Jacket, Shirt – Gmarket (Tutorial how-to-use), Pants, Thigh-highboots – Zara, Bag – Etsy Vintage (BenefitJewels)

Scarf Wrap- Urban Outfitters, Pants, Shoes – Zara, Belt – Vintage, Bag – Gmarket, DIY Shoulderpads

I was so generously gifted a chance to waddle across the channel in a train to Paris that left last Saturday morning, courtesy of We Are Social and Eurostar. I’d been in Poland when the 12-blogger Paris haul happened in July and contemplated flying in for the trip but sense punched me at the right time and I kindly declined. Well, who knew a pair of tickets were available for when I returned to London!?

Ellen and I did a quick wikitravel plan, (look at you glaring with those judgemental eyes) and took note of 5 places to visit including a flea market and the catacombs. I know, all we wanted to see was a good market and piles of skulls. We like skulls. The train was amazing, the breakfast rather phenomenal, and after a short nap I got popular all of a sudden on my phone and got all those welcome to France from T-Mobile text messages. Oh this popularity.

After a FAIL session of trying to rent a bike near Hôtel de Ville, we decided to take the Velib (Paris city bikes) and headed towards the Catacombs. Let me do the rest in bulletpoints as they’re mostly FAILs anyway:

• Got lost on bikes going south, ‘parallel’ so nonexistant in Paris.
• Arrived near catacombs, our first destination, 4 hours after arrival in Paris… fail.
• Wandered in circles around and around catacombs for half an hour, not being able to find the entrance.
• Stopped at PAUL’s (YES, the bakery we also have in London…Paris pastry experience fail) and had a quick munch.
• Found entrance to catacombs and found it closed.
• Head off to second destination, get lost EVERYWHERE.
• Try for third destination, LOST AGAIN.

Hey, it’s not like we didn’t have a map, or navigating brainpower. Several times we’d missed left turns because we couldn’t brave going through the intersection with traffic.

In the end we got back to the train station – having lost eachother while entering the train station, not having eaten ANY French pastry, or seen the eiffel tower… but I must say, I had the greatest time getting lost on the bike and seeing all the streets in Paris that I would never have seen if we were attached to a tour programme. In my opinion it’s the ideal way to tour Paris – given that you’re not a road-wuss like us.

So go ahead, take a Paris bike break.

Shirt Men’s Uniqlo, Jeans H&M, Bag Public Beware, Shoes Zara

Quiet day involving getting locked in the house, eating greasy McDonalds for breakfast and following le boyfriend blindly into a dark forest. Baby boyfriend, I took advantage of you ages ago, where are you taking me? Actually it was a nice park with the Wisła river running close alongside – too close that le boyfriend makes me stand near the water and tells me I don’t fit in the camera so would I please move back.

First photo by Gabriella
Shirt – Jackpot, Pants – Zara, Shoes – Monnari, Bag – Vintage, Necklace – Gmarket

On my last day in Kraków I had a chance to meet up with Gabriella from Street Fashion in Kraków, such a sweetheart. We drank lemonade at an atmospheric cafe on Bracka street. The cafe had seats outside that looked like school tables where customers would sit alongside eachother and watch the passerbys, kinda like first row fashion show seats, and I’m thinking that’s how Gabi chooses her streetstyle prey.

The Kraków trip was a breath of fresh air; my favourite was the fact that the modern youth culture was completely embedded in the historical bits of the city, so you’d easily find a nightclub in a Polish townhouse of the 1500’s. Café’s are marrrveloos as well, they have this natural vintage den-like atmosphere that you can’t possibly create out of scratch, oh how delicious.

You know this was coming: YOU NEED TO VISIT KRAKOW. Capitals and all.

Sweatshirt – DIY Uniqlo, Shirt – FCUK, Pants – Zara, Shoes – Fred Perry, Bag – Vintage

Next time you visit Krakow, get your hands on a bike – beg or steal (well, don’t steal…borrow), get yourself on those suckers because personally I think that’s by far the best way to experience the city up-close and at your own pace. Bicycle-lanes are clearly marked all over town, and here in Poland biking is allowed on pedestrian paths in most cases so it’s absolutely safe.

Ohh this little trip made me fall straight back in love with bicycles, and now I’m craving very much for a ladies town bike so I can load flowers and fresh baguettes in the front basket and have hair rustle in the breeze as I peddle past the busy little bistros…   …owkay, waking up.