Hotel Gustave, romantic hotel with the view of the Eiffel Tower

When you almost think that sparkling Eiffel Tower is overly touristic - and then stay scotched to the window, soaking in the beautiful view of Parisian rooftops and the Iron Lady in the back. AND waiting impatiently for the next full hour to be mesmerised by it’s sparkling again. The view the Hotel Gustave offers from some of their rooms is astonishing, to say the least. And so is the service they offer.

Hidden from the noise of the nearby attractions and monuments (the Seine, Champ de Mars, the Eiffel Tower and more), this hotel offers an oasis of peace in the heart of Paris.



We stayed in the Deluxe Room with a large and very comfortable bed. The room itself was not super big but it was very well optimised and beautifully decorated, letting you prepare your Nespresso coffee in your room at any time of the day. I always appreciate a spacious bathroom with a big shower - we fell in love with their fab monsoon shower. Modern, beautiful, spacious bathroom with toiletries from Fragonard! Great experience at any moment. Not to forget the bathrobe and sleepers. It's incredible how much little things like that enhances your stay at a hotel.



We enjoyed breakfast in the Scandinavian Pavilion, early in the morning before going to work. Hot drinks, breads and pastries, fruit juices, cheeses, scrambled eggs... What better way to start a day than with a view of the Eiffel Tower and great breakfast!



It goes without saying that the hotel is well served by public transport. Feel like some shopping? Do check out the brand new Beaugrenelle mall with a wide choice of shops and restaurants. If you still prefer Champs Elysées, just hop on the next metro Line 6 - you’ll be there in less than 15 minutes.

INFO
More info: Hotel Gustave
Address: 34 Rue Viala, 75015, Paris, France
Webpage: https://www.hotelgustave.com/

Hotel Adèle & Jules in Paris, a real love at first sight!

This boutique hotel has been a real love at first sight! We have never enjoyed our stay as much. Located in the city center but at the same time hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s a concealed place I’d almost rather not talk about so it doesn’t get too popular too quickly :)

Not very obvious to find, its location is a great advantage. Just a few steps from the Grand Boulevards, Hôtel Adèle & Jules is located in a small quiet private street you probably wouldn’t enter when just passing by. We actually missed a turn when heading there. Once you arrive, you find out that Adèle & Jules are actually two separate buildings, with identical beautiful interior and room organisation.



We’ve stayed in Adèle, in a room with a window overlooking the calm street, and fell in love the moment we entered. On the ground floor, there is a very cosy place to enjoy breakfast, have a glass of wine during the honesty hour or just chill. It has been for the first time that I’ve actually wished to stay in the hotel and read a book in the lobby instead of going around the city or simply staying in the room. The window ceiling with the natural light makes you simply want to stay there forever. I’ll go there for breakfast soon again!



When we came in the room, not only we loved the interior. There was a beautiful handwritten card waiting for us, next to a box of Angelina chocolates! What a nice attention! And this is not all - people behind this hotel are putting a lot of efforts in details. Everything seems to have its place, a well chosen one.

Not only they pay attention to details. Even their bathroom is so nice you want to have the same at your home. We were treated to Fragonard toiletries, enjoyed super soft bathrobes and perfectly sized slippers (which is quite rare for girls!).



Oh, and not to forget - they have a well equipped gym in the basement! I only wanted to have a look at it but my Mr Handsome seriously planned on exercising in the morning. Yeah, why not. I finally went with him to exercise before breakfast and I felt great (and proud, haha) for the rest of the day!

It goes without saying that we felt so much at home that we didn’t want to leave - and have been dreaming of going back for a night ever since.

INFO
More info: Hotel Adèle & Jules
Address: 2 & 4 bis Cité Rougemont, Paris, France
Webpage: http://www.hoteladelejules.com/

Hotel Boris V., a cute little hotel just on the outskirts of Paris

When looking for a place to stay during a trip to Paris, people are often looking for hotels in Paris exclusively. They don’t know that just a few minutes from the city centre of Paris, they can find the a cool offer in the hotel Boris V. and have a great stay.

Levallois Perret is a nice suburb of Paris literally just a few metro stops away from the capital. Even better - the metro line 3 is a direct line to the Opera house, the beautiful Marais part of Paris, busy and dynamic Place de République or even Saint Lazare if you are taking the train from Paris. If you’d like to stay in a unique boutique hotel in Levallois Perret, Boris V. is the place to go.



Boris V. is a small hotel, inspired by the world of a famous writer of the 50s. Its special furniture and attention to detail when it comes to decoration create a unique vintage atmosphere. It is ideally located for visiting the capital in peace.

The staff is very friendly and welcoming too, flexible when it comes to check in or check out and making sure your stay is great. The hotel is clean and pleasant to stay at.



With my man we've spent a beautiful stay in this nice hotel. Breakfast in bed was a special treat, and the idea of staycation suits us just perfectly. It makes you discover your own city through different eyes. We took the time to go to the local market on the Sunday morning, soaking in all the aromas and colours.



Little details were present in the bathroom as well. The spacious shower in the clear blue colour almost makes you think you're somewhere south next to the sea. I'm already counting down to the next seaside trip.

INFO
More info: Hotel Boris V.
Address: 73 rue Louise Michel, 92300 Levallois Perret, France
Webpage: http://borisv-hotel.com/

Pomladni Pariz - Paris in Spring

Ne morem verjeti, da je že sredina februarja. Januarja je bilo konec kot bi mignil, še posebej zaradi vseh zadev, ki so se dogajale, odkar sem se vrnila v Pariz prvega januarja. Selitev iz enega stanovanja v drugega (pravzaprav sem potrebovala par tednov, da sem vse svoje stvari od vseh prijateljev, ki so jih shranili zame, prenesla v novo stanovanje), novo pripravništvo, Charlie Hebdo in ves pariški kaos, pomešan z žalostjo, strahom in jezo. Božičnih lučk ni več (hvalabogu, letos jih kar niso in niso sneli!). Malo je snežilo v Parizu, ravno toliko, da so vsi pretiravali z navdušenjem.

Prejšnji vikend je bil čudovit. Prava zima – mrzlo, a sončno. Okej, priznam, da bi moral biti sneg po vseh pravilih v tej zimski enačbi, ampak meni je čisto fino brez. V mislih sem že pri pomladi. Tulipani pripomorejo k temu, dnevi se daljšajo, in ko se vračam domov iz službe, ni več tako temno.

Ko sem zadnjič kolesarila, sem imela flashback mrzle, ampak čudovite pomladi v Kopenhagnu. Kolesarjenje po Østerbrogade, postanek na Gunnar Nu Hansens Plads za latte in tortico na sončku s sončnimi očali in odpetim plaščem, potem pa navdušeno opazovanje cvetličarn s čebulicami na poti, ki vabijo, da jih kupiš in preoblečeš svoje stanovanje v pomladno vzdušje!

V tem trenutku sem se zavedla, da očitno vsako leto enkrat februarja začnem sanjati o pomladi in vsem, kar paše zraven. Lani so me čebulice in sončno vreme spomnili na Kopenhagen pred enim letom, ko sem tudi sama dobila svojo čebulico, in zdi se, da mi je bilo to tako zelo všeč, da zdaj o tem sanjam vsako naslednje leto. Letos sem imela samo tulipane, ampak bom kmalu pogledala za kakšno čebulico, ki jo bom opazovala rasti.

Doma, v Sloveniji, pa se pomlad očitno zdi še kar daleč stran. Na Facebooku in Instagramu mojih prijateljev je nešteto snežnih in zimskih fotk. Zdi se mi precej čudno, če si poskušam predstavljati takšno vzdušje tu v Parizu. No, v vsakem primeru bom morala počakati še kakšna dva meseca, preden Ben and Jerry’s Cone Day pride v Pariz in odpre sezono sladoleda. Ampak veste kaj? Kdo pravi, da je ne morem odpreti sama? Pomlad, pridi kmalu! :)

I can’t believe it’s mid-February already. January has gone by in a flash. This was even more so given everything that has happened since I got back in Paris on the first of January. Moving from one apartment to another one (it took me several weeks actually to get all my belongings from all of my friends who had stored them for me), starting a new internship, Charlie Hebdo and Parisian chaos mixed with sadness, fear and anger. The Christmas lights are all gone by now (thanks god, they kept them forever this year!). It snowed a tiny little bit in Paris, just so everyone got overwhelmed.

The past weekend has been marvellous. The real winter – cold but sunny. Ok, I admit that snow should be in that equation too, but I am pretty happy without it. In my mind I am actually in the spring season already. Tulips contribute very much to that, days are getting longer and it’s not that dark anymore when I come back home from work.

When I was cycling the other day, I had a flashback of cold but beautiful spring in Copenhagen. Cycling down the Østerbrogade, stopping at Gunnar Nu Hansens Plads for latte and cake while sitting on the sun with sunglasses and open jacket, and then passing several flower shops with flower bulbs, inviting to buy them and bring the springish atmosphere in your apartment.

I’ve realised just now that apparently every year at some point in February I start dreaming about spring and all that comes with it. Last year the sunny weather and flower bulbs reminded me of Copenhagen a year before, when I got one for the first time, and it seems like I liked it so much that I dream of it every year since then. This year I’ve only had tulips but I will soon have a look for yet another flower bulb, which I will then watch grow.

Back home, on the other hand, spring apparently still seems far away. Facebook and Instagram feeds of my friends are flooded with snowy photos. It seems so strange to put myself in the wintery mood again, even though those photos are usually super beautiful. Well, I guess I will still need to wait for about two months before the Ben and Jerry’s Cone Day comes in town again and opens the ice cream season. But you know what – who says I can’t open it myself? Spring, come quickly!:)

Parc Monceau and some news

Jesen se nam res želi oddolžiti za mraz in dež v avgustu. Čudovite sončne dneve imamo, ko skoraj pomislim, da je še vedno poletje, potem pa me vonj odpadlega listja spomni, da je tudi na koledarju že jesen. Dnevi se krajšajo in kar smešen je občutek, ko se okrog 20h že začne večeriti.

Ta teden sem se sprehodila čez 17. okrožje, kamor res nikoli ne grem, in bila sem očarana. Tak, počasni, družinski predel se mi je zdel. In kar naenkrat sem se znašla v parku Monceau, ki je na meji z 8. okrožjem. Bila je sreda, ko imajo otroci v Franciji prosti dan, tako da je bil park poln otrok, ki so se lovili, igrali, smejali.

Poleg igral, vrtiljaka in gugalnic je v parku mini jezero z romantičnimi mostovi, na vsakem koraku pa lahko vidimo številne kipe. Park ni čisto nič francoski. Bolj spominja na münchenski Englischer garten, samo da je manjši, seveda. V sončnem dnevu je enostavno poiskati senco in si vzeti trenutek miru. Dokler mimo ne priteče razigrana skupinica otrok.

Autumn is really trying to make it up to us for the cold and rain in August. We are having great sunny days and I almost catch myself thinking that it is still summer, until the smell of the fallen leaves reminds me that even calendars say it is autumn now. The days are getting shorter and it feels somehow strange when it starts getting dark around 20h.

This week I walked through the 17th arrondissement where I really never go, and I was enchanted. It seemed like a slow, family-like part of Paris. And suddenly I found myself in the Park Monceau on the border with the 8th arrondissement. It was Wednesday, when French kids have a day off, and the park was full of children, running around, playing and laughing.

Apart from the playground, the carrousel and swings, there is a smaller lake with small romantic bridges and there are several randomly placed statues. The park doesn't seem very French. It rather reminds of Englischer garten in Munchen, just that this one is smaller, of course. It is easy to find a shade on a sunny day and have a moment of peace. Until another group of playful kids comes by.

Sicer pa se je v zadnjih dnevih veliko dogajalo. Delček tega vsak dan povzamem na Instagramu, kjer še vedno vztrajam pri #100happydays. Zdaj sem že čez polovico. Joj, kako hitro beži čas!

V tem času sem zaključila svoje pripravništvo. Preden začnem z novim (exciting!!), bom za krajši čas prišla domov, v Slovenijo. Tega sprva nisem predvidevala, se pa veselim. Splet okoliščin je poskrbel, da se spet sprehodim čez Ljubljano. Pred tem… Pred tem bom odpotovala na Sever za par dni, potem pa preletela celo Evropo in še malo, na potovanje, ki si ga že nekaj časa želim. V vsaki situaciji je vedno nekaj pozitivnega.

Lately, there has been a lot going on. I share a bit of that on Instagram every day, where I continue with #100happydays. I am more than half way through by now. Ohh, how the time passes by.

Meanwhile I have finished my internship. Before I start a new one (exciting!!), I will come back home, to Slovenia, for a short while. I haven't planned this at first, but I am looking forward to it. A given set of circumstances gave me an opportunity to stroll the streets of Ljubljana again. But before that… Before that I will travel to the North for a few days, and then fly all the way through Europe and a bit further, for a trip I have dreamed about for a while now. There is always something positive in any situation. Stay tuned!

Follow my 100 Happy Days on my Instagram.

Jutro v Parizu - Morning in Paris

Danes sem šla v službo pol ure prej kot ponavadi. Prisežem, da sem kolesarila skozi drugačen Pariz kot ponavadi. Kavarne, butiki, trgovine so bili v večini še zaprti. Avtomobili dostavljalcev so bili parkirani na pločnikih (in kolesarskih stezah, khm!), promet je bil precej zgoščen. Zdelo se mi je, kot da sem prišla na zabavo, ki se je še pripravljala in kjer je vladalo vzdušje naglice. Kot da se ponavadi tiste pol ure prej vse pripravi, da lahko lepo odkolesarim v službo. Vse se mi je zdelo drugače. Temperatura, sonce, vzdušje, svetloba.

Pol ure razlike. Nisem mogla verjeti. Edino, kar je bilo enako, je bila polna Velib postaja, kjer sem morala počakati, preden sem lahko parkirala svoje kolo.

Večkrat sem si že rekla, da bom vstala malo prej in izkoristila zgodnje jutro pred službo, ampak mi kar ne uspe. Zdaj, ko vidim, da Pariz diha popolnoma drugače, si želim, da bi se šla kdaj res zelo zgodaj zjutraj sprehodit po ulicah Pariza. Večer je prav tako precej spremenjen, včasih celo mističen, ampak brez te jutranje svežine in nežnega sončnega vzhoda. Za ponoviti vsekakor.

Today I went to work half an hour earlier than usually. I swear that I was cycling through a different Paris than usually. Cafés, boutiques, shops were mostly still closed. The cars of deliverers were parked on the sidewalks (and cycling lanes, khm!), the traffic was quite heavy. It seemed as if I came to a party that was still being prepared and where the atmosphere of a rush was omnipresent. As if usually it takes this half an hour to prepare everything, so I can cycle nicely to my office. Everything seemed different. The temperature, sun, the atmosphere, the light.

A difference of half an hour. I couldn't believe it. The only thing that remained the same was a full Velib station where I needed to wait before I was able to park my bike.

So far I have said to myself several times that I would get up a bit earlier and make the most of my early morning before work, but somehow I rarely succeed. Now that I see that Paris is breathing completely differently, I wish to stroll the streets of Paris at some point very early in the morning. The evening is equally different, sometimes I would even call it mystical, but this freshness and mild sunrise is not there. I will definitely do that again!

Poletni Pariz - Summery Paris

Poletje se v Parizu ne zdi več poletno. Ko končno posije malo sonca, je občutek podoben temu, ko se po dolgi zimi malo otopli in se pokaže pomladno sonce. Za avgust bi si vseeno želela vročega vremena. Vseeno pa nas potem vsake toliko presenetijo čudoviti večeri. Še vedno hladni, ampak z res zanimivo igro svetlobe, barv in odtenkov. Ko se na tak večer odpravljam iz službe, se mi zdi res odlična ideja, da se počasi sprehodim do doma namesto vožnje z metrojem, na poti pa se ustavim v Jardin des Tuileries.

Summer in Paris doesn't seem very summerish anymore. When there is finally some sun, the feeling is similar to the one after a long winter, when the spring sun shines again. Nevertheless, sometimes we get a little surprise in the form of beautiful evenings. They are still cold, but what is impressive is an incredible game of light, colours and shades. When I leave my work on such a beautiful evening, I walk home instead of taking the metro, and I stop for a while in Jardin des Tuileries.

Preden nadaljujem po Rue du bac na levem bregu Sene, prečkam Pont Royal, kjer se za trenutek ustavim. Musée d'Orsay, Eifflov stolp, Grand Palais, Louvre... in sončni zahod. Srečna sem.

Before I continue on Rue du bac on the left bank of Seine, I cross Pont Royal, where I stop for a moment. Musée d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Louvre… and the sunset. I am happy.

Srečna nisem samo takrat, ko je lep zahod, hehe. Dva tedna nazaj sem začela svojo serijo #100happyDays. Všeč mi je. Poglej si tule: Mojih 100 srečnih dni.

I am not happy only when there is a nice sunset, hehe. Two weeks ago I started my series of #100happyDays. I like it. Have a look here: My 100 Happy Days.

Seagulls in Paris - Galebi v Parizu

Despite the summer time, I don't really have holidays. Well, I had a month off in May, which is not too bad, right, but I have been working since June. And to be honest, I don't complain. I still have evenings and weekends to enjoy, and in August, I will have some longer weekends for shorter trips.

I miss the sea though. The Paris Beach has just opened last week along the Seine, but despite the sand and the palm trees it is not the same. I miss the smell of the salt and the infinite view of the sea. Strangely enough for some people, I am excited about the presence of seagulls in Paris. When I heard them for the same time, I thought I was dreaming. Seagulls in Paris?? An old lady later on told me that they sometimes follow the ships on the Seine and finally stay in Paris given that there is a lot of food they can find. Apparently they are very urban seagulls, I hear :D I probably wouldn't be able to distinguish between the sea and the urban seagull, but I simply adore the sound they are making when they fly above the rooftops of parisian houses. It almost makes me feel like I am somewhere at the seaside too.

Ne glede na poletni čas sama nimam počitnic. No, imela sem počitniški maj, kar tudi ni slabo, ampak od junija naprej delam. In iskreno rečeno se ne pritožujem. Še vedno mi ostane čas za poletno uživanje v večerih in med vikendi, v avgustu bom imela pa še par daljših vikendov za krajše izlete.

Pogrešam pa morje. Pariška plaža se je odprla prejšnji teden vzdolž Sene, ampak kljub pesku in palmam ni isto. Pogrešam vonj soli in pogled na neskončno morje. Nekaterim se zdi izredno čudno, ampak jaz sem navdušena nad galebi v Parizu. Ko sem jih prvič slišala, se mi je zdelo, da sanjam. Galebi v Parizu?? Starejša gospa mi je enkrat kasneje povedala, da galebi včasih sledijo ladjam, ki plujejo po Seni, vse do Pariza, potem pa kar ostanejo v Parizu, saj tu očitno najdejo dovolj hrane. Pravijo, da so ti galebi precej meščanski, hehe. Sam najbrž ne bi razločila morskih in meščanskih galebov, ampak jaz enostavno obožujem zvok, ki ga slišim, ko preletavajo pariške strehe. Skoraj se mi zazdi, da sem tudi sama nekje na obali.

Beautiful Paris

“We'll always have Paris.” (Howard Koch)

Summer in Paris is incredibly beautiful. Days got longer, sunny days give me great energy and the sunsets are just breathtaking. Sometimes it really feels like a paradise.

Poletje v Parizu je neverjetno lepo. Dnevi so postali daljši, sončni dnevi mi dajejo res fino energijo in sončni zahodi jemljejo dih. Včasih se mi res zazdi, kot bi bila v raju.

Spring = Stress? - Pomlad = Stres?

happy |ˈhapē|
adjective (happier, happiest)
feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

If I was to sum up my past month with one word, it would be “happy”. It was busy, at times stressful, with lots of deadlines, but all in all I kept the smile on my face and enjoyed almost every moment of it. Almost like the little boy crocodile on the photo above I finally managed to capture on a sunny day in Strasbourg.

At the end of March, the conference we have been working on for more than 10 months, finally happened. I spent a really nice but intense week in Strasbourg (I don’t exaggerate if I say that I spent almost all my days in the European Parliament, like literally), surrounded by motivated young Europeans and the best organisers team, wearing high heels, lipstick and dresses 24/7. As the Head of layout and design, the printer and my computer were never far from me, but apart from that I was passing the security check every morning, listening to German interpreter interpreting, running around and making sure everything went smoothly, laughing, not sleeping enough, and having the feeling of great satisfaction and happiness.

sréčen -čna -o
prid., sréčnejši tudi srečnéjši (ẹ́ ẹ̄)
ki je v razmeroma trajnem stanju velikega duševnega ugodja

Če bi morala svoj pretekli mesec povzeti z eno besedo, bi bil moj mesec srečen. Bil je zelo zaposlen, včasih stresen, z veliko roki, ampak ves čas sem uspela obdržati nasmeh na obrazu in uživati skoraj vsak trenutek. Skoraj tako kot mali fantek krokodil na zgornji fotki, ki mi jo je končno uspelo posneti na sončen dan v Strasbourgu.

Konec marca se je končno odvila konferenca, ki smo jo pripravljali več kot 10 mesecev. Preživela sem res simpatičen, a intenziven teden v Strasbourgu (ne pretiravam, če rečem, da sem skoraj vse svoje dneve preživela v Evropskem parlamentu, in to dobesedno), obkrožena z navdušenimi in motiviranimi mladimi Evropejci in najboljšo organizacijsko ekipo, v visokih petah, šminko in formalnih oblekah 24/7. Kot se spodobi za vodjo layout and design ekipe, sta bila tiskalnik in moj računalnik vedno v moji bližini, ampak poleg tega sem se vsako jutro počekirala na security checku, poslušala nemškega tolmača nemško tolmačenje v dvorani, skakala z enega konca na drugega in skrbela za to, da bo vse teklo, kot je treba, se smejala, premalo spala in imela ves čas občutek velikega zadovoljstva in sreče.

Coming back to Paris afterwards and catching up on everything I have missed at the university was also intense, but with great organisation and a bit of luck everything went smoothly.

Easter celebration turned out to be a double celebration this year – it was my birthday a week or so ago. Yey :) And then another big and motivating Zumba France event, another Creative Morning, another dose of happiness.

Intenziven je bil tudi prihod nazaj v Pariz, v kratkem času sem morala nadoknaditi vse, kar sem zamudila na faksu, ampak z dobro organizacijo in kančkom sreče se je vse izteklo super.

Velikonočno praznovanje je bilo letos dvojno praznovanje - teden dni nazaj sem imela rojstni dan. Jej :) Potem pa še en velik in motivacijski Zumba France dogodek, še en Creative Morning, še ena doza sreče.

And then final classes, final papers, final quizzes – my semester is almost done and I have been a busy bee those past weeks, but somehow I still manage to attend great events, spend some wonderful days with people I love, and enjoy my days, despite the rain and cold.

I am writing two last papers now and finish my exams in a week, and then I go to the North for a short while. Given the current Parisian weather I can’t say I need to cool down, but I will definitely spend some cool days there! :)

Potem pa še zadnja predavanja, zadnje seminarske, zadnji kolokviji - moj semester je skoraj pri koncu in te zadnje tedne sem bila busy bee, pa vendar mi še vendo uspeva iti na odlične dogodke, preživeti luštne dneve z ljudmi, ki jih cenim, ter hkrati uživati dneve kljub dežju in hladu.

Trenutno končujem zadnji dve seminarski nalogi in prihodnji teden končam z izpiti. Potem grem pa za kratek čas na Sever. Zaradi trenutnega kislega pariškega vremena se mi ni treba ohladiti, ampak severni zrak mi bo vsekakor super del! :)