Travel Guide To Paris and Barcelona

Published on December 2, 2018December 2, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala2 Comments

An Artist Has No Better Home Than Paris In Europe

This would be an enough hint to guess about my next destination after Belgium. It’s Paris!!

Well, I heard a lot of mixed reviews about Paris before heading there, some were of the opinion that it is too overhyped while some said that the city is truly a ‘city of love’ !!
I also met a few people who stayed at Paris for few months and they absolutely loved the city and they usually say that, the vibe couldn’t be matched with any other city in Europe!!

With the kind of expectations that I had about Paris, this city didn’t disappoint me with the kind of art it embodies but the Parisians really turned out to be averse to welcoming or helping tourists. This is something which I have not noticed in any other European city so far, except Paris. It is a tad bit disappointing in that aspect.

The last and final destination of this trip after Paris was Barcelona and this turned out to be my second visit to Barca!! So, I am not going to get into detailed travel tips about it. You can check out my old post about Barcelona!! (Well, I visited Barca again because we had a company off-site in Barca for 4 days !! )

Let’s dive in to the trip details now 😀

Paris

Duration of Visit : 2 nights and 2 days

Temperature : 8-10 C (Visited in Mid-October. Warm clothes are recommended as the place is windy)

Accommodation : We stayed at a cute little studio apartment (airbnb) in Paris. It was a good stay and the place is not more than 3-5km from all the major touristy spots.

The way we explored Paris was more touristy than the actual local experience. We eventually found that 2 days is not enough to explore this place. I am definitely going again to explore it properly. If you are planning to visit Paris, plan for at-least 4 days so that you can leisurely explore the place.

Main Places to Visit:

Eiffel Tower – Of course, one can’t miss this beauty. Though, initially I expected that Eiffel tower would be uninteresting, I absolutely loved it when I saw it!! The magnanimous structure standing out in the city is a true visual retreat. Entrance fee is almost half for anyone below 25 yrs. Don’t forget to mention it at counter, if it applies for you.

Arc de Triomphe – The view of Paris from the top of Arc de Triomphe is magnificent!! I personally loved the view from here rather than the view from the top of Eiffel tower!! It is free entry for anyone below 26 yrs.

Louvre Museum – This is one of the the top most recommended places of Paris but we ended up visiting on Tuesday which is an official holiday for Louvre. So, plan your schedule accordingly. We missed it this time!!

Notre-Dame De Paris – It is a beautiful architectural masterpiece which is bound to mesmerise you!! It is all about the glass painted interiors , stunning exteriors, and the French gothic architecture.

Montmartre or Sacré-Cœur – One of my friends recommended this place for the stunning view of the city. We visited this place in the night and it did have a good view of the city. I would recommend to visit this place in daylight as the surrounding areas are usually unsafe in terms of robbery.

IMG_0888-002 — **View from Arc De Triomphe**

IMG_1505 (1) copy-001 — **Eiffel Tower In The Night**

Things To Do :

Visit Eiffel tower in the daylight and also, once the sun sets!! Especially, don’t miss the flickering lights show of Eiffel Tower which happens every hour after the sun sets till 11 pm.

Walk along Champs-Élysées where you get to see all the high street brands. One should experience that atmosphere if you are into fashion. Also, Paris has a lot to offer in terms of street fashion!! So much to learn- I wish I could stay in the city just to learn about Fashion

Don’t forget to taste those yummy french crepes

Not to forget, the famous macarons and the french wine
(I personally didn’t like macarons though!! )

Travel Tips for Paris :

If you are below 25 years, you would be getting discount in entry fee at almost all historical locations

Paris is comparatively expensive than most other cities in Europe. So, plan accordingly

Shopoholics, ensure that you have at-least a day to explore the shopping streets. Do note that they close by 7-8 pm

Don’t stay far off the city as travelling is a bit expensive. We have tried “Chauffeur Prive” app in Paris which offered 5 euros discount on each of first six rides. You can try that!!

IMG_0805-002 — **Bridges and Canals of Paris**

Barcelona

I am including only the new places that I visited and found interesting this time. Do check out my previous post for more detailed Barcelona travel tips.

Duration of Visit : 2 nights and 2 days

Temperature : 20-25 C (Visited towards the end of October. Might require a jacket during the night)

Accommodation : Le Meridian, La Rambla.
It is located right in La Ramblas, the famous street of Barcelona. All major locations are not more than 1 or 2 km from the hotel. However, this 5 start hotel didn’t provide service that matches up to the 5 star standards.

Newly Explored Places:

La Boqueria – It is the biggest market in Barcelona which has shops selling all different kinds of fruits, vegetables, sea food, chocolates and what not!! If you are a foodie or a grocery-shopping enthusiast like me, you should not miss this place. You will discover many new food items.

Streets of Gothic Quarters – The ancient vibe of gothic quarters in its narrow lanes and the small little squares is something one can’t miss. And, if you are looking for some vintage shopping, this is where you need to go. Carrer del Duc,Carrer de Retrizol, and Carrer de Bisbe are some streets which I loved.

Camp Nou – We watched a FCB Vs Inter Milan match at this Stadium. The vibe and energy in the stadium is commendable. A Life time experience!!
Even though, you are not a football enthusiast, I would recommend you to watch a match if possible or visit the stadium.

Montserrat Monastery in Barcelona – It is famous for a monastery located on the top of one of the hills of Montserrat mountain range. However, I found the journey and the view from the top much more beautiful. It is a 40 min train from Barcelona city. You could do a day trip. The mountain range looks incredible when you are going to the monastery.

Torres Vineyard – We went on a vineyard tour which was interesting to a certain extent in terms of understanding about the wine making process and also, the wine tasting session. Ping me on Instagram if you want to know more details about it.

IMG_1616 (1) copy-001 — **Different type of Mushrooms at La Boqueria**

IMG_1737 (1) copy-001 — **Torres Vineyard**

Shopping Tips in Barcelona :

Zara and Mango are cheaper than India as these companies have main manufacturing units in Spain and Portugal. Visit Zara store in Plaça de Catalunya for good collection.

Sephora near La Ramblas is a very huge store and has massive discounts on few items which are way too expensive in India. So, girls, visit it if you like makeup and skincare

Visit Hema or Flying Tiger for cute knick knacks and some good gifts at affordable price

You can visit Pulls and Bear for good t-shirts. They have good collection. I found urban outfitters way too expensive.

Do visit Bershka, their shoe collection is usually good and the casual clothes too.

HnM is much cheaper in India than Europe. So, don’t waste money over there unless you like something very much

The streets in Gothic quarters have some amazing vintage stores which sell unique stuff but they are way too expensive

You can get good post cards, souvenir boards and magnets on La Ramblas.

Also, pickpocketing is very common in Barcelona. Be extremely careful.

IMG_1708 (1) copy-001 — **Plaza De Colon, Barcelona**

IMG_1716 (1) copy-001 — **Common Sight of Dressed Up Artists at La Ramblas**

That’s it for this trip!!

Hope you enjoy my content and hope it would be useful if you happen to visit these places!!

Feel free to ping me on my Instagram or email me for any more travel tips or doubts 😀

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Photos by Naincy Suman

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5 Ways To Ace A Simple Saree

Published on January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala6 Comments

Those who are more inclined towards a simple saree and who find it difficult to make a statement with such sarees, these tips are going to be your savior so that the next time you wear one, you can be sure that you are going to ace it 🙂

1. Statement Jewelry

Find one piece of jewelry, could be a stunning pair of earrings or a perfect neck-piece or may be even an embellished clutch. Make the statement using just one type of accessory but not all statement pieces ( You don’t want people to be confused on which accessory to focus- keep it clear- one statement accessory 😀 )

2. Heavy Blouse

If it is a simple plain saree, you can make it work wonders if you could find a heavy blouse to go with it.

And yeah, if you choose a heavy blouse, never choose a heavy neck-piece as it just spoils the beauty

You can probably go with statement earrings/ maang-tikka instead of a heavy neck-piece.

3. Bold Makeup

This just works miraculously to brighten up that otherwise boring saree. Pick those bold reds or the badass deep wine lip shades – I promise it is going to be kickass.

While you are trying these bold lip shades / eye-shadows, you can actually concentrate less on other accessories.

Wearing a deep wine lipshade

4. Saree Shape-Wear

If you are not a pro in draping a saree, then this should be something you should really invest in. Get a good shape-wear for a saree since that helps you define the draping and also makes it easy for you to get that perfect draping style.

A nicely draped saree could be a highlighter all by itself, more than any other accessory.

5. Apt Hair Style

This is quite important and it is going to give a finishing touch to your masterpiece. This needs to vary according to your face shape, accessories and blouse.

If it is a high neck blouse or if you are wearing a heavy neck-piece, you might want to go for a hair bun/ up-do so that the focus is on blouse/ jewelry.

If you have a round/ square face structure, go for loose hair or any hair style that slightly covers the sides of your face to give that structured jaw look.

Tried messy hair look here so that my no-accessories look doesn’t look boring 🙂 A normal up-do

Hope these tips help you in making that boring saree look jaw-dropping 🙂

Also, If you are someone who wants to try those expensive designer labels but doesn’t want to spend so much on just one outfit, then DateTheRamp has the solution. It is an online rental platform for authentic designer apparel and accessories. It hosts a huge range of collection from apparel designers like JJ Valaya, Shantanu & Nikhil, AnjuModi, Ritu Kumar, Satya Paul and also a number of accessory designers like Outhouse, Valliyan and several others.

This website not only helps you indulge in those designer label outfits but also allows you to do so at a very low rental cost with great service. I personally had a really good experience with them where I rented two of these Satya Paul sarees at a very reasonable price.

Yeah, if you have to attend your best friend wedding or a party and don’t want to spend insane amount on designer lehengas or sarees, you need to try renting an outfit from DateTheRamp .

Sarees : Satya Paul ( Rented from DateTheRamp ) | Neck-piece & Ring : Jaipur Store | Mustard Mules : Koovs | Black Mules : Ajio

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Photos by Rahul Kongala

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Saree With A Twist

Published on October 7, 2017October 7, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala3 Comments

With festive season around the corner, there have been quite a few requests on my Instagram about some ideas on festive outfits. Well, I have two main versions of festive looks in my mind currently. One, which involves bold experimentation of the blend of fashion and tradition and the other being, the usual effortless ethnic styles which everyone could happily carry 🙂

Let me go with the first i.e experimenting with fashion in this blog post and the second one would be lined up for the next week. Stay Tuned 😀

Six yards of Indian saree allows one to create insane variety of looks, due to the flexibility and the length of the fabric. One of my previous posts showed how to style a saree with denim and this one would be another turn-around. This saree is older than me 😛 , probably 26 years, I obviously picked it from my mom’s wardrobe.

I remember I saw my granny wearing saree in a dhoti style (with the usual pallu style).I still find people in some of the remote villages wearing it in that manner. My granny is definitely a trend setter 🙂 Taking cue from her style, I styled this saree as a dhoti with a front pallu and accessorized with a wide belt to give a different look to the saree. You could also use corset belts instead of the normal ones, I didn’t have one so I wore the normal one.

As you know, silver jewellery is my best companion to slay any look- so, I used my weapon here. I used a crop top as blouse for this look 🙂

I wanted to give a crude look to my hair, so left it untouched in my usual messy and wavy texture.

If you love experimenting in a subtle way but not the bold way, here are some styling tips for the festive season 🙂

Use an off-shoulder top / crop-top as a blouse
Change your hairstyle- may be, go for a half bun
Include statement sleeves in your usual blouse patterns
Wear a long ethnic overcoat on your saree, may be something like this

Stay connected through Instagram to find out more such tips 🙂

Here goes the look 🙂

Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 Do leave your comments on this post

Saree : Mom’s saree | Jewelry : Street buy | Belt : Chemistry | Top : Tailormade | Heels : Ajio

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F.I.E.R.C.E

Published on March 8, 2017May 31, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala2 Comments

“I am not the size of my jeans, I am the size of my smile.

I am not a number on a weighing machine, I am the strength that I carry.

I am not the complexion I am born with, I am the blush on my cheek.

I am not the patches on my skin, I am the scars I have endured.

I am not the length of dress, I am the beauty that blazes within.

I am not a type you want me to fit in, I am beyond your comprehension.

I am courage, I am fire, I am a burning desire.

I am not who you want me to be, I am who I am ” -RK

As inspiring as these words seem to be, it’s important to be who you are, to define yourself, to come out of the cocoons and face the world the way you like and not the way others want you to be 🙂

Happy Women’s Day to all gorgeous women out there 😀

Capturing the boldness of a modern woman along with the simplicity and style of a traditional attire is challenging. I have been trying to put forth looks depicting a blend of wilderness and rustic essence using our age-old handloom fabrics. Since the handlooms are so much in trend among the Indian designers, I have worked on using that fabric in this look.

The graciously arranged pleats of a saree , the rustic feel of the handloom, the high heeled black boots, the white leather jacket along with a tinge of bold red define the essence of my current look. The black can’t make me fade away, the red ensured my look is on point and my boots break the notion of a stereotypical saree look.Leather jacket went hand in hand with the boots.Attention to intricacies while choosing the accessories is the most vital part.

I have been trying to define my style as something that breaks the stereotype of any outfit and hence, the boots and the jacket. I have chosen a solid black plain saree and accessorized using a clutch from Rann of Kutch,an antique neck piece.I didn’t want to go heavy with the earrings since my neck piece is dominant enough and stuck to my choice of red lipstick for the bold look.