Angel of the North

Despite having lived in the area all of my life, there are things around me that I have never seen. The Angel of the North is one of those things. We drive past it every time we head down south, seeing her flash past is the sign we're almost home. The Angel was finished in 1998, but today was the first time we've been up to visit. 

On first sight the Angel is not the most beautiful of sculptures. At 20 meters tall it's hardly dainty, and the steel structure is rusty and dark. But the shape is so simple and so solid that there is something inspired about it. 

                       

             The Angel represents the industry of the area, with its strength and solidity. I think she's a perfect symbol for the North East.

One last trip to Paris

This year I've been to Paris quite few times. Unfortunately, these visits consist of getting off one train and straight onto another before arriving at the airport, so all I've seen of the city are the dingy underground metro stations. On the few occasions that I have stayed for a bit longer, I've felt that, for me, Paris has lost its romance. While the Eiffel Tower will always look impressive, and the view from the beautiful Sacre Coeur will never fail to make me smile, I no longer felt that thrill of excitement you get when you visit somewhere.

This week, I fell back in love with Paris.

First stop was the Place des Vosgues, which was full of French hipsters relaxing in the sunshine in the old square. After a wander round Le Marais district we stumbled upon the Pompidou Centre, with its colourful exterior peeping out above the grey roof tops, and stopped for some lunch.

A walk along the Seine is always a nice way to see the city. We ended up at the Hôtel des Invalides, whose golden dome glistened in the afternoon sun.

Last stop before dinner was 31 Rue Cambon, a place I've always wanted to see. Chanel HQ was just as beautiful as expected (but would have been a lot more exciting on a bigger budget!)

What are your favourite things to do in Paris?

Beach Party

Sometimes we need to get out of our little room in the tower block, away from the city and into the sunshine. So on Tuesday we took a trip to Lion sur mer for a beach party. 

The weather was beautiful, with enough breeze to cool us off when the sun got too hot. We sat on the sands all afternoon, watching volleyball and heading to the sea for the occasional dip. 

In the evening as the sun set we went back to our lovely little wooden chalets to prepare for a barbeque, and wash away the sand and salt before heading to a bar, complete with palm trees and a beach terrace. Hazy memories of running into the sea at around 3am suggest we all drank far too much, but despite the horrible hangovers the next day, it was a wonderful little trip away. 

A day in the park

As the sunshine continued, we took a trip to the Collines des Oiseaux. It felt like the most tropical place on earth with it's colourful flowers, perfect blue water fountains and even palm trees, but seeing the tower blocks over the trees and hearing the distant roar of traffic reminded us we were still in the city. After a wander round the park, successfully completing the maze and having a picnic in the sun, we played a lovely game of crazy golf. Finally we went the visit the animal park, met some very friendly goats and saw the most beautiful display of a (slightly angry) peacock, before heading home with rosy cheeks and smiling faces. 

One naughty peacock even managed to take off with someone's lunch...

Saturday Cycle

After weeks of waiting the sun finally came back out this weekend, so we took the opportunity to go for a cycle. We hired bikes and decided to go along the canal towards the port, thinking it would take about an hour. Three hours later we arrived at the port, after visiting hidden churches and making friends with the ducks, and we just had time for a picnic by the sea before heading back. Thankfully it only took just over an hour to get back to town, as we knew the way and didn't have to stop to admire the view. We cycled 29km in the beautiful sunshine, so after a well earned drink I happily spent the evening resting my legs in bed.

What did you get up to this weekend?

This Week

This week seems to have involved a lot of eating. Monday started with dinner out for a friend's birthday, and on Tuesday we had lunch to celebrate again. The weather had been terrible for most of the week, with heavy rain and even a thunder storm, so I stayed inside watching terrible tv - I never knew Gossip Girl would be so gripping! - made far more exciting by a skype with the besties. With the first sign of sunshine on Friday we headed to the Chateau in the evening for pizzas and cider on the grass, and watched the sun go down behind the church. Saturday was a beautiful day, so we took a bike ride along the canal. I now plan to spend the whole of Sunday morning in bed so my legs can recover, before heading to a literary festival in the afternoon. 

Sablé with salted caramel ice cream

'Electro-rock' at the Maison de l'étidiant

St Pierre at dusk

Cider on the lawn

Bikes for hire

Blossom

What have you all been up to this week?

This Week

 This week started with a wet and grey day exploring Honfleur again, and the cliffs at Etretat, which were beautiful despite the terrible weather. We managed to make the most of the small amount of sunshine we had with crêpes and pink cider on the terrace, and a little trip on the 'Petit Train' around the town.

Pink on grey

Breakfast in Honfleur

Boats at Etretat

Cliffs at Etretat

Pink Cider

Lunchtime treat 

After dinner sweets

What have you been up to this week?