Sunday, September 14, 2014

Versailles & London











wandering through the beautiful grounds of the chateau de versailles including l’orangerie, le petit and grand trianons and le domaine de marie antoinette, laying in the grass under a tree reading steinbeck and the smell of lavender all through the grand trianon, the queen’s chamber and the galerie des glaces (hall of mirrors) in the palace, dessert from angelina before heading home.

























there is never any ending to paris and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other.
we always returned to it no matter who we were nor how it was changed nor with what difficulties nor with what ease
it could be reached. it was always worth it and we received a return for whatever we brought to it.

hemingway; a moveable feast














booking the wrong check in date for my hostel but somehow getting to stay the first two nights in a double bed on my own instead of my regular dorm room bunk, making friends and meeting some lovely bloggers at the lily & anna picnic, buying underwear with molecules and little stars and planets and lots of frilly socks from primark, drinking a butterbeer at the warner bros harry potter studio tour, catching up with the lovely zoe who i last saw when i was in london in 2010, getting ~street style snapped~ on carnaby st, having a bit of a moment when the guy at the british museum cafe asked how much milk i’d like in my tea because for the first time in months someone cared that i got my tea the way i like it, buying books and records at camden markets, wandering through the national gallery and national portrait gallery, a friend from back home announcing a surprise gig in london while i was there, hanging with him and his friend while they found backline to borrow a couple of hours before the show, seeing him absolutely kill it and hearing his music and feeling like i was at a gig at home because it was so wonderful and familiar, getting back to the hostel at 5am and realising i’d left my key in the room, but by a divine miracle someone was awake and let me in through the back, and then i managed to open the fire escape door from the outside to get to my side of the building and into bed, sitting front row on the top deck of a london bus, buying hogwarts and beastie boys t-shirts from primark, catching up with a friend from my egypt tour group, having the best time at the michael jackson thriller musical, running into a friend from sydney at portobello road markets without even knowing he was in the country, the museum of broken relationships at the southbank centre’s festival of love, buying records from spitalfields markets, the utterly fantastic tate modern museum, finally visiting big ben and buckingham palace on my second last day in london, going to a back to the future themed secret cinema screening with my friend from back home, seeing thousands of people dressed up like it was 1955 with a whole town set up and cars driving around and actors playing out scenes from the movie and lots of delicious food and everyone dancing and then sitting on astroturf to watch the movie, having far too much fun to take more photos.










23 comments:

  1. what a beautiful photos. make me feel like I was really there, I feel the magic, oh how I wish was there! Versailles is really beautiful <3

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  2. You got good pictures of the bedroom in Versailles, my camera had trouble with the lighting! The gardens look so beautiful but unfortunately were shut off when we went, for some reason :(

    I have never been able to get to a front row seat on the top deck of a London bus!! This is my life mission, haha.

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    1. oh wow, i'd have been super annoyed if i'd gone all the way there and the gardens were shut! that sucks. and yeah it's weird how so many museums/attractions have such dim lighting, maybe it has something to do with preserving everything in there?

      haha, aww it only happened for me once because i was at the first stop where the bus started and i let a bus go because it was crowded and then got on the next one!

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  3. Even with the hostel booking trouble, it all worked out in the end and we get to see these beautiful and wonderful photos! I am so obsessed with the history of Versailles and the rulers during the time, especially Marie Antoinette. These photos are absolutely perfect, so much detail and attention!

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    1. i know, i was lucky they had room for me and especially because it was an even better room than the one i originally booked! versailles is stunning and it's such a beautiful place to spend a day. :)

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  4. Wow, the photos of Versailles are incredible! The garden looks stunning - when I was there it was winter so it was incredibly gloomy :(

    Bramble & Thorn

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  5. I feel bad I haven't commented on your most recent travel updates, but honestly, it would just be saying how jealous I am and how gorgeous your photos are in every single one of them! Despite having trouble taking photos when travelling, you've really managed to capture some beautiful moments during your travels and despite that you probably end up taking twenty photos for every good one, I think it's so worth it to find that one gem you're really quite proud of. Your words are straight to the point (unlike mine!), but at the same time, so beautiful and descriptive. I really feel like I'm there with you!

    I was so excited for you to post your Paris photos, but at the same time, I feel so homesick for this city looking at them! Gosh, there really is no place like Paris. I'd love to go back to Versailles too and maybe explore the area a little more. I've heard there are fireworks at the Palace of Versailles at night time too, which I'd love to see. My friend and I had such a wonderful time exploring the gardens while we were there, but I don't think I got to see enough as we were on a tour. Next time, I think I'll go by myself! By the end of my Europe trip, I was SO sick of walking tours!

    I'm so jealous you had beautiful sunny skies during your time in London too. My friend and I ended up there the one week it was raining, which was quite disappointing. I didn't spend nearly as much time there as I would've liked and never got to ride a double decker bus! Didn't even go to Space NK either, which is really just a crime! Haha. I would never even think about going to a blogger meet up, but that is so cool how you went to Lily and Anna's. It's such an awesome way to meet people with similar interests, especially when you're travelling on your own. I know I could definitely talk about makeup for hours!

    When you get back home, you definitely need to show us all that you bought (well, probably not all because that would too much!) and I'd love to see the records you bought too. I've only got one record, but I really want to start a collection! I also want to get into books too, but I always forget about those little interests of mine because the majority of my disposable income is spent on makeup! I really need to work on my less superficial interests, I think. :p

    http://likeneonlove.com

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    1. haha it definitely takes 20 or more photos that's for sure. some days i'll take hundreds and use about 10 of them, but that's just how i like to do it and it's better to be safe and take lots of photos, than sorry because you didn't take many and don't like how they turned out.

      and you know what, as weird as it is because i'm still travelling and exploring new cities, i do keep thinking about paris and even though this holiday isn't over yet i do really feel like it's probably my favourite city in the world and i already want to go back there again!

      don't worry, i went into one space nk but it's super expensive so i didn't pick anything up, also because we can get most things online these days anyway. it's was so funny that i got so much sun while in london because brits are always complaining about the weather, but it rained almost every day in paris! weird.

      ahh, you should definitely get into record collecting! it's expensive but so worth it. i think i still always put some of my money towards books and records because i've been collecting them long before i got into make-up and skincare so there has to be a division of my disposable income, haha. i just shipped my records home from the US yesterday so i don't have to carry them around anymore though and it was SO EXPENSIVE, so i probably should've held back a bit, but it's too late now, haha.

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  6. Oh wow this is so impressive beyond what any words could explain. So much beauty and character.

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  7. How lovely that you met up with fellow bloggers! Most importantly though, how incredibly beautiful this post is! Each and every one of these photos makes me wish to be there in this very moment.. I can't thank you enough for sharing them! :)

    http://aglassofice.blogspot.co.uk
    - I follow back on Bloglovin' -

    x

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    1. aww, thank you! :) and yeah, i didn't really do anything social while i was in paris because i didn't know anyone so it was nice to meet some people with similar interests, and what better place than at a blogger meet up?

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  8. What beautiful photos, make me want to be there right now!

    XOXO
    GIVEAWAY ON THE BLOG
    http://fashion-mask.blogspot.pt/

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  9. i am sitting here mouth wide open at all of these amazing photos!

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  10. One of the most beautiful places in the world, even though I hate Paris.

    /Avy

    http://mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com

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    1. that's a shame you hate paris, it's one of my favourite places in the world!

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  11. Wow, these pictures are so beautiful! Feeling the wanderlust! x

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  12. Marie Antoinette comes to mind automatically as I browse through your photos!
    I have to ask, which do you prefer? Paris or London? And why? I know it's an unfair question but I'm curious to know which place struck you the most.

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    1. oooh, to be honest with you for a long time i always loved london and i still do but i think paris is that bit more romantic and even though i don't speak french i love the language. i think if i were to live in either london would be a lot easier because i already have friends there and there would be no issue with the language barrier, but i would probably still choose paris if i could somehow get a job there or learn french, haha. they are both wonderful though! :)

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  13. Goodness, the colors are amazing! Love your photos and how I wish to visit them all :0

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  14. These photographs are absolutely beautiful. You are so so talented, and I love your little stories that follow with each photo set. I am traveling to Paris in the spring among other places in Europe and this makes me even more excited. Any cool spots you reccomend?

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    1. aww, thank you! :) sorry for the delay, i'll give you some tips in a comment over on your blog so you don't miss them!

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  15. Wow this is stunning and just too beautiful even for words.

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