CHRISTMAS IN PARIS - DAY THREE

Our third and final day in Paris was on Christmas Day; so it was only appropriate that we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. According to The Independent, France is the least festive country in Europe and it certainly came across as no one seemed particularly bothered it was Christmas Day, nor did we see anyone wishing each other 'Joyeux Noel'. Nonetheless, we still had a magical day roaming around the cathedral and capturing the beauty of The River Seine.  

The Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the free attractions that Paris has to offer, and although the queue may look like you'll be waiting around all day, it moves so quickly it only takes about ten minutes to get in! The architecture of the Notre Dame is extremely intricate and when you get up close, you can really see just how much work must have gone into its design. 

I am in no way religious, but there was such a strong aura in the building with so many people reflecting and lighting candles in remembrance of loved ones. There were booths available for visitors where they could confess their sins, but I was on a strict schedule and I would have needed more than a few hours if I was to go in there! Throughout the cathedral, there were different activities that you could partake in such as signing the guest book and writing a wish on a piece of paper where you place it in a locked box. The extra touches that they added throughout the cathedral definitely made it an extra special experience.

Notre Dame is very reliant on donations by the public so there are a lot of opportunities throughout the visit to dig deep in your pockets and spare some of your holiday money for this historic landmark. They also have some extraordinary souvenirs with most of the profits going straight back to the church or different charities. 

After a busy three days, we were exhausted to say the least so we ended up spending the rest of our evening mooching around the side streets by the Eiffel Tower whilst eating Nutella crepes. Looking back on the trip, it was all rather a whirlwind fitting everything into just three short days but it can be done! I would love to come back for at least a week next time to really soak up the Parisian way of life as I feel most of our time was spent doing the typical touristy stuff so we never found any of the unknown gems that Paris has to offer. 
I hope you've enjoyed reading the 'Christmas in Paris' blog series and that it's given you some sort of idea on what to do when time is limited! Thank you for reading :) 

Tannaz 
x 

ATLANTIS THE PALM - DUBAI SERIES #5

As the Dubai Series comes to an end, it's time to share with you my favourite place to go to in Dubai, Atlantis the Palm. 

The Atlantis hotel is probably one of the most famous hotels in the world and so it should be. I could happily spend a whole week there without even leaving the resort because there are just so many fun things to do! 

3 IN 1 - DUBAI SERIES #4

This post is going to be about three things that I love to do whilst I'm in Dubai. 
- Souk Al Bahar
- Visit the Burj Khalifa 
- Watching the fountains outside the Dubai Mall 

All three things are in close proximity to each other (and Dubai Mall) so if you're only in Dubai for a short stay, you could easily do all of this in a day. 

DUBAI MALL - DUBAI SERIES #3

I'm pretty confident in saying that 99% of people who have been to Dubai, have visited Dubai Mall. Dubai Mall is everything that the city stands for. It's the biggest and most visited mall in the world and if you ever happen to visit, it'll only take a few minutes until you see a Rolls Royce or hordes of women spending money in Chanel like it's going out of fashion. Having said this, you don't need to be a millionaire to have a good time there.

Dubai Mall is massive. Seriously, it's god-damn big and you're going to need more than a day if you plan on going around the whole of the mall. It has got everything that you can think of, including an indoor theme park, an aquarium, an ice skating ring and even a gold souk.

OLD DUBAI - DUBAI SERIES #2

Visiting Old Dubai wasn't on the to-do list during our holiday. However, our taxi driver had different plans for us and insisted Old Dubai was a much better place to visit instead of where we actually wanted to go. Although at first, we weren't very impressed, it turned out our taxi driver was right.

Getting to Old Dubai was a bit of a challenge, especially if you're a scaredy cat like me. To get to the souks we had to go on an Abra which is a water taxi system that they use in Dubai. Although it doesn't sound too dangerous, it is essentially a very old wooden boat where they pack as many people on as possible. After the initial shock of realising I had to get on the boat, it did turn out to be quite pleasant in the end and it was nice to see how people really live in this part of the city.

SOUK MADINAT JUMEIRAH - DUBAI SERIES #1

On my most recent trip to Dubai, I really wanted to immerse myself into the Arabian culture with paying a visit to some of Dubai's most loved souks.
In terms of souks in Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah is extremely modern, with air conditioning blasting from all corners and even Western brands like Converse and Havaianas having their own little stores. But hey, we all need to take baby steps right? The souks in Old Dubai can be a bit daunting to say the least for a first timer, with men on practically every corner trying to sell you 'Chanel' bags and stallholders chasing you down the street when they realise you're a tourist. It's fair to say that it is not for the faint hearted.

DUBAI

I love Dubai. It's my concrete jungle, fusing the West and the Middle East into one big vibrant city. With only 13% of the people living in Dubai being national Emiratis, it really is a big melting pot of races, religions and cultures. The Middle East is often portrayed as an area deep in conflict with religious clashes damaging the lives of millions. Although this is the case with many countries in the Middle East, people in Dubai live harmoniously with one another, where you can see traditional Arab Muslims walking side by side with the liberal Westerners who have emigrated to the country.