The Beautiful People, The Beautiful People

I spent all weekend walking around Paris. On Saturday, a friend who lives in London, came to Paris with her friends for the Paris Marathon. I joined them for a meander around the city. On Sunday, I met up with Brittany and two friends she met through her film festival for another promenade. Brittany and I couldn't help but notice that all of the sudden, in the past week, the Parisiens have become more beautiful, more stylish, more daring in their fashion.

Throughout l'hiver (winter), I kept thinking, where are these beautiful Parisiens? Where is the fashion capital?? All I saw were unhappy, haphazardly put together, average-looking French people dressed in mostly black. Yes, their collection of black trenches, leather boots and decorative scarves made them look incredibly chic, but their unbrushed hair and meloncholy faces detracted slightly from the image. Something happened though, perhaps the sudden infiltration of European tourists or the coming spring, but people are beautiful. There are smiling faces, bright colors, daring fashion choices that I had imagined before my arrival. And, perhaps they were hibernating for the winter, but there are now multitudes of hot, sexy young European men and women strolling the streets.

The beauty and fashion inspired a small, but fruitful shopping spree - including 4 pairs of shoes for under 75 euros. Perhaps the springtime Parisiens have smaller feet than the winter Parisiens because shoes all of the sudden fit me now.

Also worth a mention is the tea and dessert shop I ventured to on Saturday with the Brits - called Charlotte de l'ile. It's hard for me to describe the setting, other than asking you to picture a country-side, Victorian-esque shop, with knick-knacks, dried flowers, eclectic furniture and the overwhelming smell of pastries. The hot chocolate, which I think may have been literally just a melted chocolate bar, was an experience that must be had. While not quite as perfect as le chocolat chaud from Lauderee, it's richness and uniqueness deserves a taste. Accompanied by the all chocolate cake, one might go into chocolate overload - but what a way to go!