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.