Favorite Destinations 2013: Paris (part II)

My favorite place in Paris is located on the top of Montmartre, yes, I you’ve been visiting this blog before, you already know, Sacre Coeur. I didn’t come there until 2010, and then I had already been to Paris 3 or 4 times. It’s this white “castle” raving over the dusty and grey part of the city. High over the rooftops, suddenly it pops up like a little part of heaven. There sure was a stairway to heaven, and we had to climb it. It was a long way up, but at last we reached the top and the view was stunning. It could rain, snow, be full storm, it wouldn’t matter, the view will always be beautiful. It’s the top of the city, but feels like the top of the world and the cozy streets of Monmartre behind it will always be enough for me while in town. I could stay there forever, and now we always stay in the area and we always visit Montmartre. 

-Mari Clémentine

Favorite Destinations 2013: Paris (part I)

Paris has become a second home to me, visiting the city at least every year it’s a highlight, a delicious break, it’s like dessert. I first saw Paris at the age of 11, sick and tired I spent way too much time in Disneyland, but we came back. Again and again and I fell in love, again and again all the way from the Eiffel Tower, to Sacre Coeur, down to the Statue of Liberty and the Montparnasse tower.

    Sitting down at the steps of Sacre Coeur I know I’m at home and in the right place. From there you can spot the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse, Notre Dame, Les Halles, all of Paris at your feet. “Elle est tres belle,” a man said to me. My French had always been bad so I just smiled at him and agreed. Paris sure was beautiful. It would always be, cause it made me feel peaceful and in place. At home. 

-Mari Clémentine

Favorite Destinations 2013: Rome (Part II)

Castle Sant'Angelo at night - love.

My favorite place in Rome is located on the northern side of the Tiber, or actually more or less over it. Stunning at day, but beautiful and extraordinary at night. We would always visit Castle Sant’Angelo and the Angel Bridge. I would sit down and watch the building and the people at the edge of the hottest summerdays in the city, they would meet up and drink wine and laugh while tourists would snap photos of each other and then run on to Basilica di san Pietro which you could just see from the bridge.

    It was a warm place and a mystic one. I couldn’t help myself from falling into deep thoughts every time I sat down on the bridge or climbed the stairs to the top of the castle. The Vatican had always seemed both beautiful and at war to me. I guess this was the best place to gain balance between religion, art and science. On the top of Rome, the beginning. 

-Mari Clémentine

Favorite Destinations 2013: Rome (part I)

I know you've seen the picture before, but it is my definition of Rome: Worlds collide.

Italy was burning under my feet, stunning 38 degrees in the shadow. Rome was taking a siesta or maybe a holiday, people were running away to the coast not far away from the dear Italian capital. I was standing on a corner watching the life and fountains at Piazza del Popolo, happy that I finally had arrived in Italy, that I had gotten a shower, that I had found the hotel after three wrong turns, that we had gotten our room after a problem with the booking.

   Rome was… unique. Italians were one of a kind. On our way to Rome we had flown over the Alps, gotten on a full train, been helped off, seen a couple of places looking like a garbage dump. We had also seen clothes drying on the terraces. We had seen people in their gardens eating strawberries and drinking wine. And a man showering outside. Italy was laidback, and beautiful already.

     Piazza del Popolo ended up a usual stop on our way down Via del Corso to our usual restaurant Antica Roma. How could any place in this world be greater to live, surrounded by religion, art and culture? Wine, pasta, icecream and beautiful people crowding the streets. I was about to fall in love.

-Mari Clémentine

Traveling XXLedition

"The forbidden city" - Beijing, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I haven’t been travelling much lately (okey, so I did go to London,  and I'm going back to Paris in February, anyways..) but these days a great journey is about to commence and it has stood a little in the way of, well, travelling in the way I know it. I don’t want to jinx anything so I choose not to tell you, my dear readers about it, but I can say so much: it involves Italy or France.
   So for the next weeks I thought I could tell you a little about my favorite destinations in Europe: Rome and Paris. Maybe my awesome Asia-trip to China, Vietnam and Hong Kong will be mentioned. I just don't know... There's so much to tell you about my "great journey" and I can't tell you about it just yet!! Stay tuned for more :)

-Mari Clémentine

Lost in London

“There’s nothing to do in London alone!” Bullshit. I had half a day and aching feet, damn be the idea of only wearing high heels for a weekend. I still had presents to buy and luckily the tourists had gone home and the Londoners were at work or school. I had Primark, HMV, WH Smith, and the cute store at the corner to myself. At least for like… one hour of the day. Then, when eventually walking into Starbucks it was overcrowded. Still a place to sit down and write though. I would forever be the travelling author – haha.

      I ended my stay in London by the Round Pond in Kensington gardens feeding the ducks, swans, doves and screaming, crazy seagulls. In the end walking down good ol’ Kensington High Street, looking for the tube station we had used all summer.

    Only problem of the day – I got lost 3 times riding the tube. YAY! In the end I finally got back to my hotel to repack my suitcase. And while the receptionist watched me sit and more or less jump on it to make it close, I said goodbye to Pimlico and then made my way to the bus and Stansted Airport for my very cheap flight and one last cup of Starbucks.

-Mari Clementine



Winter Wonderland - London

“This is insane!” Lina yelled, there was no other way to hear her over the thousands of people that were out shopping or drinking in Londons very own Winter Wonderland, located in Hyde Park. There were merry-go-rounds, rollercoasters, ice sculptures, a Christmas Market, an ice-rink, gingerbread… The list is endless. The lights were beautiful. “I can’t believe I have to go home tonight!” she continued.

    Earlier that day we had been running around town, catching one of the famous red double-deckers from Victoria to Trafalgar Square to take a look at the Norwegian Christmas tree. We then ended up visiting the National Gallery, for free, at 10 am wandering the echoing halls, seeing great paintings of the last centuries. We even saw Van Gogh and Manet! What a wonderful morning. The day was continued with Christmas shopping in Regent and Oxford Street and in the evening, when of course or plan A restaurant was closed – again – we ended up in a lovely pub behind Victoria Train Station called St. George’s Tavern.

     “I’ll pay!” Lina said.
“No, I’ll pay! You paid yesterday. You can order.” And so she did. Scottish fish for herself and Fish and Chips for me. We were the only ones there, but the atmosphere was cozy and the food delicious. Every piece of fish was a tasteful experience of its own. “Here’s some ketchup and mayo!” The cute waitress appeared out of nowhere. “And here’s some beer for you, on the house. Because it goes perfectly with fish and chips.” I thanked her, she was right and then we went one last place together, the Winter Wonderland.

-Mari Clementine