On Self Fulfillment.

I have not been being completely efficient with my trip so far.

Reasons for not being efficient and making the most out of a trip.

1. Staying up too late, sleeping in too long.

          *self explanatory

2. Being cheap and handwashing and drying laundry.

• Laundry in France is EXPENSIVE. 1 Euro buys you 8.5 minutes of dryer time. Simple solution... handwash and dry. Obvious right? Today I spent 4 hours handwashing and drying my clothes. 
• Maybe my apartment is humid... maybe yours will not be... in any case... if you find you spend WAY to much time doing your laundry the first time... maybe it will be worth it to spend the Euros and use your time to go exploring... 
• Simple Solutions...
• Spend the Euros
• Ignore all you have heard about packing light if staying for a long trip in one location... Packing light is very important if you are going to be backpacking through Europe and changing locations frequently... but I must admit I would have had no problem checking two big bags filled with 50 lbs of clothes each... and then leaving them in my apartment for 5 weeks before repacking and going home... The good news... I will be doing lots of shopping while I am here and buying a second carry on :)

Since my revelation I have been waking up earlier and making the most out of my trip more effectively! :)

Here's a beautiful picture of the Seine from the morning after I first wrote this post...

And a few more from my walks about the city recently...

A stand in point between a triangular cross section of two streets, passers by feast on fresh seafood.

Street art is very common in Paris, there is of course some graffiti but for the most part the street art is well thought out and gives the city character!

Small lake in the middle of Luxembourg Gardens, a popular place to take a stroll or run, even in the middle of winter.

Very behind in the blogging, still to come photos from Arles and the Camargue and more!

Paris Sales

Sorry this one will be quite short I am packing up tonight to go on a 4 day excursion to the south of France! Can't wait to take pictures down there!

To my joyful surprise... every January most stores in Paris have ridiculous sales for the entire month.

"Sales are state-regulated in France and generally run during two periods of the year: once in summer, just before the massive exodus toward the sea and sun, and once in the winter, shortly following Christmas. Department stores, boutiques, designer outlets, and even hardware shops clear out items from the previous season, gradually slashing prices over the course of the sales period."
 - Linda Nyirenda
 http://goparis.about.com/od/shopping/a/Paris_sales.htm

Thought I'd just post a few images of what I've seen so far in the shops!

I will be back soon to share the south of France with you! And I have not forgotten about the eating tips and photos, those will come soon!

Off The Beaten Path: Rungis Marché The Largest Market in Europe

Scale.

Size.

Quality.

A visit to the Rungis Marché just outside of Paris is one of the most wonderful, unheard of experiences a traveler can have. Rungis, the largest food market in Europe, is the daily go to destination for many Michelin Star restaurants all across Europe. 
It is 2:30 AM and trucks are already arriving from Russia to stock up on the freshest crop of leeks. Rungis staff are scurrying around putting the finishing touches on the shopments of fresh caught fish. 

At the same time someone else is perfecting the flower display in on of the 19.4 million pots of flowering plants, and yet another is arranging fruits and vegetables. 

Many gourmet cheeses and meats come through the market as well, the meat section includes some extremely greart oppurtunities for photos, I will only post some of the more PG images I took on the blog however. In the actual market one has the oppurtunity to see all types, kinds and parts of poultry and meats hanging from the ceiling.


 Unfortunately my camera died before I made it to the fresh flower and foliage section. Although Rungis is intended for bulk purchase to restaurants and suppliers, the market offers tours. When I took the tour we were the only tour group in the whole market, it is a rare experience. 














In order to visit Rungis on your
 next trip to Paris visit http://www.visiterungis.com

La Nourriture

Eating in Paris is expensive. One of our first nights here my friends and I walked into what looked like an excellent place for a meal, we were shocked when the waitress handed us the menu, we could not afford the prices! Thankfully a friend suggested that we share appetizers and wine, the waitress was happy with us, everyone tasted some delicious gourmet food, and we followed the entire experience with a trip to Pizza Panini for our real dinner... Lesson learned. Do not enter a restaurant if you cannot view the menu prior to entering.

My roommate and I have decided to start cooking more rather than eating out, I'm learning more about whats inexpensive here and whats not, more pictures and tips to be shared soon!

A simple salad I make in the apartment, make your own dressing
with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and a little salt.

Bonjour mes Amis!

Bonjour from Paris!

This month I have the amazing opportunity to study fashion and travel photography in Paris!

Stepping off the plane one is greeted immediately by a nouvelle experience... the slopescalator as I like to call it. The "slopescalator" is found in the airport and in various underground tunnels in the metro system. The transportation appears to be your normal escalator upon first step, then your realize no stairs form and you are in for a long ride up and down small hills. Feels weird on the feet. A ride on this device gets exciting below the metro, busy Parisians pass on the "fast lane" as others stand behind the elderly on the right side, peering behind to see if they have time to break in to the line of traffic. One may find this nearly as dangerous as driving the traffic circle encompassing l'Arc de Triomphe.
Yesterday was my first trip through the metro in 16 years, I did not want to bring out the camera because I was lost and nervous, but I hope to document this later on during the month.

There is a beautiful exhibition about the fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet at the Museum of Decor Design... although not as famous as CoCo Channel, the work of Madeleine Vionnet is considered by many to be equally outstanding. Her work includes many surprisingly simple bias cut garments, no photography was allowed inside but I did manage to do a few sketches!

The exhibit is definitely worth a visit! Located close to the Louvre... behind the Louvre is a beautiful garden area with fountains, iced over now but a great place to people watch.

More to come soon!

Travel Comfortably, Spend Less.

TransAtlantic airfare may be less expensive than it has been in the past, but it is certainly not cheap.

If I you are going to spend the big bucks to travel overseas, you probably want to have an authentic experience, and stay awhile.

Here are 3 Great Azure Idea's you might want to take into consideration when planning your next trip...

1. I have been on several trips planned by tour companies, in my experience these are incredibly rushed. It seems like you are packing and unpacking all the time...because you are. Normal you will only be staying a maximum of only 3 nights in any one city... not to mention that this type of traveling can cost three times as much as planning a trip on your own.

Solution:

Do your own research! Unless you are traveling to a location in which you really do not feel comfortable, it might really be best to just go that extra mile and make your own arrangements. It does take a little bit of time, however what you will end up with is a trip that is designed JUST for you. You will not waste precious time at a destination in which you have no interest in seeing, and you will be able to spend as much time as you would like at that location that you have been dreaming of visiting over the past 20 years.

Meanwhile, you will be saving approximately 10,000 dollars (depending upon how many travelers are in your party). What can you do with that extra 10,000 dollars? Why not visit that other destination you have been eyeing for 15 years, next year!

2. Because you have the complete freedom to plan your trip... it is not necessary to confine yourself to the unoriginal, choosing to stay in an apartment in a place like Europe not only gives you much more space for your money, but it also makes for a GREAT authentic experience. Many apartment companies have a minimum 3 night stay, but they also tend to give you a break for stays of 7 days or longer. I really suggest picking a city with a good location, and staying there for atleast a week. Use the location as a homebase that you can take daytrips from, but don't run yourself around. Stay, soak up the culture, visit some coffee shops, flea markets, take an early morning walk and people watch. Why not visit the local market and cook yourself dinner in your kitchen one night? (YES! these apartments will have kitchens!)

 The above photo is from travelingtolisbon.com

Not only is it important to pick a good homebase city. I would also highly suggest to choose an apartment that is close located downtown in a city, or atleast close to lots of action, not necessarily nightlife, but markets, shopping, and most importantly, a metro or bus station. You will absolutely LOVE how much you will see on foot rather than in a tourbus.

 It is nice to be able to walk the street like the locals and see how the locals live.

3. Simple, cliche, but important still.

Don't weigh yourself down, pack the essentials, research what the weather will be like and bring the bare minimum. You are there so that you can see the location, not so that the location can see you. Be comfortable, don't bring too many things that you will constantly be worrying about the safety of, and definitely do not bring so much with you during the day that you will not enjoy walking around and exploring.

What People AREN'T Talking About. (Portugal: Part I)

Ever been to Europe?
Probably.

Ever considered?
Most definitely.

Thought about Portugal?

The least touristed Western European country, is also the most inexpensive. No really, people AREN'T talking about it, although I had not actually tested this prior to titling my post... just search Twitter for "Portugal" 95% of the posts are in Portuguese. Search Twitter for France or Spain... and everything you see is written in English.

So other than the fact that Portugal is a fairly undiscovered destination (ironic, seeing as how the Portuguese were the first great pioneers of navigation) , why go?

In winter, the weather in Lisbon (the Portuguese capital) is more than pleasant. Which in all honesty, is the main reason my family thought about visiting in the first place. What a lucky mishap that turned out to be...

Walking around Lisbon has a special charm. The lack of tourists allows one to truly feel like they are experiencing something completely new and different. No matter how far away a place is, or how exotic the fauna may be, load an area up with 3000 kiosks selling touristy chatzky's and it suddenly becomes just like... well... any other foreign exotic place with 3000 kiosks selling tourists chatzky's. Lisbon has a very authentic feel, staying in an apartment rather than a hotel can help with this too, that I must save for another post however.

Sounds, Tastes and Miradouros!

So what exactly does Portugal have to offer. Skinny, winding medieval streets can be found in the Alfama district. My favorite part of traveling is walking around in new places and the Alfama is perfect for taking some great Flickr shots! Pastelerias serve "bicas" which is a very strong Portuguese espresso shot, available in decaf usually. "Pasteis" are custard like pastries, I'm not the biggest fan of these types of pastries but the rest of the fam LOVED them. The pasteis are actually really good with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top!

Stop to look over the Meditterranean -esque buildings at one of the Miradouro's or lookouts.

 If you don't like to eat fish, you should probably stop reading this article now... or atleast read it knowing that you should never actually go to Portugal. The good news: most restaurants have many options... The bad news: all of these options involve a big filet of fish as the main course, with an accompaniement of potatos and maybe a salad. I personally find it delicious! Specialties like octopus and barnacles are available too. The most popular of the fish specialities is the bacalhau, dried salt cod. It is said that this can be prepared some 300 ways.

In various dinner restaurants, you can sit in on a Fado performance, fado is a very melancholy almost opera like genre, very specific to Portuguese culture.

Alright, this was enough Portugal for one evening... but I will be bringing you further detail in later articles :)

<3 AzureChina

my Portugal pictures are all taken by me! Some can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/11693731@N07/