Started packing and Opera House revisit

Remember we had to re-pack our luggage due to over weight before our departure in San Francisco? I got a new luggage in town, but I was still a bit paranoid about fitting everything in our luggage. So, as soon as I got up, I started packing and throwing most of our stuff into all the available luggage. By the time everything looked fine to me, it's about lunch time. 4 pieces of luggage were pretty much filled up the hotel room.

Opera Palais Garnier (Opera House) has been in my mind since my first visit. Spencer and I were there a few weeks ago, but it was closed due to some performance and we didn't get to visit it inside. So, I got myself ready and took Metro to see the Opera House. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect.

The Opera House was founded by Louis XIV in 1669 and was built on the orders of Napoleon III. The project was put out for competition and won by Charles Garnier who was an unknown 35-year-old architect. The project started in 1860, lasted 15 years and finished in 1875.

One word to describe my impression of the Opera House: BREATHTAKING!!



The Opera House is unbelievably grand! The most amazing fact is that it is a live opera house. There are performances in this particular location, and the performance tonight was completely sold out. Haha, it's not hard to believe that! If I have looked into their performance schedule, I would have booked a performance or two myself. It is simply speechless....

Luckily, I got in one of the boxes to see some performers rehearsing for about 5 minutes, and once again I got to see the incredible stage design shortly. Wow, it's definitely a great end note for my Paris trip....

Jardin/Palais du Luxembourg

It's another sunny day today, and I decided to go outdoor again.

A friend has recommended me visiting Luxembourg. Due to the weather condition, I waited till today to pay my visit to Luxembourg.

The Palace was built for Louis XIII's mother in 1615, but she didn't stay long. The weather was very pleasant and lots of people were out, the garden and the palace were simply magnificent!

Relaxing stroll along with the bank...

So, the weather turned out to be sunny and I walked along with the quiet part of River Seine bank. It's so peaceful and quiet, and I got to enjoy the local Parisians' life instead of some busy tourist spots.


There were some kids in the small play ground by the bank. I haven't seen many kids in Paris, and it's quite a nice surprise to catch some kids playing outdoor during the day time.


This photo put a smile on my face. I saw this small group of people playing bocce ball. What caught my eyes were that they played it so seriously that one guy had to bring out his measure tape to see who actually won the game. Just as I was laughing and about to click on my camera, one of the guys saw me and waving to say hi. I thought it was a fun memory photo.


As I continued walking, I got to a local traditional outdoor market. They pretty much sell everything that you need: fresh meat, veggies, fruit, bakery, flowers, clothes, jewelery, cheese and others.



So, my destination of the day was this gorgeous building called Hotel de Ville. It now houses the office of the mayor. Such a gorgeous building, and a great end note after my 8-hour walk today.

What is this?

So, we are home. As promised, I will finish up the last few days of our trip to Paris with correct dates.

Take a guess what this building is for.



1. New building under construction
2. Convention/Exhibition Center
3. Museum
4. Abandoned building
5. Cement company

Lack of Internet Access

Therefore, I will have to finish up my blog upon my return. Thank you, everyone. xoxoxoxox

Coming down with a major headache

I didn't feel well last night, and when I got up after 11 hours of sleep this morning, I had a major headache and running nose. I think the cold weather from London is finally catching up with me.

It's a sunny day today. Feeling a bit bitter, I decided to stay in and rest, hopefully get well tomorrow and go out again for the rest of the week before we go home. We've been here for over 4 weeks, but there are still places that I haven't visited yet.... I didn't plan to get sick a week before we go home.

I hope I will feel better tomorrow.

Local Mall

So, after running around and finishing some errands, I decided to head out for a few hours. Because it's mid afternoon already, and visiting museums isn't an ideal thing to do within short hours, I decided to head to the mall where the locals shop.


This mall looks pretty much like the malls we have in US. I liked the live music, cozy resting area with comfortable chairs and the bright skylight ceiling design. I wasn't in a mood to shop, but it was a great short afternoon walk in the mall.

Sorry, I simply don't understand you, Madame

So, as my Monday morning routine, I carried the laundry to the laundromat. I always had a book to read while I was waiting for the laundry to be done.

As I was reading, a lady started having a conversation with me. The reason I knew she was talking to me, was because I was the only other person in that laundromat. She was very talkative and excited with full facial expression, and I had to nod my head with a big smile without knowing what she was talking about. I politely asked her in French if she could speak English, and she gave me a big "NO." I thought that would be the end of conversation.

But she continued talking to me, in much slower speed, more gentle tone, and more facial expression, hoping I would understand her and engage in the conversations. As attentive as I listened to her and as hard as I tried to understand her, I simply didn't get anything she said. She didn't know that it's not the speed she talked, but it's the language barrier I had with her.

I realize that I have the same tendency to slow down when talking to French people in English, and they simply don't get what I say either. As frustrated as I felt, I appreciated the lady being so friendly and keeping me in the non-conversational conversations. And because of that, I may start learning some French.

A day after London trip

There's daylight saving in Europe as well, and we had to move our clock one hour ahead at 2am on Sunday. By the time we were ready to go to bed, it was almost 3am, daylight saving time.

It was like 10:30am when we woke up. We both were still tired and didn't feel like doing anything at all. Resting for another 30 minutes or so, we made a few calls back to Taiwan via Skype. I fixed some simple pasta for lunch, and we were talking about going out. And what happened next? We ended up staying at the hotel the whole time, because someone was napping...

Publish Post

Heading back to Paris

So, it pretty much concluded our day in London. We didn’t get to hop on and hop off the bus that much, and we didn’t get on the River Thames cruise. As fast as we walked and tried to hit many spots, we didn’t have time to stop by the famous Harrods and Piccadilly Circus. We wish the weather could have had been warmer and dry for us, and there weren’t any G20 demonstration. The weather was just weird; it rained and all of a sudden got sunny for 5 minutes, and then it came down with heavy cloud, icy rain, snow flakes and hails. We were simply confused about the weather pattern in London.

We got back to our hotel in Paris shortly after 11pm. It's been a long day.

If there’s any recommendation I would give out, definitely come to London in summer time and stay for at least 2 days to enjoy the city. Even if you come during summer, still make sure to bring a jacket or windbreaker with you. And of course, try to void any possible demonstration or rally because that can surely ruin your plans.