Lyon, known as the second largest city (and maybe the cleanliest) in France has been on my list of places to go visit for a while. I'll admit and tell you that I didn't do much research prior to visiting the city. All I knew was that there was a famous church and lots of bridges. If you couldn't tell by that description alone it means that my sole research was done via Instagram several hours prior to my departure.


Our day started off taking the metro from the station and the funicular (which I would highly recommend doing if you've never experienced going up on steep hill before) towards the Basilica of Notre Dame. This golden church is definetly worth a visit not only for the views inside of the church, but the view overlooking the entire city as well.


After having visited the church, we made our way down the stairs and into the city via foot. An hour or so later, after having enjoyed walking next to the river for quite some time, we found ourselves in Lyon's infamous park and zoo. What's great about this zoo is that it is free to the public (anything free is always a plus). After a lot of obnoxious ooh-ing and ahh-ing we took the bus towards the center of town. Famished, cold, and tired we decided to end the day were many people seek refuge at 4 pm in the afternoon: the shopping mall. After quickly seeing a fashion show, grabbing some clothes from H&M and some necessary food from McDonalds we hopped back onto the train back to Montpellier.


Overall, I would recommend visiting Lyon (though I would probably recommend going when its a bit warmer). Lyon was by far one of the cleanliest cities and offered many public restrooms along our walk (which is a rare sighting in France). Though this city is the second largest in France, it did not have the hustle and bustle vibe of Marseille or Paris that I was expecting. Maybe it was the cold, or the fact that it was a weekday, but the town was almost too quiet for my liking.


Have you visited Lyon? Where did you visit?


Until next time,

One of the cities in France that gets a bad reputation is Marseille. It's always interesting to hear the mixed reaction from people on whether or not Marseille is worthy or not to visit. For some, they believe that Marseille is too dirty for the South of France. Others, love this port town because of its culture and warmth. The first time that I went to Marseille in October, I decided to go in with an open mind. I took into account of what people had told me about the town. I booked an Airbnb for a week in Aix and decided to do day trips to Marseille (which is a 45 minute ride via train) just in case if the rumors were true.

Words cannot describe how excited I am to be visiting Morocco in April. This has always been a dream of mine to visit (especially as a photographer) and I cannot wait to see, eat, and explore around the area. Currently my only plans are to visit Fez. If anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear below!


Until next time,

 I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Living in the South of France can be pretty awesome. Now, with the new TGV MAX Card, I can go wherever I want in France simply with a tap of a button on my smartphone (for more information on the pass, check out my previous post here). Naturally, this means that every free day consists of traveling. My first day trip? Paris.


For those of you that might be aware, Paris has a special place in my heart. I studied abroad in the Spring of 2015 and consider it to be my second home. Regardless of what I do in Paris, I always seem to enjoy myself. Though Paris might seem like a daunting city to tackle in less than 12 hours, it can be done (and almost all via on foot).


I started my day off by getting on the train from Montpellier at 7 am. By 10:45 am I was stepping out of the Gare Du Lyon station, located in the 12th arrondissement, ready to conquer the day. I started my day off walking along the Seine towards Hotel Du Ville. I have to say, it was pretty magical watching the sun creep up in the morning in Paris. It was as if I was in a movie. Everything seemed perfect. The sun was shinning. People were smiling as they jogged next to the river and kids were laughing at the park.



By 12, I found myself in an area of Paris that I usually don't go to: The Latin Quater. Sure, I have had my nights hanging around the bars over here but I had never seen the churches and buildings that somehow mysteriously emerge in this quaint neighborhood. As I made my way further up the street, I found myself over by Place D'Italie and then towards the Montparnasse Area. I'll always hold a soft spot for this neighborhood in particular since its where I went to school. There I was, transported back into time, at my favorite sushi restaurant as if it were the Spring of 2015 again.



To continue my journey going down memory lane I decided to take my favorite metro route on Line 13. Now you might be wondering why line 13 is my favorite. Sure the 6 is great for its spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower, but there's something about the energy (and the fact that it is always packed no matter what time or day it is) that makes this my favorite metro line. I'm sure that if you asked anyone who has lived in Paris they would tell you that i'm crazy for saying this.

I continued my day on Rue Saint Honore to do some window shopping. Until recently, I had never stepped foot into a designer store (Prada in Milan, naturally being my first). I decided to muster up the courage and see if I would be granted entrance into one of the coveted stores. Several minutes later (and what I assume were mini heart attacks as well), I found myself touching haute-couture and being shown the latest collection of Pret-a-porter from LongChamp (which is naturally my favorite brand). Sure, I might of walked out of the store empty handed but what I had couldn't be bought: happiness (cheesy, I know).


After being treated like a princess in Paris (this should be a slogan for something), I decided it was time to catch up with a friend and do what anyone does on a sunny day in Paris: tan on Pont Neuf and watch the sunset. It was amazing to think that somehow I had conquered Paris in such a small amount of time. 14 kilometers after, and a falafel for the road in the Marais, I was back by the Bastille where the magic had all began. Only a minute to spare, I hopped on my train at Gare Du Lyon and began thinking about where I would go to next.


Have you done a day trip in Paris?


Until next time,

Elie Saab 2017

Photo from http://reikian.com

Mango 2016

TheBlondeSalad.com

Stella McCartney

Until recently, I struggled with finding affordable ways to travel around France. Sure, I had the Carte Jeune which gave me 25% reduction fee, but tickets were still 60 euros one way to Paris from Montpellier on a good day. Here are some tips on how to travel within France on a tight budget.

1. TGV Max pass: This is a new program that only started up last month in February. The card is 79 euros a month for ages 16-27 and can be used throughout France on TGV max trains. I have already used this card for three day trips to Paris, Marseille, and Lyon in the last month alone. Be aware that not every train is a TGV so unfortunately some routes aren't an option. For more information on TGV max check this link. 
2. KelBillet: I cannot recommend this website enough. This is a great website that helps compare prices on every transport including trains, blabla cars, planes, and buses. Kel Billet will show you what date is the cheapest to travel with what mode of transportation. I used this website to book a last minute trip to Aix in October for 14 euros round trip (something that you wont be able to find on SNCF's website). 
3. Ryanair: I mentioned in an earlier blogpost my love for Ryanair. This discounted airline offers deals within France and to other countries for sometimes as little as 9 euros. Be aware that it can sometimes be difficult to get to Ryanair's selected airports. For more information on flying with Ryanair, you can check my review here. 
4. Train for 1 euro: This deserves an honorable mention for it's concept. If you know well enough in advance (about a month) I would recommend using this website to book your train ticket for destinations in the south of France. One way trips are 1 euro, but be careful: these tickets do sell out fast, so grab yours before its too late. For more information on the 1 euro train, click here.