[Belatedly] continuing my European travels:

We took the Euro Star from London to Paris, a relatively short trip of 2 or 3 hours. The U.K. countryside is beautiful, though I’m pretty sure I drifted off for a good portion of the trip. Prepare for ear-poppage in tunnels.

A charted bus picked us up at the station in Paris and we drove through the slowest traffic to reach our hotel, Raspail Montparnasse, almost 40 minutes later. The Hotel Raspail was a small, intimate, clean and enjoyable place to stay. It’s very European, and has a small breakfast area in the basement which is decently price. I can imagine that it’s a pretty affordable place to stay, and about 80-150 Euros/night.

Don't worry, the hotel does have a (tiny) elevator, but since my room was only one floor up, I figured it would be easier to trek the spiral staircase one flight rather than wait in the huge line while one person at a time made their way up to their respective floor with their overflowing luggage.

This is a double room with two twin beds. The beds and room are nicely decorated, but the beds were literally pushed against each other.

I was generally satisfied with my rooming accommodation, and for a university-funded trip, almost expected less. The bathroom is good sized, though the hair dryer looks more like a vacuum cleaner extension set on inverse, The fridge comes fully stocked with beverages, if you choose to indulge, but remember it will cost you on your final bill!

After an hour or so to settle in, we made our way pretty directly to Notre Dame Cathedral, where we explored the church, took pictures, and walked along the Seine and a good 2 miles of the Champs-Élysées. It was like London, minus the jetlag, added the travel fatigue, and more walking.

The group by the Seine in daylight.

Notre Dame from the distance. Parisian traffic, tsk.

Outside the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral.

Arc de Triomphe. We walked here.

And took a group picture. Many, actually, but this was the only decent one.

Men talking near the fake lake in the gardens at the Champ-Élysées.

Got these at the Oxford Circus TopShop for £70, suede and braided nubuck!

My boyfriend tells me he just spent $70 on an Electric Organ and I’m pretty sure I’m gearing up to spend that much on shoes between yesterday and today alone. And this is not taking into account the 8 other pairs I’ve purchased so far this summer.

I shipped a bunch over to New York, land of no sales tax on shoes and clothing under $100, in his trusted custody. Oh dear.

And since I haven’t done one of these ‘minor details of what’s going on in my life,’ here’s a quickie!

Lately I’ve…

1. Been working quite a lot. I gotten a part-time job [though my current hours are edging dangerously near to full time] for the summer, and naturally, have already gotten tickets lined up ready to squander all my not-quite-earned savings away: yes, m’dears, I’m going to JAPAN for Christmas vacation.
2. Does anyone else find the Fantasmic Disneyland radio commercial song oddly catching? When it comes on I find myself humming along much too frequently.
3. Been slowly (not quite surely) putting up a few backdated posts about my Europe trip, which is more than I ever did for my China vacation last summer.
4. Also been trying to figure out how to compact all the shit stuff I want to get back to New York in late August packed into one under-25lb parcel mail box, a medium-sized suitcase, and 2 carry-on’s. I’m trying to stay away from a suitcase being one of those carry-ons.

It was a sunless day, though a typical one, for northern California beaches.

Went with a couple girlfriends down to Santa Cruz earlier this week, for a much needed respite from work. I’ve been working 6 days a week for the past three weeks, and I hadn’t been able to find time to hang out with my friends at a time that worked for all of us. Unfortunate, but this is what happens when one wants to vacation in Japan during the winter holiday: one must work one’s butt off to get money to do so.

Santa Cruz Beachfront, oh-so-California.

My boyfriend likes to remind that I’m from California whenever the modifier hella slips through. Usually he’s not appreciative of the fact, but this is a pale boy from New York speaking, so I like to think that all comments of his regarding my state are void and invalid.

See? Palm trees. That's my Jill-E camera bag in the front.

The dress I was wearing is now one of my favorites. I don’t know how many people have heard of Desigual, a Spanish design company that opened at least 2 storefronts in New York City in the past year or so (one’s in SoHo, it’s not difficult to spot). They sell these amazing coats and dresses made of a mish-mash of fabrics and patterns that just make me want to drop the $400 dollars the clothes are priced at.

Well, my dress (thank goodness) did not come from Desigual. In fact, I dug it out of a large pile of thrift clothes at a stall in the somewhat sketchy Montreuil markets in Paris and purchased it for the bargain price of 8 Euros!

The full front view of the dress.

Notice the zipper details and the empire waistline.

The patterns remind me of Ming vases.

Hemline.