👜 Handbag Review~Goyard St Louis GM Tote

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! On my last trip to Paris I visited the Goyard boutique inside the Printemps department store and picked up a new handbag. Now that I've been using it for a while, here’s a little review on the newest addition to my handbag collection!

Originally a beach bag for well-to-do Parisians, the Goyard St Louis tote (mine is the largest GM size, but the bag comes in 3 sizes) is linen lined with a detachable pouch that is perfect for valuables or running into a store for errands. The bag is foldable and has a floppy, unstructured shape to it. The handles are made of high quality thick leather and it’s the most perfect bag for toting things around town. The exterior is printed coated canvas and is perfect for all seasons. My bag is quite large and measures 22.25” x 13.25” x 7.25”. It is one giant open compartment without any side pockets or closures, which may be a negative for some but I love the easy access to my things. 

I am absolutely in love with my new bag and it’s the most perfect souvenir from Paris. Here’s some interesting facts on the house of Goyard:

~The brand doesn’t advertise or post all available items on their website, making their goods more elusive.

~Goyard doesn’t speak to media or throw press parties or fashion shows. Their popularity has solely relied on word of mouth.

~Started it 1853, they are the oldest leather goods company still in business, older than Louis Vuitton by one year!

~Goyard started as a crating company called "Maison Martin" where wealthy Parisians would go to have their belongings packed for overseas travel.

~The iconic print is a nod to the family’s history as log drivers.

~If you have an imagination and a pretty large bank account you can order ANYTHING custom. Once a customer asked for a trunk to be made to specifically hold their gardening tools, costing a cool $15,000!

~My idol, Coco Chanel, had a custom Goyard wardrobe trunk complete with her initials "C.C" hand painted on the front.

So that's a little bit about my new bag and about the brand itself. Goyard is so rich in history and while their goods are pricey, they're extremely well made. David and I have had nothing but exceptional service anytime we've visited one of their locations, and I would absolutely recommend stopping in next time you're near a boutique. As the French would say they're très magnifique!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

👑 The Palace of Versailles

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! One of our very favorite sights during our most recent visit to France is the Palace of Versailles. I honestly could've spent days roaming the halls, dreaming of all the amazing outfits Marie Antoinette wore during her time there. The architecture and opulence is breathtaking, and I think it's a must-see for everyone visiting the area. 

We happened to visit on a winter Sunday afternoon, and unbeknownst to us, it was free admission! This meant an extremely long line (in the rain, ugh), but it moved very quickly since there weren't any payments to process, only the security check. I was amazed at how many people were there, but since the space is so large, it wasn't all that crowded. 

We toured the palace for about 2 hours, took loads of pictures, perused the gift shops, and finished off our afternoon with lunch at Angelina's. The food was very good (we had the croque monsieur, French onion soup, and shared some macarons) and there's something so magical about dining inside the palace.

My 2 favorite rooms were the Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors. The sheer scale and grandeur is unlike any other palace or castle I've ever seen.

Here's some pics I snapped during our visit:

Ornate, golden gates. These are replicas covered in gold leaf since the original ones were destroyed during the Revolution, and they cost about 8 million dollars!

The rain didn't ruin our good time! The entire property was so stunning, can you believe Versailles was built on a swamp?!?

If I were living in King Henry XIV's days, I would've had to rent a fancier outfit at the palace entrance. Everyone was free to roam the gardens and palace, but you had to be well dressed!

The Chapel-I so wish we could've attended mass here!

The hall of mirrors, lots of them...357 in fact!

A pic snapped in the Hall of Mirrors, probably the fanciest selfie we'll ever take, haha.

Such an elegant bed...there weren't any mattresses back then as we think of them, instead they were bags filled with straw or feathers. I'll gladly take my memory foam, hehe.

The King's bed chamber. I can't imagine waking up to an entire crowd of people every morning to dress me and get me ready for the day. Thank goodness for the gate!

Next time I would love to check out the Grand Trianon and some more of the gardens, the weather was pretty crummy and since it was our last afternoon in France, we had to scurry to catch our flight. Until next time, Versailles!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

🎠 Disneyland Paris

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! Disney and Paris are two of my very favorite things on this earth and when you put them together you get the most magical Parisian theme park! David and I took a day trip to Disneyland Paris during our last trip to France and we had a blast! 

Disneyland Paris has such a charming and quaint feel to it. The cast members we interacted with were so kind and helpful, the park is immaculate like any of the parks I've ever visited, and I was so impressed with the immersive rides and attractions. We caught the Frozen 2 parade which was adorable, and Sleeping Beauty's castle is the prettiest shade of cotton candy pink complete with a dungeon and fire breathing dragon underneath it!

Here's some pics from our day at Disney:

Our tickets, we were ready to go!

On "It's a Small World" (Where they sing one verse in French and one in English)

Phantom Manor-almost identical to Haunted Mansion

Outside the Alice in Wonderland labyrinth 

Our favorite meal of the day, spaghetti and pizza at Bella Notte, the Lady & the Tramp themed eatery (my favorite Disney movie of all time)

David trying his hand at target practice

Sleeping Beauty's Castle as the sun set, the most beautiful view in the whole park

We can't wait for our next trip back to France so we can spend another day at Disney! If you're ever in the area I highly recommend spending the day there, whether you have kids or are a kid at heart!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)