France Archives - sateless suitcase

That Paris Feeling

It seems so surreal now, but in February 2020 I traveled to Paris: An extended weekend getaway to one of my favorite cities with my mom and sister. From a Central European perspective, the pandemic was just around the corner in mid-February, yet still seemed too far away back then. My sister wanted to do something special for her birthday, my mom hadn't been to Paris in 30 years and was eager to go back. I was desperately looking forward to a year of travel and weekend getaways to catch up on everything I had missed in 2019. So we [...]

By Julika|2021-12-12T18:48:26+01:002020/10/14|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: France, Paris|4 Comments

Paris in August via Instagram

There was a time when I was really into writing Instagram photo blog posts, but I haven't been doing a lot of them lately as I felt like my images were becoming too repetitive -- even though I'm still old-fashioned and take photos with both my dSLR (for the blog) and my phone (for Instagram) at the same time. However, I didn't want to be boring and share photos of the same place several times so I didn't write any Instagram round-up posts for my last trips. With my newest realization that I don't bother bringing a wide-angle lens on most [...]

By Julika|2015-08-17T12:04:43+02:002015/08/17|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Europe, France, Paris|12 Comments

The European Capital Curse

For some travelers it's the one of the worst travel sins, but I'm absolutely guilty of it: Visiting (European) capital cities. Prague, Czech Republic Budapest, Hungary How often have I had a conversation with someone from England that went something like this: "So, have you been to England at all?" -- "Yes!" -- "Oh great! Whereabouts exactly?" -- "Only London, to be honest." -- "But you do know that London is not England, right?!" London, UK Okay, so besides my linguistic inability mimic a real Brit, these people are right. Of course I have no right to say I've been [...]

By Julika|2014-12-29T14:19:41+01:002014/08/13|Categories: Czech Republic, Destinations, England, Europe, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands|Tags: Europe, Germany, thoughts|31 Comments

Of Baguettes and History – Jardin du Luxembourg

Most of the time, it just takes a pretty picture on Pinterest or a scene in a movie and all of a sudden I'm not able to get my mind off of Paris. This city is everywhere -- in the movies, the commercials, the fashion magazines. And every time I see it, I'm reminded of how I cannot wait to go back. For me, Paris is the almost surreal contrast between picture-perfect movie settings and the edgy urban agglomeration. Its beauty is so out there and so subliminal at the same time, that it is almost impossible to describe Paris in [...]

By Julika|2014-09-22T23:52:36+02:002014/02/11|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Art, Europe, France, Paris|12 Comments

The Truth About Paris on a Budget

Paris on a budget? Isn't that a paradox? A city with incredibly high rents, a city where desserts are topped with gold foil, a city where the most expensive handbags have to be updated every season? A few months back, I just randomly booked hostel in Paris on a whim. Just because I felt like it, but I didn't really think I would actually go. It was just one of those procrastination things I did while writing my thesis -- reading hostel reviews, comparing prices, researching about which arrondissements are good areas to stay in for a girl traveling solo. [...]

By Julika|2015-08-13T09:06:35+02:002013/06/12|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Europe, France, Paris|26 Comments

A Weekend in Alsace via Instagram

I admit it: I'm a newly converted Instagram-addict (and, ugh, fancy phone owner). Although I tried really hard not to give in to yet another hyped social media platform for the longest time, I've come to realize that taking travel photos with Instagram is actually a lot of fun. And I just love the idea of having two cameras with me, which can both capture whole different angles of a destination. My fabulous travel buddy Ashley and me in the pretty town of Colmar Ashley's and my recent trip to France's Alsace region was a great option to try a [...]

By Julika|2013-05-09T10:09:12+02:002013/05/01|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Alsace, churches, Europe, France, medieval|8 Comments

The Street Art of Paris – In Pictures

I don't know how I discovered street art. Somehow it was suddenly there. Maybe I am just a lemming of a huge new hipster street art hype. But no matter how I came to like street art in the first place, I know I do. A lot. And Paris has plenty of street art. un regard est si vite arrivé - a glance happens quickly by MissTic During my first visit to Paris back in 2006, I was totally fascinated by the stencils of the French artist MissTic. Her art was omnipresent in Montmartre back then. So even without even [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:40:41+02:002012/12/20|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Art, Europe, France, Paris|6 Comments

A Walk Around Cimetière de Montmartre

I admit I'm a little quirky... I love the middle ages, I love churches, I love Gothic architecture. And with all that comes that I also truly love cemeteries. It sounds morbid, but I like the intense stillness on graveyards. The veneration that slightly overcomes you, and the subtle shivering that makes you hush... It inspires me. When I visited Paris six years ago, I was really sad that I did not make it to the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery. I wanted to see it ever since. When I spontaneously spent a weekend in Paris this month my host and personal guide Janina, [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:41:16+02:002012/11/30|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Europe, France, Paris|6 Comments

Rediscovering Paris

I love "taking advantage" of my friends. This year, I was already hosted by Sarah in London and Kathi in Munich. I admit, I was cadging a little. But I can't help having cool friends, who live cool places -- I just have to go stay with them as soon as they invite me over! And again, one of those globetrotter friends of mine moved to one of the prettiest cities in Europe recently -- and I didn't hesitate for a second when Janina invited me to come to Paris last week! While I'm medieval art historian nerd, Janina studies archeology and [...]

By Julika|2013-08-18T10:30:25+02:002012/11/08|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Art, churches, Europe, France, medieval, Paris|14 Comments

The Insane Road Trip through France Part III: Mediterranean, here we go!

The Insane Road Trip through France Part III: Camargue region and the Mediterranean! After Iris and I had spent our second night in the Avignon area, we left to drive further south, towards the Mediterranean. On our way, we stopped to see the Nîmes, which used to be a relevant dwelling during the time of the Roman Empire, which still can be seen by several Roman relics such as the prominent amphitheater in the city center (where we fortunately didn’t even have to pay an admission fee to see it from the inside!). After the two days of culturally motivated traveling, we [...]

By Julika|2013-06-14T13:08:46+02:002012/04/21|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, camping, Europe, France, road trip|0 Comments