The Paris Diaries - Paris de Luxe

City Of Fashion.

Our hotel was located right by the luxurious shopping street Rue St.Honoré, where you can find

all the famous designer shops. So it was impossible not to pay a visit to my favourite shop in Rue Cambon 31; Chanel, and try out some 2.55 bags. And it's fun to think about the fact that Miss Coco Chanel had her apartment and workshop on the floors just above the shop.

But everyone knows that I love anything vintage and Paris is the city of classic, chic style.

So I found this amazing little boutique that had masses of vintage Hermès luggage and a shelf that covered the entire wall, filled with vintage Chanel bags. The owners have been collecting all these items over 20 years, so you can just imaging the unique selection they had, this also included Chanel jackets, lots of vintage jewelry and even a vintage Chanel bicycle. 

Unfortunately my budget doesn't allow me (yet!) to splurge on all these magnificent items I saw. 

So instead I had to settle on a little windowshopping. It's amazing how much detail they put in decorating the shop windows, and quite entertaining to just walk up and down the streets admiring these. 

More photos of Parisian luxury coming up very soon.

Christina Nelson

The Paris Diaries 2013 - All About The Eiffel Tower

 

Yes I'm obsessed with the Eiffel tower. This iconic monument always makes my heart beat a little faster as soon as I see it appear in between the buildings and stretching high above the parisian streets.
When in Paris, I always have to walk about in the areas around the tower, here you can find some of the most beautiful apartment buildings and hidden little parcs. But I always tend to stay at a safe distance from the main entrance of the Eiffel Tower where all the tourists flock. I prefer to photograph it from a distance, as it stands tall and proud. And I especially like to sit in the gardens right below Trocadéro and take pictures of the tower in between all the trees.
This day we also took a quick taxi ride over to the Marais district, where I had never been before. This must be one of the most charming areas, with so many little streets to explore and cute shops and restaurants that offer you a great authentic french lunch. I also love to collect vintage photos and postcards from Paris, so I was very happy to find several classic black&white images of Paris and also a book with beautiful photos taken in Paris from the 1920's up to the 50's, by some of my favorite photographers; Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau and Horvat. My definition of a good day!

Christina Nelson

There's Something About This City

There really is something special about being in Paris.
Each time I'm here I'm just blown away by the beauty of it all. Paris is unique in that way. The atmosphere in the city always makes me feel like I've just fallen in love. I'm constantly walking around like in a dream and admiring everything I walk by. Paris is also such a photogenic city, everything you photograph just looks great and it's easy to recreate that dreamy feeling I feel inside me.
Here are some of my favourite photos, taken in Montmartre and along the banks of La Seine. The one I like the best is the photo of the old men, contemplating the image of the three lamas. I took that photo while sitting in a taxi actually. And I really like how surreal it looks, the reflection of the buildings, the two charming men in matching outfits and those three little lamas - it all comes together quite nicely, in a strange way.

The Paris Diaries 2013 - First Day

  

These past days I've been reminiscing over our amazing trip to Paris during this easter.

Now that my computer is finally working again, I've been looking through all the photos I took and I created a little photo diary with pictures taken with both my iPhone and my Olympus camera.

The upcoming days I'll be updating the blog on a regular basis, which I feel I've neglected for way too long.

So get ready for an overdose of parisian photography!

These photos are from our very first day in my favourite city.

We stayed at the spa hotel St James et Albany, located in from of the pretty gardens Jardins des Tuileries, right by the Louvre and a quick walk away from the Eiffel Tower. The days always started with an elegant breakfast and then we set off to explore our surroundings and have lunch and coffee breaks at typical little french bistros. When I'm in Paris, I always dream of living in one of the large apartments with a view of the Eiffel Tower. And just live the life of an artist, taking photos all day and wandering in the streets, admiring the people and getting inspired by my surroundings. Yes, Paris always turns me into a dreamer.

 

More photos coming up tomorrow!