Paris & Amsterdam

Hey You,

Welcome back to my blog!

From stunning monuments and history-rich streets to its exceptional cuisine and museum culture, Paris is a destination unlike any other. The city has been on my bucket list forever. Is it on yours? I wanted to go to Parisian cafes, markets, the gardens, and enjoy the romance of the city sights. After all, it's the city of love for a reason.

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that Prash and I decided to explore the capital cities of Austria, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. We welcomed 2023 in Paris, our first new year’s together! Can you imagine? I could not contain my excitement to see the fireworks, the Eiffel Tower twinkling and to walk on the Parisian streets all dressed up.

I have to tell you that the one thing Parisians are serious about is their outfits. They even style their pajama sets and kid you not, they look so chic and fashionably on-point even when they are walking their dogs. Hrm..Anyhoo, this blog is in continuation of the previous one so here you go with the Paris and Amsterdam itinerary.

Day 6, Paris: Without a doubt, our first stop was Eiffel Tower. We had planned ahead to tour Tour Eiffel at sunset so that we could enjoy the twilight as daylight faded into the dark. It was extremely windy and cold ( I had to steal Prash’s coat for a while ) but the view from the top was mesmerizing.

The wind was making it a challenge for us to click pictures so I have most of my pictures facing a certain direction so that my hair is not on my face. When you look at the pictures, just know that I am freezing but I am posing for this blog :)

At this point, we still did not have enough of the Eiffel Tower but we were starving and JJ Beaumarchais’s tasting menu ( a must-try) was the perfect choice for a wonderful Parisian monthiversary dinner before we headed to the 5th best bar in the world, a speakeasy named The Little Red Door. We waited for an hour in the cold to get into the bar but the cocktails were totally worth the wait. Most tourist places close around 7 pm so if you have no plans after dinner, this is the bar I would recommend.

This is the only full picture of my outfit that I have managed to find in the photo album. If you know me, I love pantsuits and they are going to be a 2023 runway hit. The set was a limited collection from Zara.

Day 7, Paris: I have always dreamt of waking up and having a good buttery flaky croissant for breakfast. This day, we started by having Croissants and Pain au Chocolat from a local cafe (all cravings satiated), crossed the Tuileries Garden (which hardly felt like a garden given the leaf-shedding season) to walk on Pont des Arts, formerly known as the lock bridge. Did you know that they had to remove the locks? They left a few on lamp posts and removed the others to prevent the bridge from collapsing due to all the weight of the locks.

Here are the pictures from the windy Tuileries Garden

We spent some time shopping at Samaritaine and then went on to the Louvre Museum where we spent most of our day gazing at the fascinating art pieces and of course, The Mona Lisa (one of the tiniest pictures in the museum). We arrived about an hour early and took some pictures right before we queued up to enter the pyramid.

We then clicked a couple of pictures in the evening after we came out of the museum doors and right before I stopped feeling my feet… Anyway, an all-black outfit is your safest bet any day.
The dinner at Le Fumoir in a library next to the Louvre (for which we had to go all around the huge museum) was nourishing after a long day.

Day 8, Paris: Since most of the indoor activities were closed on the 31st of December, we decided to explore the outdoors. Walking on Champs-Élysées felt like walking on a royal Fifth Avenue with all Paris-based luxury brand stores and gorgeous cafes. I finally got to grab macaroons from Laduree (Yes, the main branch). We then stopped by Arc de Triomphe and gazed at the Parisian skyline at sunset from Sacre Coeur. The place was full of locks along the railings and of course, we got some good shots there.

I chose to wear a site-contrasting outfit for the day. The orange made me feel fresh while the coat gave my outfit a pattern. I chose to wear my comfortable leather loafers with cute socks and lined leggings to complete the look.
From there on, curbing our hunger, we went on to Notre Dame. We read the restoration story at Notre Dame, grabbed a McBaguette (of Emily in Paris, duh!) from McDonald’s, and returned to the hotel. We changed into our NYE outfits and walked to the Plaza to see the most spectacular view - Fireworks from Arc de Triomphe while the Eiffel Tower twinkled. It was the most spectacular view of the trip and I was so lucky to have been able to spend it with Prash.

I tied my hair and changed into a shimmery dress from Hello Molly and a solid semi-sheer legging for the cold.

Day 9, Paris: Our daily dose of adrenaline rush was a result of a daring photoshoot at the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Pont d'Iéna and a quick stop at Trocadero. I wanted French outfit pictures from the trip and these came out just perfect.
The tulle dress, the fur coat, and the beret gave my outfit the French look I wanted. I wore a legging for the cold (IYKYK).

We then went on to explore multiple tourist spots like Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde, Petit Palais, and Les Invalides.

We had the best time on the Seine River Cruise watching the Eiffel Tower twinkle. Saying au revoir to the gorgeous attractions of Paris was the hardest thing to do as we ended our Paris trip on a high with an innovative and imaginative tasting menu at ChoCho (if you are interested, check out their restaurant logo online).
Here is one last picture from the day, I promise :)

Day 10, Amsterdam: I am someone who never compares cities but surprisingly, when I arrived at Amsterdam Central, it looked very much like Victoria Terminus (CST) in Mumbai. We took a ferry and went straight to our hotel. The hotel reception was busy and our room was not ready so we decided to start our day in our travel outfits.
We strolled around the colorful streets of Amsterdam, stopped by the Damrak waterfront, and went in for an open boat sunset cruise that featured the light festival. It was so romantic, the lights, sunset, the canals, the bridges… everything was delightful to see. Given the open boat, upon returning, we revived our cold numbed legs and hands before exploring the Moco Museum, had an amazing dinner at Klein Breda, and walked back to the hotel with steamy views of the red-light district.

Day 11, Amsterdam: A day trip to the Windmills at Zaanse Schans was the perfect start for the day. The houses, the bridges, and the picturesquely cute shops. Amsterdam is a happening and colorful city. I chose to color block using a scarf and a coat on basics.

On returning back to the city, we stopped by Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels (10/10 recommend) to have the best stroopwafels of all time. We also got fries from the famous Fabel Friet and headed back to the hotel to wrap up on a high (literally) by hopping on the swings on the top of A’dam Tower (the thrill level was equal to the highest thrill level at any amusement park) for the beautiful city views.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Dress or Pants?
What is your travel choice?

Comment down below and let us have some fun.

Here’s the tip for the week-

Tip #21: Pack multiple blazers and about 2 coats for variety and baggage space management when you travel. A tweed jacket/blazer and a black dress are a must. Loafers/Shoes and a pair of boots will keep you warm and comfortable during the travel.

Still confused what to wear? Email me or comment down below and I will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect outfit for the occasion.

If you like the blog and have any questions, let me know what you want me to address next.

I hope you enjoyed the blog and found the perfect style for your silhouette!

Xoxo,
Stylouette

Shama Kamat