'Over the top' just got a new meaning

A dream come true: yesterday I visited Versailles for the very first time. The king of palaces, with its 51210 square metres of floor and home of the icon of luxury Marie Antoinette, was something my inner princess always wanted to see... And so did the inner princesses of hundreds of others yesterday.

After a lovely 2 hours of standing in a queue I was finally in. And stood outside six minutes later. What had happened? After (ok, I'll admit: blindly) following the mob I suddenly found myself outside, not having seen the famous 'hall of mirrors' or anything for that matter. Luckily I realised this two seconds after walking out of the building, I turned around and stood facing two big female guards with moody faces. They told me I was not allowed to enter the building again. 'Go back to cue' they told me. Go back to the cue? I had just been there for two hours! After lots of pleading I realised it was useless and left to discover the huge gardens of Versailles. It was pretty, but I felt cheated.

Walking towards the exit after hours of walking through the gardens, I looked melancholically  through a glass door were people were moving slowly towards the next room. And then I realised the door was slightly ajar and I could slip in easily! After walking through dozens of breathtaking rooms I left completely satisfied, feeling a bit like James Bond. Ha!

All rooms had different themes and colour schemes, with perfectly harmonised patterns and decoration. Curtains matching the wallpaper matching the furniture, and of course excessive use of gold everywhere. In the end I am more of a basic & simplistic type, but gosh this was impressive.

Print-on-print (same or different styles) are actually pretty big now this spring. From left to right: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Preen, Erdem, Rochas and Kenzo. (Photos from 'the Cut' app) Funny how a palace from the 17th century can be so trending. I'll definitely be trying out the florals-on-florals I guess, although the excessive use of gold is no my thing (and not my budget).

Paris in contrasts

Experimenting with my new Nikon camera in Paris. What struck me most on my first day was the contrasts within this city. Extreme wealth and poverty (for a European city), love for the old yet lots of innovation and renovation and I don't even know how to describe the adorable little boy sleeping surrounded by the new Louis Vuitton collection on the Champs Elysees. His mother was cooing over a new handbag for ages and he decided just to take a nap - snoring was audible through the entire room. Just outside that enormous store filled with luxury was this begging woman, a sharp contrast.

More on paris later I think - this city provides lot of material!

The princess-experience at Ladurée

Just like any other 6-year-old I used to dress up in pink fluffy garments and pretend to be a princess. Or even: believe to be a princess. My parents are very culture-orientated people so every holiday we would visit several castles or 'vintage villas' where visitors are allowed to admire the architecture and interior. Walking around 'gracefully' (very slowly, lifting your skirt a little and bending your knees so that you bob up and down) I loved to imagine that this was actually my house. The small signs saying 'don't walk on the grass' and 'please do not sit down' were easily fantasized away, and the museum guards could serve just as well as servants.

I'm surely not the only girl who spent her days walking with her nose in the air and her skirt slightly lifted above the ground. Maybe that explains the tremendous succes of Parisian pastry shop and tea salon Ladurée. Entering the pink/mint coloured and deliciously smelling paradise really reminded me of my desire to be a princess. But not a real one of course, I don't fancy cutting ribons, I mean the Disney kind.

Ladurée Champs Elysées was bigger than expected with several rooms in different styles, all filled with a very mixed public. To get the full Ladurée experience I ordered several macarons. I don't know whether the magical environment helped, but they were truly delicious. Must say I was a little sad when the bill was paid (even princesses must pay) and I had to leave my little Versailles.