Paris Photo Diary

 

Happy New Year Honeys!

Fireworks, friends and karaoke ; the perfect kind of New Year's Eve! How did your change of the year go?

We did a small girls' trip To Paris on the weekend before New Year. I've been to Paris once before, but that was summer, so I was really excited to see the Christmassy Paris this time - and of course excited just to get to Paris again, I just love the city!

We went to see some baisc tourist sights and shopping as well of course, and visited many lovely local cafés and restaurants. On the first night we went for a Paris Illuminations buss drive, which me and my sister had gotten as a Christmas from our mom. It was lovely, the main idea was to show the Christmas lights of Paris as well as to show the sights at the same time. French Christmas music playing in the ear plugs and a beautiful City around you, it was perfect!

 

Hyvää uutta vuotta ihanat!

Ilotulituksia, kaverit ja karaokea ; paras mahollinen uuden vuoden aatto! Miten teidän vuoden vaihteet meni?

 Teimme tyttöjen viikonloppu reissun Pariisiin tuossa juuri ennen uutta vuotta. Olen käynyt Pariisissa kerran ennenkin, mutta se oli kesällä joten odotin innolla jouluiseen Pariisiin tutustumista, ja tietysti ihan vaan Pariisiin pääsyä, se kun on aivan ihana kaupunki!

 Kävimme perus turistikohteissa, shoppailimme ja keirtelimme ihania katukahviloita ja nautimme Rakkauden kaupungista ympärillämme. Käsi kädessä käveleviä pareja kaikkialla! Ei muuten kuitenkaan iskenyt forever alone-fiilis, Pariisi sopii ihan kaveri/perhe porukassa riessaaville myös! ;)

Ekana iltana menimme Paris Illuminations -ajelulle, jonka saime siskon kanssa äidiltä joululahjaksi. Siellä bussin yläkerrassa kierrettiin tusristikohteiden lisäksi Pariisin jouluvaloja ranskalaiset joululaulut soiden korvanapeista, ah täydellisyys!

 

Me, my sister and Seine

 

La Tour Eiffel, gorgeous as always

We didn't use taxi once, metro is the bff when in Paris

Sacre Coeur with the Amelie caroussel

The Champs-Élysées Christmas market, parfait!

Jardin du Luxembourg

Mom enjoying the champagne she got while trying to decide which Neverfull she's take - red it was!

Hot chocolates in Les Deux Magots

Loving the French boulangeries!

The biggest and strangest Christmas tree I've seen was at Lafayette Haussman store

Creme brulee - oui merci!

We didn't have time for Laduree but we still got to eat macarones in Paris, in the airport at least!

I made a Create Trips travel book of our trip and all the venues we saw, hopefully you'll like it and hopefully it would help you doing your travel plans! / Tein Create Trips - matkustusoppaan Pariisin riessustamme, toivottavasti tykkäätte ja toivottavasti siitä oisi hyötyä Pariisin reissua suunnitellessa!

PARIS - THE CITY OF LOVE

So, let's make this starting year amazing!

Tehään tästä alkavast vuodesta upea!

Love, Anna

FOLLOW WITH BLOGLOVIN

Finnish Christmas

Hullo Honeys!

This day of the year is always one of the busiest, because in Finland we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, 24th December. We continue celebrating on 25th and also 26th, but the Eve is the main day for us. Every family has their own traditions of course, but some of then are the same in all Finnish homes.

1. We have christmas calenders, which start on the first day of December (except one specail calender which starts already on the first advent) and every 'window' has a picture, chocolate or a small gift

2. We decorate the house to Christmas spirit

3. We put Christmas lights outside, not super much but still some

4. We bake gingerbread and Christmas tarts, which are specially shaped sweets with plum jam and drink glog

5. We give christmas presents to our family, friends and neighbours and open them on Christmas Eve somewhere around the Christmas tree (or the couch more often)

6. And we also send cards and packets to the ones who are too far away (my family also sends a Christmas letter to all our foreign friends, but that's not typical in Finland)

7. On Christmas Eve morning/day we go to Church

8. We eat rice porridge and hide an almond in the kettle, the one who gets it onto his/her plate gets to make a wish

9. There's this TV show called ''Santa's Hot line'' where kids can call to talk and sing to Santa Claus, which is also a tradition to watch (and try calling!) almost in every house. After that they show Snowmann on TV which is a traditions as well as the 'Announcement of Christmas Peace' which they show live from Turku, Finland's former Capital.

10. We eat a big Christmas meal including casseroles, ham, different kind of fish and turkey, plus whatever the family chooses.

11. If there are kids in the house, santa Claus comes in the evening of 24th to give the presents. The Finnish story (read: the true one) goes that Santa -Joulupukki- lives in Korvatunturi, Lapland, and comes from there with his sleigh and reindeer and knocks on people's doors and asks 'Are there any good kids here?' - Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia? -. Finnish elves wear red an white costumes, sometimes with grey.

12. We buy or go to the forest to find a christmas tree and decorate it on Christmas Eve (my family) or before that (many other families)

13. On Christmas day we also have a big Christmas meal with family, and the same on Boxing day.

Many Finns go up North for Christmas, me and my family just stay at home or go to central Finland to visit our family, this year it's our turn to host. 

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and / or Happy Holidays!

Love, Anna