Stockholm Stories - Part II A walking tour of Gamla Stan

After the big museum-round from the day before, I had planned on walking Gamla Stan, the old town, a good lunch and shopping some Swedish design gifts. 

I started my day with a walk on Skeppsholmen, the island were my hostel was located. And from there I walked over to Kastelholmen, an even smaller island where I got to enjoy views like this. Capturing the Vasamuseet and the Nordic Museum I went to the day before. After a nice picnic breakfast, the city was waiting for me. I had a great time exploring the alleys on Gamla Stan and visiting the Dansamuseet in the morning.  Followed by a wonderful and delicious lunch at Rosendals Trädgård and a walk on the island of Djurgården. It's great to feel like your at the country side, when you're actually just ten minutes or so from the city center.

Shopping wasn't much of a succes when I got sick later in the afternoon, so I went back to the hostel early. That was a bit of a bummer, since I did have a little list of shops I wanted to visit to buy family gifts for the upcomming holidays. Well, let's say that there should always be a  reason to come back to a place... Thankfully the next day I felt good again and I went on one last walk through the old town, before going back home.

I arrived home six hour later than planned, when the weather got all to foggy for our plane to land in Eindhoven. Alternativly we landed at airport Weeze in Germany before taking a bus that took a long detour back to The Netherlands.
The two walks I did on Gamla Stan I combined for you in a short 2km walking tour.

Walking tour of Gamla StanI created this tour based on my two morning walks through the streets and alleys of the old town.

Download the map for your Stockholm trip!

Today Stockholm is spread over 14 islands, but it all started in the 13th century on this island (and the conjected islands of Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen.

Enter the island of Helgeandsholmen past the Riksdagshuset, via the Riksbron bridge (1).
Behind the huge facade of the Kungliga Slottet on your left, lie small and cobble stoned streets and covered allies lined with historic houses.

This photo was taken from Kungsträdgården.

Now, you can walk straight on following the main road Västerlånggatan and take the first left, or you could take a little detour like I did, to catch the guards in front of the Kungliga Slottet (2) crossing the square and take a turn to the right.
Right next to the palace stands Storkyrkan from 1279 (3). The somewhat pale looking outside, hides a beautiful red brick and plastered interior in Gothic style.
The chruch offers a welcome place to be quiet for a moment while soaking up the ceiling decorations and catching the details on the wood sculpture of the legendary St. George and the Dragon.


Practical information:

Address: Trångsund 1
Transport: Busses: 2, 43, 55, 76, (stop at Slottsbacken), Underground: Gamla Stan station on the Green and Red lines.
Opening hours: Jan-May, Sep-Dec Monday-Sunday 9-16, June mon-fri 9-17, Jul-aug mon-fri 9-18 Jun-Aug weekend opening hours 9-16.
Admission: 40 SEK, Children and under 18, and attending a service free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website.






Walk further down Trångsund and you'll find yourself on Stortorget (4). It is surrounded on three sides by brightly coloured homes from the 17th and 18th century and the Nobelmuseet (dedicated to the winners of the Nobel price) on the North side. There are 82 white stones on the facade of the red house in rememberance of the 82 man who were beheaded during the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520.

Cross the square and walk on to Köpmangatan and turn right on to Själagårdstagt. Here you'll find yourself on the atmosperic Brända Tomten (5).

Keep following Själagårdstagt and cross Svartmangatan were you continue on Tyska Stallplan. A few steps to your left, you'll find Stockholms narrowest alley, Mårten Trotzigs gränd (6).Take the steps and you are back on Västerlånggatan. If you feel like you need to escape the tourist crowds, take right turn onto Kindstugatan and directly turn left on to the more quiet Prästgatan which lies paralel to the main street.
On storkyrkobrinken turn left and keep following this street to cross Riddarholmsbron.

The beautiful Riddarhomskyrkan (7) was closed when I caught it early on my third morning. This is the church were Sweden's kings and queens are burried.

Go up hill to Schering Rosenhanes Gränd when you come down the stairs have a beautiful waterfront view on Stadshuset (8).

From here I crossed the water and walked back to T-Centralen to catch my bus to the airport.

Stockholm stories and budget tips

So, as promised stories from Stockholm (finishing off with some budget tips for this expensive city).
Two short Winter days and a sunny short morning was way too short to discover all that this Scandinavian city has to offer. So, the city is already on my return-to-list. Most of my Stockholm time I spent in museums and wondering through the medieval streets soaking up history and city buzz at the same time.

Stockholm welcomed me when the sun had set a while, with rusing traffic and glistering lights on the waters. I stayed at the HI hostel AF Chapman on Skeppsholmen which gave me the best views of the city every morning and evening. It was a short twenty minute walk from the Central Station. although you can also take bus 65 or half the walking distance by taking the subway (T-bana) to Kungstragarden. It's hard to miss, the historic ship originally built in England in 1888. It's hard to miss, but I walked passed the ship and went into the building on the land. Which has some royal roots when it was built in 1785 to store fire wood of the Royal Palace, just across the water before it was rebuilt to become a home quatier of navy craftsman somewhere at the beginning of the 19th century. Now both the ship and this old lodging home welcome visitors from all over the world. The cheapest room is the 10 bed dorm in which I stayed, but I'm sure the rooms at the ship are more stunning since it has clear views on Gamla Stan (Old Town, my favorite part of the city) and hip, trendy and higher up Sodormalm.

My first full day was filled with museums and sight seeing with the 24-hour Stockholm Card for 495 SEK (about 55 Euro). I would say I used my card pretty well. I visited five museums (that would have costed me 550 SEK on entrance alone). My second day I uses wondering through the medieval city heart (and getting sick in the afternoon).

1. Nordiska Museet
Address: Djurgårdsvägen 6-16
Transport: Busses: 44, 69 and 76, Underground: Karlaplan (red line to Ropsten), Tram 7: Nordiska Museet/Vasa museet (tram departs from Sergels Torg), Ferry service from Slussen (and from Nybroplan in Summer)
Opening hours: Mon.-Sun. 10–17 From Sep. to May Wed. 10-20
Admission: 100 SEK, Children and under 19 free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website.

The Nordiska Museet Nordic Museum) was a fitting first museum to visit as an introduction to Swedish culture on my first trip to Sweden.
Walking into the huge and high central hall of the museem feels like walking into a cathedral. Well, you could say a cathedral of Swedish culture from the 16th century on. From Swedish folk art and traditions to almost real life table settings, toys and the fascinating history, culture and future views of the Sami, the indigenous tribe. Small and larger exhibitions are spread over three floors around the central hall.
I found that the audiotour I did really made the exhibitions come alive.

2. Vasamuseet
Address: Galärvarvsvägen 14, Djurgården
Transport: Busses: 44 (Nordiska Museet/Vasamuseet) 69, 76 (Djurgårdsbron), Underground: Karlaplan (red line to Ropsten), Tram 7: Nordiska Museet/Vasa museet (tram departs from Sergels Torg), Ferry service from Slussen (and from Nybroplan in Summer)
Opening hours: Sept-May Mon.-Sun. 10–17, Wed. 10-20, June-Aug 8.30-18
Admission: 130 SEK, Students 100 SEK Children and under 18 free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website

Barely 1300 meters on her first voyage this majestic ship sank (mainly due to a lack of stability). It never got to see the world, but tourists from all over the world come to visit her in her modern harbor, the museum built around the ship. I would say it is worth all the buzz and recommendations. You feel tiny in front of this ship reconstructed with 98% original material from the salvage in 1961. I started with the film screening about the Vasa, then made my way through the various exhibitions. Most interesting to me were the ones about the people who were on the ship on that unfaithful day. The 'Face to Face' exhibition (found on the 2nd level) in particular. The stories bones can tell us about people's life a few centuries ago, I think is fascinating. None of the found skelletons were ever identified, but they were given names according to the Swedish letter-naming system. This results in stories of just a few sentences that read like you get to know a real person. The few life like reconstructed faces look back at you with surprising warm looks on their faces.

3. Millesgården
Address: Herserudsvägen 32, Lidingö
Transport: Underground: red line to Ropsten and then bus number 201, 202, 204, 205, 206 to Torsviks torg. Follow the signs from there on.
Opening hours: May - Sep. Daily 11 - 17, Oct - Apr. Tues - Sun 11 - 17
Admission: 100 SEK, Students 80 SEK Children and under 19 free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website

This museum is a bit off route, but so worth the little trip (it takes about 30 to 40 minutes from the city center). Usually I'm more of a 2D-art lover. But somehow when I saw a picture of a sculputure of Carl Milles on my screen while researching and planning on my trip, I had to go. Something in his works touches me. Even in a drizzy rain and without the fountains turned on, the sculpture garden was wonderful. The house, actually felt like a house. I could imagine people living their lives there, looking out of the window through the garden on to the waterfront view.

4. Stockholm Stadsmuseet
Address: Ryssgården, Slussen
Transport: Underground: all Red and green metro lines stop at Slussen, buses 2, 3, 43, 53, 55, 76 stop at Slussen.
Opening hours: Tues–Sun 11–17, Thursday 11.00–20.00, Monday closed
Admission: 100 SEK, Children and under 19 free. The ticket is also valid for the Museum of Medieval Stockholm. So, you're given a two for one price here!
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website.

This little museum, right next to the Underground station of Slussen, houses the history of Stockholm city from 1000 BC to our 21st century and even the future visions given by today's children's generation. Although it is quite a small museum, it's very informative and gives a good overview on how much this city has grown.

5. Fotografiska 
Address: Stadsgårdshamnen 22, Södermalm
Transport: Underground: all Red and green metro lines stop at Slussen exit at the bus terminal, buses 2, 3, 43, 53, 55, 76 stop at Slussen. Walk past the busterminal, cross the street, take a right and continue walking straight on (past the Birka Cruises terminal), the next building you run into is Fotografiska.
Opening hours: Sun - Wed 9 - 21, Thur - Sat 9 - 22
Admission: 120 SEK, Students 90 SEK, Children under 12 free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website.

This was one of the few museums with evening hours when I visited during low season. I couldn't have asked for a better ending of the day when I was at the café with a cuppa tea paired with a cinnamon roll, a view on Stockholm at night and great live music from Szeps O'Hoj.
There were some interesting and brutally honest and confrontating exhibitions at my time of visit. Including works from Peter Hugo and the exhibition Farming out of Poverty.

6. Dansa Museet
Address: Drottninggatan 17, Norrmalm
Transport: Underground: T-Centrale or blue line, Kungsträdgården. Busses: 3,52, 53, 56, 59, 62. 65 and 69. And tram 7 (stop at Kungsträdgården).
Opening hours: Tues–Sun 11-17
Admission: 80 SEK, Students 60 SEK, up to 19 years old free.
Up to date information on admission fees, opening hours and exhibitions on the website

This museum I had planned on going on my fisrt day, but I didn't make it before five. So, I went the next day. Dance is a weak spot of mine, since I've danced for 8 years. I think this was the smallest museum I went to, but it had two exhibition spaces filled from ground to ceiling with history of dance. Not just in sights, but also in sounds by pulling drawers or putting on headphones. It felt like a world trip visiting costume depots and music archives.

Gamla stan

 It was around 1254 that Stockholm started to grow from the old town, gamla stan. Despite the traces of modern life that dot the streets, you can make up a vivid image of what the narrow cobble stoned streets looked like in the medieval times. Eye catcher of the Island Is Kungliga slottet. Built In 1754 in italian style, after an fire destroyed the king's palace in 1697. I had just missed out on the changing of guard though. Right next to the palace is Storkyrkan. This church from 1279 Is a quiet place in a bustling city. 

christmas is comming closer and the city was getting in the mood. Allthough, to catch Stockholm in full blown christmas atmosphere, I should have come a week or two later. 

Gettining the most out of Stockholm practical and money saver tips:
Now, I agree that 5 museums is a lot. But Dansa Museet and the Stadsmuseet for example were quite small.
Museums (and shops and other sights as well) in Stockholm have opening times that differ in Summer/Winter seasons (or even months). Most museums open around 10AM or 11AM and close around 5PM or 6 PM. So, I used time as effectivly as possible.

The Stockholm card at first sight can look expensive and overpriced. The 24-hour card I used was 495SEK (around 55 euro). Usually I avoid tourist cards, because they can be overpriced. But Stockholm is an expensive city. So I did some research and some math. Before I went, I had three museums on my wishlist (Vasa Museet, Millesgården and Dansa Museet). That resulted in an estimated coast of 410 SEK for the day (including public transport). For just a bit more, this card gave me free public transport and the opportunity to visit an extra museum or two.

Keep in mind that if you're a student or under 20 you could save quite a bit on entree fees (ranging from discounts to free entrance) and public transport! So, try to do some math before buying the card.

Sneak peek: Stockholm Stories

Exactly a week ago, at about this time ('round 8pm) I arrived at my hostel in Stockholm for a short city break. Saturday I'll be sharing my Stockholm sightseeing experience with you!

Crochet projects - winter's on its way

Autumn is my favorite season. Those colours! How beautiful, especially in a week like this with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. We even hit a 20C yesterday.

But cold days are ahead and I'm getting ready for it. I just finished these fingerless gloves (so I can still get zippers to work and pick up my phone quickly when ringing). 

A while ago I finished the Japanese lace scarf too. It was the inspiration to my lace edging on my gloves. I will work up a nice pin for it to match with the gloves.

So, just a warm up for cozy patterns comming your way later. I hope before winter kicks in.

Paris - Bon Appètit [Part II]

So, yesterday I shared with you day one in food. Our second day was not as much eating wonderuful food as day one. But we made up for that buying some great stuff to take home. Which looked like this.

I had to be a little picky on what to buy because I only had one small backpack (26L, Dakine) with me. Which was good for my budget, really.

We started our second day off with a big laugh. You need to know we took quite some foodies with us for the long bus ride. Most of which we ate. But the cake we took to our hotel room and turned out to be breakfast at day two. My friend told me she'd bring a cake with her, I just didn't expect a whole cake including the baking tin. It did help to transport the baby in a whole, though. And it tasted great (thanks goes to the friend of my travel friend who made the cake).

After that we went serious, heading for Rue de Bretagne to visit Marché des Enfants Rouges. At 10:30 I think we were a little too early for the real buzz. Most restaurant stalls were busy setting up tables and polishing table ware. But the food stalls were open and hell, did they look good. It was a pity not to be able to bring home the fresh sea food and vegetables available for nice prices at this small covered market. We were day dreaming about having an apartment just around the corner of this market and make amazing dishes with these fresh ingredients.

Thankfully, they also offered great food to bring along too. I settled on a small 100g jar of Moutarde de Dijon à la Provincale. I've paired it with with some different snacks by now. Chicken, crisps and a Dutch bitterbal. It tastes great. But being such a small jar results in getting at the bottom already...

But it's not just the market that rocks this streets. It's all of the small shops and cafes along this street too. Like Fromagerie Jouannault, right next to the market entrance. I didn't buy cheese here though and went with a small tastefull sliced nut bread (at 2,95 euro) for the bus ride home. But in case you do buy cheese, they pack vacuum, to make sure your cheese can blow your taste buds away at home.

We also bought a few bottles of wine and rosé at Le Repaire de Bacchus. They had a great selection of wines and also champagnes. The rosé I bought turned out to be Italian, actually. Which is proof of me, not being such a good drinker. But it did make a great gift for my parents at home.

Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, 39 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris

Metro: Arts et Métiers (line 3 and 11), Temple (line 3), Fillets du Calvaire (line8)

Open: Tue-Thur: 08:30-13:00 and 16:00-19:30, Fr-Sat: 8:30-13:00 and 16:00-20:00 Sunday: 08:00-14:00

Fromagerie Jouannault, 39 Rue de Bretagne 75003 Paris

Le Repaire de Bacchus, 40 Rue de Bretagne 75003 Paris

After a dissapointed look through the vintage (on the high-end price) shop Kiliwatch, we had lunch at Bistro Burger. The food wasn't anything special, but it's a family friendly place, judging on the number of families with (young) children having lunch there at that moment.

Not to mention there is a great natural food shop opposite. 

Bistro Burger 26 Rue Montorgueil, 75001 Paris
Metro: Les Halles or Étienne Marcel (line 4), Sentier (line 3)
Open every day from 12:00-22:00

On our way home from La defense, we made a stop at Ladurée at the Le Printemps warehouse to buy our batch of macarons. But before I tell you all about it. I have to make a confession. I didn't know about Ladurée until I searched on Pinterest for 'Paris'. Laugh at me, but I'm a relative newbie to food-love. Which means that a few years ago, I wouldn't mind food so much. It has grown on me only in recent years. I guess the train trip from Amsterdam to Rome I mentioned yesterday opened my eyes on how great, truely great food can be. That was only two years ago. So, bear with me as I go crazy on icons that are established centuries ago. 

On day one we had a look at the small (and much more stylish) shop at Rue Bonaparte, but we wanted to bring these expensive babies home as fresh as possible. Which meant that we had to wait one more day with our buy. After an Asian tourist before us, commanded the staff to fill his 80-something box with more and more coffee taste macarons. As Dutchies with an asian look, felt like we had to make up on the rude impression the man before us, left the helpfull staff with. Ordering a humble six-piece box and try to make a choice out of their wonderfull tastes. 

To be honest, I couldn't believe I spent 15,80 euro on just six of these sweet treats. But I have to admit after tasting them, I'd happily go and buy again. In order of heavenlyness (is that even a word?): Lemon, Pistachio, Salted caramel, Chocolat, Rose and vanilla. I now have a very good reason to come back to Paris some at some time. And then, I will buy, in a more fitting style at the small Rue Bonaparte location. 

We hit a big tourist trap miss at our diner restaurant, but it was raining (again) and we were hungry. We concluded that we had to miss at some point during this food filled trip, anyway.
We closed the day, relaxing at our hotel room. Watching the only English chanel we had, BBC News, snacking supermaket snacks (cheese and chips).

At Sunday morning there were no café's open near our hotel, so we took one more metro trip to République. Just before heading home we catched our first and last real sun rays at the terrace of bistrot POP. It was a wonderfull goodbye to Paris.

Bistrot POP, 3 Avenue de la Republique, 75011 Paris, France
Metro: République (line 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)
Open every day 08:00-02:00

Take care and have a wonderfull start of your weekend!

Paris - bon appétit! [part I]

It's already a month ago that I went to Paris. The 7 to 8 hour bus ride (thanks to a mid-city stop at Brussels during rush hour) from Utrecht to Paris gave me a last fling of an evening, two full days and a morning to spend in the capital city of France. For that short amount of time, I'd say I spent most of my time and money on food (same goes for my friend). I could split my travel in Paris in two parts, the eating food part and the buying food part. Sharing with you our fist day of Paris in food.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, they say. Same thing goes for French. This saying went out of the window as we went Asian, for the first meal in Paris up until lunch the next day (with an exeption for the pain au chocolat as a breakfast). 

We stopped at Toma Sushi, a short walk from the Ibis Budget hotel we stayed at. It didn't look so convincing and warm welcoming, but we went in anyway the menu looked promising.

We were in for a surprise. Ignore the neon lights and big menu's on the outside windows and inside you'll find a nice, asian decorated seating place. We had a little trouble making a choice from the diverse menu. In the end I settled with a sushi plate and my friend went with some kind of lunch or diner box and a small salad and miso soup as an entrance. The salad was the star, fresh and crisp. The main dishes were great too. We also got introduced to Japanese late night business meetings, as a group of business walked in and started out their banquet at, what, ten in the evening. Talking loud and with visible food in their mouth. Make sure you face the other side of the restaurant, which I did, thankfully.

The next day after the awesome Opèra visit, we walked down Rue St. Anne. We were told that this is kind of like asian town of Paris. To be honest we were a little dissapointed. There were plenty of restaurants, but we expected a little more atmosphere maybe. Like our Amsterdam China town. But, we did find a great supermarket, K-mart Kafeteria. I think it's a great place to stock up on Korean and Japanese ingredients and snack at this big place. At the back they sell very fresh cut sashimi for 4 to 5 euro. That was a nice snack along the way. Also we took a stroll through the Passage de Choiseul. A nice and lively passage filled with all sorts of small restaurants, cafes and boutiques. We took a seat at Steam &Soup. A Dim Sum concept presented all in french. So we pointed at the menu and  I guess we ordered a mix of Dim Sums. Vegetable, fish and meat. Taking three small Steaming bowls up the steep small stairs to enjoy our treats.

Toma Sushi 20 avenue de la République, 93170 Bagnolet.

Metro Gallieni (line 3).
I couldn't find their opening hours, but they were open relatively late.

K-mart Kafeteria 8 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris.
Metro Pyramides (line 7, 14) or Quatre-Septembre or Bourse (line 3)

Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00

Steam&Soup 58 Passage de Choiseul, 75002 Paris.

Metro: Quatre-Septembre (line 3) or Opéra (line 3, 7,8) 

After the dim sum we banned the Asian theme and went French, as much a possible. Starting at one of my favorite neightbourhoods in Paris (even with the tourists), Montmartre. We stumbled up on a Kusmi Tea Shop just outside the Metro station Abbesses. Thanks to the shop attendant, we had a great time smelling and tasting teas. There were literally walls of flavours to chose from. Little overwelming, in a most beautiful way. Loved the 1kg tins, I'll have to bring a car next time, really. But don't worry they sell smaller sized tins and boxes too.

 

This lovely tin of 125gr black tea with apple scent went home with me. It smells and tastes great (telling you that, as I'm taking a sip of my cuppa!). In case you cannot make a choise, they sell combination packs with smaller tins in different flavours.

Kusmi Tea has different shops all over Paris (and is sold world wide), but thanks to the great service I give you the address we enjoyed so much. Kusmi Tea 15 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 Paris (metro: Abbesses, line 12)

When I was travelling through Europe by train (Amsterdam to Rome), I fell in love with this tiny place, Chéri Bibi. I have never forgotten the Salmon plate I had here. It's pretty local, not in the most warm and buzzing street in Paris at all, but still pretty much next to the butte Montmartre. We watched couples out on diner or a (first) date and a group of friends gathering and people chill and chat at the bar and at the sofa area. It's tiny and all squeezed in though. Almost sitting at-your neightbours-table-tight. They work with three course choice menu for a set price (eighter 25 or 28 euro, excluding drinks). Although, we skipped on dessert (you do still pay for the three course menu, though). The salmon was as good as I remembered, just plated slightly differently this time. And the starter salmon salad was a good one too, quite filling. The best end of our fist day in Paris we could have wished for.

Chéri Bibi 15 Rue André del Sarte, 75018 Paris.

Metro: Anvers or Barbès Rochechouart (line 2), Château Rouge (line 4).

Open: Mon-Sat 18:00-02:00

See you tomorrow for part two!

Paris - off the beaten path

I've been to the city of light three times before. And it holds a special place in my heart. My parents surprised me with a weekendtrip to this city to celebrate finishing elementary school.

We did all the things you should do as a tourist then, Eiffel tower, montmartre, Notre Dame, Tour montparnasse, Champs Elysee...And I did many of these again on my following trips because I went with Paris-first-timers. So, they got to see the landmarks. Even though every experience was different, I was glad they were not a must-do on this trip. 

This time I went with a friend who also had seen the high-lights already. So, we had fun stroling the streets (in the rain, regularly). Looking back at it now, it was quite a foodie-trip, I'll share some about that in a later post (due to photo sorting). But we did catch a few other known landmarks, I'd like to share some of them with you.

1. Le Palais Garnier (Opera National de Paris)

I love ballet. I danced for about 8 years and it stays with you. It really does. So, I love to visit theaters for that reason. On my very first trip to Paris, we passed this theatre by bus, but I'd never took a trip inside. This time we did pay a visit to the masterly Palais Garnier.  This jewel in Paris is huge, and overwelming in so many was. So much gold and rich red, mirrors, bling and marmer. The highlight of the visit is the auditorium, the place where everything after months or rehearsing, prepairing and practising comes together for an artist.
We walked around, snapping pictures and imagine big crowds come here to have a wonderful theater night. We didn't even think about getting a ticket (prices were way over budget for us). I loved seeing costumes and miniature decors for different plays. There is so much artistry and time consuming hand work in these pieces.
The shop at the end is a good place to pick up dvds of plays, operas and ballets and classical cds, but the giftshop was a little over-priced.

On a side note, I bet I had a guardian angel on my shoulder on this visit. My most thankful moment of the weekend (probably this year, even) was picking up my mobile phone from the ticketboot that I thought for a moment was lost or even robbed (thanks to an awkward moment at the giftshop).

Practical information:
Entree is at the corner of rue Scribe and rue Auber, Paris 9ème
Métro: Opéra (lines 3, 7, 8)
RER: line A, station Auber
Bus : lines 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 42, 52, 53, 66, 6 8, 81, 95

Opening times: September - mid-July : 10:00 am and 5:00 pm (last admissions 4:30 pm), mid-July - September 10:00 am and 6:00 pm (last admissions 5:30 pm).

Tickets: €10, reduced €6, there are also guided tours available. Information is on the website.

2. Pont des arts

It was fun stroling over this bridge, known for all the love-locks. People watching. With our visit, a promotion team of Georgio Armani had taken over the bridge, handing out samples of the new Armani fregance Sí. Just looking at all of those locks, I couldn't help but wonder at times. Like, are all those couples still together? And all those friendships still going strong? Where are all those people from? How did the met? I guess you could come here sit down and wonder or if you've got the guts go and ask and collect stories.

Practical information:

Pont Des Arts

Metro: Pont Neuf (line 7), or Louvre-Rivoli (line 1)

3. Musée D'Orsay

I did run through the famous Musee du Louvre on one of my earlier trips. Just before closing time, me and my family decided we had to have a glance at the most visited painting in the museum, the Mona Lisa. And just that, so I followed my parents and cought glimpses of the long halls filled with master paintings and sculptures. Mona Lisa was surrounded by a last moment crowd, at least half a meter off, behind a thick pice of glace and very tiny. But we saw it. Well, needless to say the Louvre is on my list for a proper visit, but not this trip. This time, I favored Musée D'Orsay. I had never visited before but heard it was a great museum on impressionism. And it's one of my favorite times in art history.
The museum is a great, although a bit of a noisy place. Lots of space to sit and give your tired feet a rest while soaking in art from Master painters and sculptors. I was touched by two particular works. The Little dancer by Degas. I know about this sculpture a long time (it was degas who combined my two loves of dance and painting). Seeing the thing and being able to walk around was fun. But it was the face of the girl that struck me. To me she looked so unhappy and locked up (in this case in a glass showcase...).
The other piece was by Monet. I know he is a master. But his painting Curch of Vernon in the fog touched me in a way I didn't know art could touch someone. The soft almost transluscent colours and the gentle brush strokes, it is tenderness on canvas.

I loved the little corned they had dedicaded to Le Palais Garnier, because we paid a visit there in the morning. At the museum they have an intersection of the building in which I could see what was behind that huge print of red curtain. And walk on top of a miniature part of Paris.

Practical Information
1, rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris.

Metro: Solférino (line 12)
RER: line C, to Musée d'Orsay
Bus: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94
Opening times: 9.30am to 6pm, 9.30am to 9.45pm on Thursdays
Closed on mondays, galleries start closing 5:30pm

Tickets: normal price (museum + exhibition): €12
But there are reduction rates and free entries (every first, Sunday of the month, under 18, members of the EU from 18-25). Check on the website for actual prices and information.

4. La Défense

We spent some time in the largest businessdistrict of Europe, La Défense. It's the part of Paris with all the huge towers you see from many viewpoints in Paris.We'd heard there's a bit of an open-air-museum and good shopping. But it was rainy, cloudy and quite crowded in the shopping center(s). So we stayed at the Grande Arch people watching and enjoying the view from the stairs of the Grande Arche over the Avenue des Champs Élysée.

Practical information:
Metro: La Défense (line 1)
RER: A to La Défense

The viewing deck on top of the arch are closed down apparently.

5. Montmartre

We enjoyed a view over Paris from the Montmartre. It's one of those places where it's always lively. We enjoyed a showcase of streetartist Iya Traore. Just keep your eyes on your bags and buying (fake) bags, sunglasses and other stuff from plaids on the ground, might not be such a good idea. 

Practical information
Metro: Anvers (line2), or Abbesses (line2)

If you got any tips for a travel to Paris, please leave them in the comments below, so I can catch them on another trip.

See you later this week with a short report on foodie places to go in Paris!