#Au-revoir #Paris, onto #Sansebastian! #michelin #foodie #pintxos!

On the night of 9/13, we prepared for our 8am flight to Spain. We said our goodbyes to the little chateau in 16E district on the 2nd floor of a building on Rue Saint Francois millet. Goodbye weird toy yachts that our host collected, goodbye little standup shower that I almost slipped out of because it was elevated so high on a wooden platform (or maybe I'm just short according to European standards). Goodbye toilet that had a rope that hung from the ceiling for a flusher. Goodbye my host's mini fridge that had nothing but Jambon, jars of pate and jam, and other cured meats: bachelor food. Goodbye the bittersweet memories of a fairy tale turned reality check in this ity bitty icky apartment in the richest borough in Paris. The last day in the place was nothing like the first day. 

When we first arrived to the apartment, we felt like we were on set at a Vogue photoshoot. Everything looked lux: the expensive toy boats, the cute French window overlooking a quad, and the little kitchen area that had what we thought was a shelf but ended up being a hot plate that could be used as a stove top. It seemed so nice at first, until... maybe it was the tour around Paris because once we got back to the apartment for our last night, it felt dusty, lustreless and cold. This was a reminder that money doesn't buy you inner warmth and comfort and nice things always come with a price. The price I paid, I'd rather not say. Regardless, Paris was everything I wanted it to be for my first time and I have zero regrets and a million memories.

Still don't know how I survived without knowing a lick of French. I remember asking a random guy for directions because he was wearing an Oakland Raiders hat. The French idolize America and I don't blame them. San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area is pretty damn awesome. I think at that point I was getting homesick, but I immediately forgot about home once we boarded the TGV Atlantic #8533 train at 10:28am from Paris to Montparnass to Hendaye then finally onto our intended destination, San Sebastian, the unofficial foodie city of the world with the most Michelin rated restaurants in the world. Stay tuned for the next blog where Katrina will share her knowledge about Spanish tapas, or as the Basque call it, #pintxos! Kai - e -sho! 

#Chateauversailles in #France: #itsabeautifulthing #aupassage and #wetsocks in the #rain

 9/13 Wednesday we woke up and went to the Louvre. We spent many hours walking down as many corridors as we could. After the louvre, we went to Champs Alyesees. Ate Pierre herme macrons and Mcdonalds (disgusting). We took the train To Au Passage and had an adventurous dinner: Oysters, barnacles, wine pairing, Blood sausage, veal tongue, salted egg brocoli leaves. Cucumber and béer with burrata. 

9/14 Awoke and dressed for Château Versailles. We commuted via train to the chateau. Rain, lots of it! I'm talking a ridiculous amount. I was not prepared for this weather even though mid September in Paris is expected to be gloomy-grey. Peddlers were trying to sell umbrellas for 10£. We walked away from one guy as he shouted more reasonable prices, "Wait 9£. Okay 6£??? Waiiitt...5£?" Bingo. Kat and I bought the little umbrella to get us through the rain. Luckily, we were wearing wool... I felt like I was wearing a wet "body sock". I hate wet socks! 

The Chateau was beautiful. I can only imagine how luxurious it was back in the day. My only concern was the smell. I felt like I was smelling Marie Antoinette's hair. Keep in mind, they did not shower back then... It was kind of like I was in a high luxury furniture consignment. We took photos many photos and tried our best to tour the garden in the pouring rain. I can still feel the water in Kate spikes black platforms that I borrowed. It wasn't as bad as the family in front of us while we were exiting. They were all wearing open-toed sandles, shorts and tank tops. Ouch. Sucks for them. After a few hours, we decided to take the train back into Paris.  We got off at the Eiffel Tower and ducked into a corner cafe. More noisettes and espressos to warm us up and get us energized. We bumped into our friend Ryan Jordan's cousin and best friend. BTW, Ryan Jordan is our buddy - he's a fashion designer in NYC. His work has been collected by various artists including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Check out his website here: www.ryanjordan.com.

After the drinks, we walked around the Eiffel Tower area and got a bit lost. I can't remember what we were looking for, but I do remember that I picked up some dim sum to go. So Asian, I know. Of course I would get dimsum in Paris. It was delicious. 

We went home to get ready for our last dinner in Paris. We decided on some Asian fusion restaurant that was disgusting and not worth mentioning. After dinner, we hung out by the theater at a corner cafe. It was in a really cool area. The area reminded me of LES in NYC- many young and artistic students in that area. More coffee and noisettes. We hung out there and people watched. At that point I was ready to leave Paris and head to our next destination in the morning. The next day we left our bachelor pad in 16E and took the train down south to... San Sebastián! 

#bluemonday #itsabeautifulthing #camaraderie #loyalty #friendship #company

Ah yes, #bluemonday, the most depressing day of the year. 

Most are going backing to school and/or work from the holiday and new year festivities. The other day, my friend told me she thinks about seeking counseling every year at this time because the end of the happy holiday and family time is too depressing. The presents have been opened and we've hugged our families goodbye to set off into the world of work and school. The world is self-loathing, sad, and blue today, but the beauty of it all is that we're all sad and blue together.

Why not spend this day in acceptance as opposed to false happiness? Go up to your coworker and say, "Man, #bluemonday. Sucks". Share a sad story together and get it out of your system. I guarantee that the moment after will be a lightness and warmth in knowing that you're not alone on this day. Maybe the two of you will share a smile or bitter laugh, I guarantee that it won't feel so bad.

Have an acceptingly sad #bluemonday with your fellow mankind!

#itsabeautifulthing

-@PRTiffany