cities in Europe sih..hihi…
well if i can’t speak english, i’d be resentful of the world, too. lol
I like London more than Paris anyway
But I can’t wait to read about Barcelona! I’ve always wanted to go to Spain….
Sama dong, gue juga lebih cinta London dan Barcelona…:)
ow han, didn’t anyone warn you that paris is dirty ? it’s not such a romantic city like everyone always dream of. anyway, envy berat ngeliat krucilmu nampaknya anteng aja ya diajak sampe jam 11 malem ? huhuhu…E N V Y….
Nope. Well I think I’ve heard it somewhere tapi trus abis itu lupa..hehe. Iya anak2 gue seneng2 aja dibawa jalan. Di Barcelona malah sampe jam 1 malem..di Dubai sampe jam 3 malem, well karena jetlag juga sih..hehehe…
Han, batik megamendungnya cakep banget tuuh…
Iya my favorite! Sampe dibawa ke yurep segala..hehe mana bisa dipake bolak balik (baliknya garis2), cocok deh.
Han, summer is not a good time to visit Paris ( Venice and Florence too
).And three days is not enough to explore Paris…
Provence is nice.. Cote D’Azur is my dream place to settle
Ughh lucky you, ke Cote D’Azur kan tinggal nyetir aja
. Kalo anak2 udah sekolah susah Mbak, bisanya June-Juli aja which is summer time for the whole world except down under.
i know what you mean about Paris. the architecture is breathtaking, but once outside the main tourist attractions, it wasn’t very pretty.
looking forward to reading about your experience in barcelona! i love barca!
Oh I love it too….menyesal nggak ke Madrid. Mestinya kesana aja instead of ke Milan
somehow gw cinta mati sama Paris, ampir tiap taun kalo ada libur2 4-5 hari pasti gw cari2 tiket kereta murah buat ke Paris
. karena udah berkali2 ke Paris jadinya gw gak merasa berkewajiban ke tempat2 turistik seperti louvre, tour eiffel dan seterusnya. so biasa gw bangun siang, cuci mata di LV boutique berjam2, wisata kuburan, makan escargot di pasar, mborong macarons, ah…
I love London, too. cuma kalo ke London banyak yang harus di-arrange, pesawat, hotel jadi tak bisa suka2 kayak ke Paris.
bea, kayaknya kita cocok kalo jalan bareng.
*wisata kuburan dan ngemil escargot …heaven!*
Itu cuci mata apa ngadem di LV?..hehehe. Oh iya gue nggak sempet ke kuburannya itu. Di Barcelona juga ada kuburan bagus deh di sebelah highway, di bukit..kalo diliat malem2 keren banget..
akhirnya sempet ke Montmartre juga ya Han..
sayang kalian bentar banget di parisnya jd ga bs anterin kemana2 deh..
banyak emang yg ga suka paris. tapi aku rasa kalo sudah kenal budaya sini dan mainya ga seputar daerah turis dijamin beda banget
macem tak kenal maka tak sayang kali yak 
Ah, senangnya mbaca cerita liburan elo, Hanz.
Gapapa Han, walopun ujung2nya ga terlalu kaporit, yang penting kalo ditanya malaikat bisa bilang udah pernah
hay hay, Ayu & Sisi!! Doain akika pandai menabung ya, biar bisa ditemenin kalian jalan2 di Paris.
nabungnya yg kenceng ya neik biar cepet kesininya hehehe…
Yang penting udah nulis ‘Hanzky was here’ gitu ya Nek..hhihihi…..
Ihh sebel deh, gue udah ngetik panjang-panjang kemaren nggak taunya komen gue nggak masuk
Trip gue ke Paris emang udah lamaaa bgt tp somehow gue masih inget jelas gitu loh han dan waktu itu sih gue seneng di sana (namapun pergi dibayarin ortu, seneng2 ajalaaah). Kayaknya dulu gue ke sana gak sepanas yg elo ceritain, plus our hotel had aircon
Dan nggak macet juga. Trus dulu gue pas ke sana pas mulai sok2 belajar bahasa Perancis, jadi kalo dijutekin sama orang sana yg gak mau bahasa Inggris, gue sok ngomong bahasa Perancis aja (padahal cuma bisa 1-2 kata) and they were much friendlier 
Oiya, the countryside is indeed more beautiful! I was lucky enough to visit some small towns and also Cote d’Azur and Cannes! It was so beautiful I felt like I was in a dream
Dan baca report lo ini jadi pengen balik lagiiiiii huhuhu
Btw fotonya yg di depan Eiffel itu cantiiik! Udah diniatin ya han pake baju batik dan foto di depan Eiffel tower hehehe
Lince, aku mau ngintil sama dirimu ke Paris ketemu Ayu & Sisi
Fiii..kemaren juga gue sempet berencana ke Cote d’Azur and Cannes (and Provence, Monte Carlo, St Tropez dan sekitarnya). Tapi gara2 nggak dapet mobil jadi nggak bisa kemana mana deh. Lucky you udah kesana fi…liat foto2nya dong…:)
ihiiiiyyyy!! baca artikel ini jadi ikutan seneng banget, i can feel the same excitement as you Hanz
!!
Lovely Sole Mio dress back there, look pretty on you
can’t wait for your barcelona review!!
Me want go back to Paris too
. Iri berat mode on gw…
… Gw kmrn ke Jepang, dan benar2x kebalikan Paris, even di Harajuku yg katanya punya style sendiri, kenapa semua pk floral summer dress dgn motif yg sama 
Bener Han, parisienne tidak suka ikutan trend, dia pake yg dia suka namun in their own style…
Jadinya pasti mereka terlihat beragam yaaak
Hanzky, megamendungnya keren, bagus nie idenya buat jalan2x ke negeri orang, don’t forget to bring our own fashion statement aka batik kita
wow….
hopefully I could go to Paris….
God Help Me Please….
seru banget mauuuu
wanted to have the change to go there someday with my love