February 2025
I’m writing this very late from the Alps, it’s currently mid March and I’m only just finding the time for this. (and only publishing it at the start of April, oops).
All things Paris
I feel like I’ve hardly been in Paris this year, there’s been a lot of various events like big birthdays and big celebrations. But the time I have had in Paris, I’ve enjoyed!
During February, my Paris Musée museum card expired. But before it expired, I had time to squeeze in one last museum! I went to musée Zadkine. It was my first time here in my 8 years in Paris! I went to see the exhibition Modigliani / Zadkine which is on until the end of March. This is one of the smallest museums I’ve been to and would definitely recommend booking tickets in advance.
Rather then getting the Paris Musée pass again, I decided to get an annual Louvre card instead. There’s only so many museum cards I need in year, so I like to rotate them. And so far, I’ve been loving having a Louvre card again.
I attended a macaron workshop which was a lot of fun! I had a wecandoo voucher to use from my previous company when I left, and this is what I decided on (I had done a cheese making workshop in October with part of the voucher). There were so many options to choose from, but I’m happy with my decision. At the start of the year, I said one of the things I wanted to do in 2025 was a food workshop. There are so many steps that go into making a macaron, but it’s something I want to try at home.
I went to the workshop on a tuesday afternoon so it was just me and one other person there. We got to try some macaron with savoury fillings which is not something I had considered before, but actually it worked really well. I’m so happy with how our macarons turned out, it’s really an art.
The day before travelling to the UK I needed to return some library books. The weather sucked so I needed a bit of extra motivation to go outside. I spent some time looking at what was one, and came across a guided tour at musée carnavalet (in English!).
Before joining the tour, I went to La Mouette Rieuse - Librairie, a cute book store/cafe for lunch in Le Marais. It’s a place I’ve had saved for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity to test it out. At the back of the cafe, they have a part that’s surrounded by glass so I could listen to the rain while enjoying my soup.
I really enjoyed the guided tour. I’ve been to the museum many times, but this really got me to think about details that I’ve looked over in the past. It definitely made the day more enjoyable. One of the things I love about being a tour guide is there’s always something else to learn about.
My mother-in-law came to visit for a weekend. We had a touristy day on the Saturday - we went to Versailles and to the Eiffel Tower. In all of the times she’s been in Paris she had never done either.
we had booked to go to Versailles for a temporary event - la salle du Congrès! It’s open to celebrate 150 years since the 3rd République. You can visit on a weekend with a regular ticket, or during the week with a guided tour only. This is open until the end of September.
On the way back, we visited the Eiffel Tower because they had another temporary event. They had a bridge suspended across the first floor, you can check out my reel here. I came across this while giving a tour at the Eiffel Tower, and messaged my partner about it. I knew he would want to do it, so I’m happy we were able to make the time for it. This was also included in the ticket cost of the Eiffel Tower.
Travel
It’s been another month of travel, the month started in Belgium for the birthday part of my mother in law. On the monday before taking the eurostar home, I met a friend for a drink. I was a little tipsy for getting on the train, turns out my tolerance isn’t as high as it used to be. I get to see her so much more often now that she’s living in Brussels.
At the end of the month, we went to the UK! We ended the month up in Scotland visiting my gran. It was so good to see her again, and my brother was there at the same time! I haven’t seen him in ages and it must be over a decade since we were both visiting my gran at the same time as each other
Books
I’m in a reading slump at the minute. I’ve been listening to the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson but I’m not sure if I’m feeling it. I think I’d enjoy it more as a physical book because my brain as been so full and I get so distracted with audiobooks.
If you’ve got any recommendations on books, please let me know!
Work
I’ve joined a new company, and have been onboarded on a few of their tours. I love getting to follow other tour guides and I always learn something new.