Proposal in Paris! OMG!

Bonjour! Crepes mademoiselle?” The kebab-guy smiled wide when we decided to go to his shop and order breakfast. Pancakes with nutella. I’m so healthy. “Where are you from? Russia?”

I shook my head.

“Korea?” I laughed. “Norvege,” I said and he smiled. “And do you like Paris?” He liked to small talk. “I love Paris,” I said.

“Then I love you!” I laughed more. Speechless.

“Does Norway love me?”

“Sure!” And then a high-five. The food was delicious and when we went to pay he said: “You’re very beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Awwwf.” His face went sad, then he lit up again. “You can marry me!” And then there were a whole lot of kidding about him coming home with us and so on and then we left Paris for the eight time. And the last time in a long time. Depressing times.

-Mari Clémentine

The Last Supper - Paris

Another beautiful day in the city. It was still cold, freezing as a matter of fact and we decided to visit the Notre Dame after a quick stop at Les Halles where I bought a lovely summerdress. Well, there’s not much to say, or much to do about nothing, because I went straight to Pont de l'Archevêché to look for my padlock, but never found it. The bridge is overflowing with locks now, even more than the first time I was there, it’s packed! So we went out for lunch at Café Dante in the Latin Quarter and then went to the (very boring, no offence art lovers) Museum of Modern Art.

I know this blogging is all bad, but after I went home I lost all the touch with my stress.

We also went out to eat that evening. The Last Supper. At our place, Bistro Duplex where we have eaten at least one dinner every time in Paris for the last 5 years or something. It was sad, so sad to know that the day after we would go home…

Mari Clémentine

Crazy Wild: SISTER ACT - Paris

No blogging! I've had such a busy weekend, so I haven't had time to post the end of our trip, but I promise you I'll post tomorrow, ttyl! But thought I could put up the sister act vid:

-Mari Clémentine

Vintage Shopping in Paris!

So as for Paris, fashion will always be linked to it when you talk about it you will always say something about fashion, and maybe vintage. Well, yesterday we went to the market at Duplex where they have everything from food to socks, makeup, DVDs and iPhone covers. “Scarfs! All colours! Red, blue, green, beautiful, ugly. Scarfs!” I don’t know what you can’t buy at the market, I don’t know what you can’t get to half the price at the market, but I love it. I almost love it as much as I love Marias!

Lalala, didn't take many pictures, but here's a YouTube vid about the district!

Marais is the one place in Paris where you can find high-end designers for less if you are patient and not claustrophobic, it’s many vintage stores out there. So yesterday we went out shopping as for myself I found a lovely denim shirt from Levis, a fur- to only 15 euro and yesterday’s treasure a denim shirt from BOSS to my father, what did I pay? 10 euro. At the (possibly) best vintage store in town: Free P Star! 

Mari Clémentine 

My name - Paris

After many years of loving chocolate, Starbucks’ chocolate chaud has become a dear love of mine and yesterday we went to our usual place to sit down and drink and write. “You name?” the man asked me after my order. “Clémentine!”

“Ah Clémentine! Un classic pour Clémentine! Did you know your name is French?”

“Oui.”

“I’m so proud!” I laughed and went on to the cashier. When I picked up my chocolate he was there again. “Le classic est pour  Clémentine!” He said to the barrista. “There you go! Merci, Clémentine!”

    Yep. A French name was a good idea after all.

Mari Clémentine

Boating around Louvre!

I don’t know why I put this song here, oh! Because today I bought Les Mis at my favourite bookstore here in Paris, Galignani, in Rue de Rivoli. Enjoy it! And go see the movie if you haven’t yet, it’s amazing!

Tuesday was another fine, sunny day in Montmartre, did I mention we live in Montmartre. Did I mention the breakfast in front of Sacre Coeur every day? It’s rather beautiful. We spent the day around Louvre and Tuileries, renting a little sailboat to play like the seven year old French boy by the fountain. I think it amused people.

In the evening we ate on a restaurant by Moulin Rouge and saw three VIP guests arrive, five cute little ponies! Some cities never cease to surprise and Paris must be one of them!

-Mari Clémentine 

Bring the wine! Cemeteries of Paris!

Yesterday was filled with a cute boy by the Eiffel Tower and a close to very weird trip to Cemeterie Pere Lachaise, which is a HUGE cemetery in the very east of Paris. It’s more like a city of the death really, with kilometres(!) of graves dating back to who knows when!
     We also did a lot of shopping, the French culture is not only wine and art, but also fashion and sheltered by Les Halles I spent to much money on clothes and BEAUTIFUL shoes. I don’t think my passion for shoes will ever cease…

      In the evening I then put on my new shoes and a dress to go out eating, leaving us with delicious (once again) Italian wine, I seriously couldn’t control myself, pasta carbonara (my favourite dish) and chocolate mousse. After all, a very good day indeed. I believe now is the time to go find a new adventure, even after 8 times in Paris there is still much to see.

Love you

Mari Clémentine

Met the president of Ireland! LET THEM EAT CAKE!

Bonjour, le blogg. 

I’m currently having internet-problems at the hotel, but it’ll probably be okey tonight, I hope, so more about that later.
   

Anyways I’m sitting in front of Sacre Coeur at the moment, enjoying a French baguette for breakfast. We did the same thing yesterday, sweet life. Oh, dolce vita! 

    Road Block! Sorry, dear, you can’t cross over to the Arc de Trimophe, because… of something. Well we soon found out that our road block and the guards and the band was all for the french foreign minister and the Irish president! He probably came to meet me, but I unfortunatley could not make it to the other side. I think I would make a good paparazzo though!

The Irish President is the small one to the right :)

Mari Clémentine

Nutella, Wine, Pizza and more Wine...

Paris was a fresh breath, it was home and when I more or less fell down on my chair after ordering my Starbucks in half French, half English (something that soon became way to usual that evening) it felt like all the times before. Relaxing and calming.

    I don’t know if it was good or bad luck that we ended up walking from the Tour Eiffel to Amalfi in the Duplex-area, but Italian pizza and wine did not hurt. After having the waiter call me the “baby” and “dolly” for the entire evening, saying “I love you” in Norwegian and ending it all by giving me a lollypop we went laughing back to metro where a puppet-man entertained us half the way back to Montmartre ( I may upload the vid later!) where a lovely man sold us Crepe Nutella and Warm Wine.

   Paris’ food and people are way too easy to enjoy and already when we arrived at the metro station a very cute French guy, came over to carry my suitcase down the stairs. Why would I ever wanna leave here?

-Mari Clémentine

Airport on fire, but I made it HOME! - Paris

One: Turn on the feel-good track. 

Two: Enjoy my trip.

So, one could say I’m a rather lucky girl. I mean… I’m in Paris! And I’m alive! But we were travelling for almost 9 hours to get here. And now you all go: Nine hours seriously? Well, yeah. You see at the airport someone decided to turn on the fire alarm so everyone had to evacuate and when inside again everyone had to go to security… AGAIN!
The positive: We got to keep our tax-free drinks and for the open water bottle the Security-man only said: “Drink a little from it so I can see it’s nothing dangerous.” Oh, so much fun...

We made it to Paris, though! More about that tomorrow! Sleep tight, dear world..

-Mari Clémentine

If you're tired of Paris, you're tired of life!

“To say that one is tired of Paris, is in fact to say that one is tired of life!"  – Savage Grace. It was actually originally said about London, I think, but who cares when it’s true! I know I sound like a dumb American richbitch, but I think I have fallen in love with the city, as so many others and saying goodbye to her for a year won’t be easy, but at least I’m going for winter break. So TOMORROW Paris will be mine again.

    And now a lot of people might ask: What do you do there? You must have seen everything, sweet Jeez it’s the 8^th time! Well, firstly, I haven’t seen everything, I’ve never been on top of the Eiffel Tower, I’ve never been to Versailles or Musee Carnavalet. So what do I do?
    I live.

\

    Every day in Paris is like the day after you’ve been magically cured for pneumonia, finally being able to breathe again. I often go out walking, writing in parks or taking photos. When I get really tired I go to Starbucks or other cafes to sit down for hot chocolate. Sometimes I eat crepes de nutella for lunch. I visit museums, churches, bridges and statues. This year I’ve promised myself to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery which I’m really looking forward to.

     You see, my dear readers and friends, Paris is a dance. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but it’s always moving on. Touching, or not touching. Fancy old-fashioned or dirty and in-time. It will be whatever you want it to be and who can resist that?

-Mari Clémentine

    

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

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

Drama in Brussels!

Omg, I’m in Belgium. As I walked down the shopping street it suddenly hit me, the smell of waffles, this isn’t my dear France, this is Belgium. Another thing hit me as well, I had left the camera at our hotel. Or apartment place. You know, nothing big, only for holiday-apartments located over an erotic shop with the reception… yeah, you guessed it, inside the shop. I feel so good going in that door all the time. Haha.

    We arrived in Belgium this morning and barely had time to buy a macaroon (ordered in French of course) before we had to get on the bus and our bus driver had a fight with a mad lady in French, English and Russian and then she spat him in the face and he ran off the bus and chased her down the street and… Well, I didn’t get much of it, but she didn’t get to take our bus. Oh, the drama…

 

   For the afternoon, just to get to know the city, we took a tour of Brussels. We went from Grand Place, the big square in the city center, to Atomium, a giant atom built for the Expo ’58 in the city, we saw the royal palace, the triumphal arc, a hundred museums from the outside and not to forget about ten churches. Oh! And then we went to a chocolate store and tasted and watched people make chocolate! Right now we’re working with plotting out were we most want to go and since we woke up at 4 am I guess it’ll be an early night.

Kisses from Brussels,
Mari Clèmentine

Welcome, welcome!

Sorry for about no pictures and bad quality, talking 'bout old times now and digital cameras did not exist back then, but I promise it will get much better from now on!

The first time I was travelling anywhere my parents and I went to Copenhagen in Denmark for a couple of days in the summer holiday. I was six years old and we took the boat. While there we went to the zoo, the Tivoli, up and down the main street many times a day and we ate red hot dogs.

A six-year-old me getting my picture taken at some fun Tivoli-shop

The first time I was travelling by plane we, my mom and I, were going to Gran Canaria. I was 10, the five hour flight was terribly long, but I was so excited I didn’t care. It was supposed to be a typical beach holiday, just chillin’ on the beach, but even though my mom was sure to keep me active in the child-care-fun-club-thing (Bamseklubben ayeee!) where I made a bunch of friends, one that I still have, I was set to explore the island. Therefor we went on a bus trip around half of the island, we went dolphin-watching and camel riding in the dessert. I also had an adventure on a donkey, but that’s another story… This anyway is where my obsession with travelling started and even though I’m still in school I drag my mom around the world every now and then.

At a banana plantation at Gran Canaria

So join me as I climb and camp on the Great Wall of China, try to have full conversations in French at the steps of Sacre Ceour, go to school in Brighton, hang out with old friends in Italy, get mistaken for being French in Hong Kong, meet the whole world on a boat in Halong Bay and sing karaoke in a bar in Bugibba.

Mari Clémentine. –tine like in sin, not time.