St. Denis and Canal St. Martin and Rue La Fayette in Paris

I wanted to see Canal St. Martin because I've seen paintings of it by famous artists. Somewhere along the way to the canal, we got lost but it didn't matter because we enjoyed our walk. We finally arrived at Poisson Rouge for some cappuccino and pastry. After our photo shoots by the canal, Zen and I needed some retail therapy so we continued our walk along Rue La fayette to go to Gallerie La Fayette and Printemps.

Before we embarked on our journey to the Canal, we had lunch in this Indian restaurant. 
This is an Indian neighborhood where you can find authentic curry and tangine dishes served with my fave, chutney. I'm crazy for curry food. Gotta have it.

aside from curry dishes, they also sell a lot of other things typical of their culture.

Walking Tour of the Latin Quarter

Finding something to do is not hard when in Paris. One early morning, my sister and I joined a walking tour of the Latin Quarters in the west bank where artists, writers, students and intellectuals hang out and live. It is rich in prose and poetry where novels like Cyrano de Bergerac and Les Miserables rule.

The piazza in front of Notre Dame Cathedral
 where the colors of the trees are beginning to change in September.

                 

The sisters in front of Notre Dame

Sorbonne University. The French pay a ridiculously inexpensive amount of money to study here.

This is a statue in front of Sorbonne University. Students touch the gold shoes and wish for them to pass their exams and they do. Go figure.

In order to save on taxes, they have small windows

 for the sunlight 

to come in through the kitchen.

If you notice the different sizes of the windows, 

there's a reason for that in the old times.

 They used to tax you on your windows. 

The bigger the window, the higher your tax.

This is an old, small bookstore where Shakespeare used to live. They require him to work for free lodging. He can also read one book a day and he should write novels for the bookstore. 
the owner of this bookstore was Sylvia Beach http://www.literarytraveler.com/authors/sylvia_beach.aspx, who in the 20s, saw to it that James Joyce's "Ulysses" got published. Up to now, there are a number of transient workers there that work for the bookstore for them to live in one of the corner alcove that become bedrooms when the store closes.

This was the apartment where Dante Alighieri, the Italian writer, lived. He also was a serious student of Christian theology in Paris.

a very narrow street typical of the streets of Paris

Paris....tres jolie!!

Viaduct de Millau

I arrived in Paris to spend the summer with my two sisters. One sister flew in from Los Angeles while the other sister and her family live just outside of Paris.
We have been planning this trip for a long time. Now that we're finally here, we all packed our bags and hopped in their Land Rover for a road trip to Perpignan, France. 
We were all excited and looking forward to our summer vacation together. 
We were warned about the 8 hour drive but since this was all new to me. 
I was looking forward to the adventure. The initial highlight of the trip was crossing the majestic and impressive bridge to the South of France.

A Norman Foster design, it is currently the longest cable-stayed bridge 
and also the tallest and highest in the world.
Situated in the Aveyron region where one can find locally designed, 
hand-made and hand-sewn ladies’ leather or suede gloves. 
A village where cheese artisans make the most delicious Roquefort cheese. 

It was a dizzying sight that towers above you as you cross the long highway.

Beautiful Barcelona

My sister whisked me away on a day trip to Barcelona, Spain. I've never been there before so I thought what can I do in Barcelona in one day?? Driving from the south of France crossing the Pyrenees mountains to Spain was the way to go. It took us close to 2 hours when we arrived to our destination.

Barcelona is situated along the coast of  the Mediterranean sea. We parked by the port where huge ships that sail the Balearic islands are docked. The scene was dynamic.

A massive modern sculpture pillars the center of the highway. The streets were busy.

We walked  La Rambla and there were costumed characters that lined the promenade. Stalls and booths carry all sorts of  unique things available for everyone. Cafes and brasseries were alive and bustling. We got there around lunchtime so we kept walking, looking for a special place to have tapas and paellas.

As we were walking and sightseeing, we came across Gaudi's signature architectural structures and other artists inspired by him. Hard to miss. Sensational!

After our hearty treat of tapas and paellas, we ventured out to the metro and took the train to the Sagrada Familia. It is a never-ending construction for this towering cathedral conceived by Antonio Gaudi. He died tragically by being run over by a train so he left his masterpiece unfinished. The architecture is ornate and religious, a sight to behold.

A quick ride in the metro took us to Parc Guell. Another Gaudi masterpiece that was commissioned by Count Eusebi Guell , whom the park was named after. We had so much fun at the park. It was so bizarre and surreal with numerous towering pillars, colorful mosaics and mazes of  narrow walkways that lead you up, down and around the park. It was true fantasy like walking in a dream and inside Gaudi's colorful imagination.

Up on the very top of the park is Tibidabo where you can view Barcelona's breathtaking skyline where you can point to Sagrada Familia and La Rambla. And even further are the huge cruise ships and the Mediterranean sea in the horizon.

I love Barcelona! and to Antonio Gaudi....you're a genius.