Kawaii Weekend, Day 2 – Kawaii Event Tea Party

Get ready for the blog post of my life! *_* I worked really hard on it! I hope you will enjoy it!

On Saturday morning we woke up very much on time. We were very excited, because it was the day of the Kawaii Event! We were going to meet Misako and Rinrin! We went downstairs to have breakfast, but we had to wait for a while since things weren’t ready yet. Finally we could eat and then we went upstairs again to get ready!
We did our hair (Emilie curled the ends of my twin tails ♥), make up and put our outfits on. We were perfectly on time, so we could take some pictures in my garden! First we took some outfits of each other. I took some pictures of Emilie in her wonderful Dream Sky outfit, that she had coordinated with white, blue and pearls.

Emilie’s beautiful Kawaii Event outfit!
Then Emilie took pictures of me in my red and mint Milky Berry outfit, that I had coordinated with red, white and pink.

Me in my Kawaii Event outfit!
While Emilie took pictures of me, my dog Twinkle walked into the garden to photobomb me, haha! Then my mom offered to take some pictures of us together. ^^

Can you handle the Kawaii? *^^* Just joking! ;)
My garden looked amazing as a background for pictures. We took quite a lot!
Then it was time for us to go. We checked our things one last time and then we got into the car. My mom drove us to the station and wished us a lot of fun. We bought a ticket for Emilie and went up the stairs, where we waited for the train that would arrive at 11:59 am. While we were putting down our things, a woman asked us why we were dressed like that, so I explained to her about Lolita fashion. She and another woman thought we looked very pretty. ^^ We took some ‘Momoko-inspired’ pictures (like in Kamikaze Girls) of us waiting for the train as well.

Waiting for the train! I had brought my pink star bag along for the day. ^^
And another bag you can’t see, haha!
Then the train arrived and we sat down.
We talked, took pictures and filmed a little. We also practiced the Misako dance again a little (while sitting down). We were both very excited and couldn’t wait to arrive!

Two of my favourite pictures of this day: Emilie and I in the train.
Finally we arrived at Utrecht Central Station and left the train. Emilie told me she felt weird for not knowing the way at all, while I felt pretty cool for leading the way! XD After we went up the escalator and walked into the station, I quickly saw the big sign where the group would meet. Some Lolitas were already waiting. Despite being a Dutch Lolita, I don’t know the Dutch community that well, so I met a lot of new people on this day! But I loved introducing Emilie to the girls I did know and we all immediately switched to speaking English. We were soon joined by many girls and I introduced Emilie where I could. I was quite proud of my community: everyone looked amazing and everyone was so welcoming! ^^ We were also joined by quite some German Lolitas, including the girls I had met the week before at the Angelic Pretty shop! ^^
We waited for quite a long time until we could leave. A strange guy with a vuvuzela started bothering us as a group, but he wasn’t aggressive and after a while he left us alone (thank God). Lots of people walking through the station asked us about our style and many people loved it. One guy asked me if we were ‘dressed as anime’, so I could explain to him this was not the case. XD
Finally it was time to go and we followed our leader (well, the person who knew where to go)! After a little misunderstanding about a girl we accidentally left behind, we left the station in a long, colourful row. Suddenly, an adorable girl in a blue outfit came up to walk next to me and asked if I had a blog. She knew about Lolita Wonderland! I blushed, I was so happy! *^^* We talked for a while and she told me her name was Agata and that she is Russian, but lives in Switzerland. Emilie was all happy!
We went down an escalator and entered the city.

Lolitas on the move!
Utrecht looked at its finest: the sun shone and the streets were decorated with flags. It was as if the city celebrated the Kawaii Event with us! After some more walking, we arrived at the Tea Party venue: Grand Hotel Karel V, a hotel with a fancy restaurant (with a Michelin star) and beautiful ball rooms! We walked through the hall and waited around the corner of a big, light room filled with round tables until we were allowed inside.

Girls waiting to enter the room.
One by one we were invited inside to the table where Leyla from MFashion, the organisor of the event, was standing. There you had to show your ticket, fill in a form for Kawaii International, choose a heart to write your name on (red, pink or green), get a stamp for the evening event and, if you participated in the outfit contest, have your picture taken with an instant camera.

Anne and Renske writing down their names!
I chose a red heart (to match my outfit a little. The red was not exactly the colour of my dress, but well) and had the stamp placed on my arm instead of on my hand. I was very glad I did that, since the stamps took a long time to dry. Then I had my picture taken by Danchelle with her instant camera. I waited for Emilie, who was right after me, and together we chose a table a little in the middle of the room. Agata joined us and I introduced Emilie to Katie from Fly Away Fashion. I also met Dido and Eveline for the first time! ^^
Emilie and I walked up to the big fire place to take some pictures and Cat, Deborah and Agata joined us. I loved taking pictures with Agata! Even though we had met each other less than an hour ago, it felt like we were good friends already! ♥

Together with sweet Agata in her beautiful blue outfit!
From the fire place I could look all around the room, which gave me a great opportunity to examine everyone’s outfits. It was clear every girl in the room had done her very best to look stunning! Every outfit looked so fantastic!

Marina and Miriam taking pictures! They both looked amazing!
The photographer of M.E. Fotografie circled around the room and snapped pictures, as well as the camera crew of Kawaii International! One of the camera men asked Emilie why she was taking pictures and she answered that everyone looked so beautiful! We sat down at our table and were joined by Tamara as well, who wore her new, handmade bonnet that fit her red dress amazingly well! Slowly the room filled with people.

Our table! You can also see a bit of the rest of the room.
Finally, everyone was inside and we were welcomed by Leyla. She told us that the people with special food needs (vegetarians and people with allergies), were invited into the Tea Party room first, then the other people. Emilie was all surprised the room we were in wasn’t the Tea Party room already, haha! After waiting for maybe a minute, the rest of the people were also invited inside. We entered a beautiful room with chandeliers, white tables, a buffet and a big slide screen. On the tables were some post cards of Misako and Rinrin.

This picture was taken by the photographer before everyone entered the room.
Here’s to give you an impression of the entourage. ^^
When we entered, the hotel staff offered us a drink in a fancy glass. Emilie and I chose the table in the far right corner, closest to the slide screen. We were soon joined by Katie, Anne, Dido and Eveline. We had a very nice table. ^^

Our lovely table, filled with cups, coffee, tea and post cards!
As soon as everybody was seated, Leyla welcomed us officially and introduced us to the Japanese staff: the camera men, the translator and Salla, a blonde woman who organized everything as well. Leyla also told us the schedule for the afternoon: there would be food, a Lolita bingo and of course meeting Misako and Rinrin! ^^ She explained to us how the Lolita bingo worked: instead of numbers, you had to write people’s names on the forms. Everyone could walk around and write people’s names on their form until it was filled up. In this way you could also meet new people! ^^ Then we were invited to have food and enjoy ourselves! While everyone went to get food in turns, Emilie and I walked around to collect names. There weren’t enough pens for our whole table though, so soon I returned to our table to get names later. Then it was our table’s turn to get food and Emilie and I walked up to the buffet.
I can tell you: the food was amazing! There were little chocolates, scones with clotted cream and tiny jars of jam, sandwiches, madeleines and more! And everything tasted so great! *_*

Some pictures of the food and drinks we got!
We went back to our table with a full plate and as soon as all the girls were seated again, we toasted. ^^ I loved how every girl in the room jumped at the chance to take pictures of her food, haha!

The food was too amazing not to be photographed!
In the meantime, the camera people of Kawaii International walked around to film and interview people. It was really interesting to take a look behind the camera while they were filming. ^^
We tried some of our delicious food when suddenly, Misako and Rinrin were announced! That was quite unexpected, haha!
The doors opened and the two girls entered. It was amazing seeing two people I had seen so often on pictures suddenly walking into the same room that I was in! Misako looked absolutely stunning in her pink Baby, the Stars Shine Bright dress, bunny ears and amazing flower crown! People often say she is photo shopped a lot in her pictures, but Misako is truly as beautiful in real life as she is on her pictures! Rinrin looked gorgeous in Angelic Pretty’s Eternal Rose Bouquet in pink with matching bonnet and head bow and lace gloves! She looked even prettier in real life than on her pictures! Everyone was silent (and overwhelmed) while both girls got seated.

Misako and Rinrin! They both looked amazing and matched as well.
Leyla handed them a microphone and Misako and Rinrin told us they were happy to be there with us. It was amazing to hear their voices in real life (sorry I go on and on like this, I was just very happy at that moment)! Rinrin is actually from America, so she spoke English, which was very convenient for us (she also said something in Dutch, although it sounded quite German, hihi! ♥)! Leyla then invited them to show us some pictures of their rooms and pictures of their favourite places in Tokyo. Pictures were shown on the slide screen and we enjoyed both the girls’ stories while we ate a little.

Rinrin was happy to tell us about her favourite places!
She and Misako also wore a name tag heart. :3
Rinrin’s room is small, very cute and she shares it with a friend. One of her favourite places is Yoyogi park, near Harajuku. She also showed us pictures of a wonderful candy shop that makes traditional Japanese candy! I’d love to go there one day!

Rinrin clearly had everyone’s full attention!
Then it was Misako’s turn. Her room is in one word: adorable. There are many posters and boxes and everything looks cute! She showed us pictures of one of her favourite cafes. ^^

Misako talked and then the guy behind her translated. ^^
After the slide show, Misako and Rinrin sat down again and Leyla told us the girls had a little surprise for us! They had brought Japanese delicacies for everyone! Every table received a box with some animal-shaped (and a mushroom) candies. We easily divided our candies: Emilie got the penguin, I got the bee (well, I think it was a bee. It could also have been a yellow ladybug. Or the head of a giraffe? XD). There was also a crab, a turtle and two whales. Everyone jumped on them to take pictures of course, including Misako and Rinrin!

Kathleen, me, Miriam and Dido with our candies. ^^
The candies were soft and squishy, but I really loved the taste! I was happy I got the chance to try it. ^^ We went to get some more sandwiches of the buffet and Misako and Rinrin got the chance to eat some food of the buffet themselves too.
After a while, it was time for Misako and Rinrin to visit all of the tables separately. Misako started at the other side of the room, while Rinrin started with us! Someone put in an extra chair for her and she sat in between Emilie and me. Rinrin was incredibly kind and very happy to be here with us, that much was clear! We talked, she gave us many compliments and we asked her questions. In the meantime I couldn’t help but examine her outfit: she looked so gorgeous! Her lace gloves were amazing and her makeup was flawless! She wore a beautiful chandelier necklace as well.

Rinrin and Emilie! ♥
Emilie gave Rinrin her present: Swiss chocolates in a heart-shaped box. Rinrin was so happy with them and was happy to pose! ^^

Rinrin with her chocolates! Look at her beautiful gloves! *_*
Unfortunately time went faster than planned, because Salla came up to us to tell us Rinrin needed to go to the next table. We did take a lovely group picture with her though!

Our group with Rinrin~! ♥ ^^
After the picture, I could quickly give Rinrin my present as well. She was so happy! She hugged me! ♥
While Misako and Rinrin visited the other tables, Emilie and I walked around to gather some more names for our bingo card. I met a lot of nice people and I took a lot of pictures as well. In the meantime the camera crew was filming everything that happened and girls got interviewed as well. It was really cool to see it all ‘behind the scenes’! Misako and Rinrin went from table to table. I loved standing and watching them interact with people from a distance.

Rinrin and Misako talking and taking pictures with everyone. ^^
Everyone who wasn’t in the middle of some private Misako- or Rinrin time was walking around, taking pictures and talking to others. Emilie and I took some cool hands and feet pictures with Cat, Katie, Dido, Eveline and Anne. ^^

I really like how these pictures came out! ^^
Misako and Rinrin were both very happy to pose with everyone and of course every girl wanted a picture! ^^

Rinrin posing with Marina, Jannike, Eline, Jantine and Cunera!
Finally it was time for Misako to visit our table, so Emilie and I went to sit on our chairs. Misako took place in between us and the translator stood behind her. It was great to have him: it made talking to Misako much easier!
We talked a little and asked Misako to take a group picture with us (we didn’t want to run out of time again). The picture came out so wonderfully! ♥

I really, really like this picture! It’s so lovely!
We sat down again and talked to Misako. Emilie and I both gave our presents as well. Emilie gave her chocolates, this time wrapped in a red heart, first and then I gave my candies. Misako was so happy! *^^* I had seen someone else had given her stroopwafels, as I expected, so I was glad I had choses the cute candies!

Misako with my candy! The pink ones matched her dress! ♥ ^^
We talked some more and asked Misako to sign our post cards. I think she was surprised (in a positive way) Emilie and I had brought our own. ^^

Misako singing our post cards (she has such a cute autograph)!
While we were talking with Misako, I couldn’t help but just look at her. Ever since I started Lolita, Misako has been there. I have seen hundreds of pictures of her and many videos and now she was just sitting next to me! It was amazing to hear her speak, watch her movements and look at her beautiful outfit (that was even prettier up close). It was a very special moment for me!
We also took some separate pictures with Misako. We made sure we used our time with her well! ;) It was so cute: Misako offered her little pinky finger to hold to every girl that took a picture with her. ^^ ♥

Emilie and I with Misako! ♥
After Misako left our table, it was time for the Lolita bingo! Everyone returned to their seats and got out their bingo cards.

The bingo prizes~!
Misako and Rinrin would take a piece of paper out of a bag in turns and then Leyla would read out the name that was written on it. You had to cross off the name if you had written it down and if you had three in a row (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) you had a bingo!

Rinrin in the middle of drawing a name card.
The bingo started and it went pretty well for me at first, but despite the fact I came to a point that I could have a bingo any way, I didn’t win anything! Neither did Emilie, but then again, we didn’t deserve it anyway after Paris, in my opinion. XD It was great to see other people win though! Misako and Rinrin were so enthusiastic as well. They were clapping for every girl. ^^

Some of the lucky winners!
After the first prizes, girls started to have bingos at the same time, which resulted into them having to compete in a rock, paper, scissors game to determine who won which prize. At the end, there were two prizes left and three girls with bingo. The third girl got an (emergency) jar of cute candies from the store Rinrin had told us about though. ^^
After the bingo there was another picture opportunity, this time with both Rinrin and Misako! Emilie and I also took instant pictures with them. ^^

With Misako and Rinrin~! ♥
After we had taken our pictures, Emilie and I walked to the back of the room and talked a little with Dido and Josine. They both looked absolutely amazing: Dido looked like a forest princess and Josine like Snow White!
When everyone had their pictures taken (Emilie and I are in a lot of pictures in the back, oops!), we sat down again and we were all thanked for coming. The evening event was announced a second time (there was a bit of confusion about the starting time) and then the Tea Party was over! We all got up for a big group picture close to the exit. It’s amazing we all fit in it!

Our wonderful, versatile group!
Everyone slowly proceeded to the exit, where Misako and Rinrin were waiting to say goodbye to everyone. Emilie and I were some of the last people to leave. While we were waiting in line, Emilie got interviewed briefly again about whether she liked the Tea Party. The answer was yes of course! =D
We reached Misako and Rinrin and they thanked us for coming. Rinrin took my hands and asked us whether we’d be at the evening event as well and she was very happy to hear we’d come! She was just so sweet! ♥ Misako thanked us as well and then we entered the hall. Around the corner, a lot of girls were getting their things together and forming groups to get some food. Emilie and I quickly decided not to have dinner (we were pretty full from the buffet), but get some Bubble Tea! Agata and Eveline joined us as well, so nice. ^^
Suddenly, Emilie got interviewed a third time: she got asked why she likes Lolita and what her parents think about it. ^^ Then, the camera turned to me! The female translator asked me if I had made any friend at the event, so I told her I was there with my foreign friend and that I had met Agata and Eveline that day! I was so happy to be interviewed! =D
Emilie, Eveline, Agata and I left the building and went on our way to spend some time together until the evening event, but I will keep that for the next post! Stay tuned~! ♥

Pictures are either taken by Emilie, by me or by M. E. Fotografie.
You can find him on Facebook or his website.

Kawaii Weekend, Day 1 – Travelling, Shopping and Dancing

Ha! I bet you thought my adventures were over now that I am done with my Paris posts! Well, you’re wrong, because we’re not even half there yet! Because right after Paris there was the Kawaii Event! Let me give you a little backstory: some weeks before Paris, a very big event was announced in my own country! Leyla of the Dutch Lolita shop MFashion was busy organising a big Lolita Event together with the Japanese staff of Kawaii International! The event was called ‘The Lolita Kawaii Event’ and would take up two days. On Saturday there would be a Tea Party and an evening event with musical performances and an outfit contest and on Saturday there would be a trip to a famous castle and a picknick. It would be for Lolitas only and even boyfriends that came along had to dress up nicely as well. It sounded like a lot of fun, but everything became even more special when soon it was announced that famous Lolita models Misako Aoki and Rinrin Doll would join as well! Of course I really wanted to go, but unfortunately the event would be right after I came back from Paris! The tickets were also quit pricy, but then I thought: ‘Maybe there will never be an event like this in my country ever again! This is such a big chance!’ Meanwhile, I was talking with Emilie on Facebook about the whole event. We were talking about how amazing it would be if she could stay at my house and we’d go to the event together and all that. But suddenly, after I had asked my parents if they would be okay with it, plans were being made! Emilie was actually coming to stay with me and we would meet Misako and Rinrin together! We were so overjoyed, I cannot begin to explain it! It would be our little Kawaii Weekend together!

The Kawaii Event poster announcing the special guests!
So finally the day to take the train to Paris came, we had the Tea Parties, Emilie and I said goodbye again (which felt strange, since we would see each other again in a few days! XD), my mom came, we had fun, we went home and then, the next morning, I jumped in the train again to pick up my dear Emilie~! ♥ And this is where my blogpost starts!
On Friday morning I woke up (with a lot of trouble… -_-), got dressed and went to the train station, where I took the train to the airport. God I was so tired! I almost fell asleep in the train! Luckily I had brought a book along, which helped. ^^
I arrived at Schiphol Airport and quickly found the right departures hall, where I waited for Emilie to come through the doors. I didn’t have to wait for long to hug my friend again (after five days. XD)!
We took the train back to my home town and talked a lot (as if we hadn’t talked enough). We were still amazed by the fact we had both won a prize at the Angelic Pretty Tea Party, haha! Emilie also told me she had to get used to the fact that there were no mountains anywhere in the Netherlands! XD
After a while, the train conductor came by to check our tickets. He asked Emilie if she was English, because of her accent. Emilie was so happy! *^^* The train conductor talked to us for a while and we arrived at the station, where my mom was waiting for us with the car. We put Emilie’s bright orange suitcase in the back and we drove to my house.
At first, I felt weird showing Emilie where I lived. Geneva, where Emilie comes from, is an amazing, old city filled with beautiful architecture and rich history. The place I live is very new, with only new buildings and new houses. I almost felt ashamed, but suddenly, while we were looking out the window, Emilie asked: ‘Ah, does that street sign say ‘Giraffe street?’ I said: ‘Yes…’ Turns out she totally loved the fact that we give our streets themed names here! Yay for my hometown! ^^
We arrived at my house and I introduced Emilie to my dogs! She especially loved my pug Catootje a lot. She thought she was funny and sweet. ^^ And as Catootje loves visitors (and attention), she liked Emilie a lot as well!
After petting the dogs for a while, we went upstairs where Emilie of course had to inspect my closet. She also took some pictures (all pictures of this day were taken by her actually).

Finally some pictures of my closet on my blog! ^^
After Emilie had browsed through my closet, it was time to lay down our coordinates for the next day! Because I had just returned from Paris, I hadn’t really had the time to come up with an all new coord. Luckily, I had decided pretty early on that I wanted to wear one of my all-time favourite outfits again: my Milky Berry dress combined with red and white, the outfit that I had worn in February at the High Tea meet. I didn’t want to wear the exact same outfit of course, so I combined the outfit with my new Baby, the Stars Shine Bright socks and Angelic Pretty strawberry necklace. Emilie helped me coordinating and I also helped a little with her outfit: she would wear her beautiful new Dream Sky One Piece in a very elegant coord, combined with white, blue and pearls.

Some details of Emilie’s outfit. The whole coord will remain a secret until the next post! ;)
Emilie put her dress in my closet to keep it safe until the next day and then handed me some presents! She had brought some Swiss delicacies: Willisauer Ringli, Läckerli and Ragusa chocolates for me and my family. She had also bought me the cutest Paris necklace to match my new dress! I was so happy! ;_;
Since we didn’t know whether Misako and RinRin would hand out postcards to have them signed, we decided to make our own! We chose two cute pictures of the two idols and printed them twice. They could dry the whole night. ^^
Misako and RinRin would both perform at the evening event. We didn’t know what RinRin would sing yet, but Misako would perform her new song ‘Maepatsuhimeka’, which also had a cute little dance to go with it. So I suggested to learn the Misako dance together! I had two videos: one little clip featuring Misako and four dancers and another one in which some lovely Lolitas showed the dance as well. The second video was easier to use, so we played it at least 30 times! XD Since the dance had to be done with only the right arm, it shouldn’t be too difficult, but it actually was! I had already practiced the dance a little with a friend, so I knew it a bit, but Emilie didn’t know it at all. So while we practiced, we came up with names for every part of the dance. Things like ‘sailor’, ‘bow’ and ‘penguin’ made a lot of sense to us! XD Because of these names, we managed to learn it really well after all! :3
We watched a lot of funny videos that made us tear up with laughter, when my mom came in and asked if we still wanted to go shopping for a bit. She offered to drive us to the city, so we got our things and got into the car.
We arrived in the city not long after and walked around for a bit. Emilie was amazed by all the new buildings and weird architecture in my town. She compared it to an amusement park! XD

Some of the interesting buildings found in my city.
We wanted to get some Bubble Tea (I love Bubble Tea so much~!). We quickly arrived at the shop and we both ordered some. Mango for Emilie, strawberry for me!

I am so glad to know Bubble Tea exists! ♥
Emilie has been to Taiwan twice and since Bubble Tea was invented there, she has had some there of course. I was afraid she would hate our Bubble Tea here, but she said it was nice! I was glad. ^^ She did tell me the bubbles in our Bubble Tea are very different from Taiwanese Bubble Tea. I thought that was interesting.

Emilie looking cute with her Bubble Tea.
There will be no pictures of me during this day. I looked like a zombie (in my opinion)! While drinking our Tea we went on our way to my city’s pride and joy: the newly opened Primark! You have no idea how much money this place brings into our local economy! XD
We browsed the (giant) store and suddenly Emilie went crazy! She had discovered the cutest Sugar Hearts shirts and we both fell in love, so we decided to both try them on. We walked to the fitting rooms and while we were waiting in line, we found some adorable pink tops that fit the print on the shirt really well, so we decided to try those on as well. After trying on, Emilie and I both decided to buy the two items, so we had matching outfits!
We left the Primark again and walked all the way to the HEMA, where I bought two bags of Old Dutch candy to give to Misako and Rinrin as gifts. At first I wanted to give them traditional stroopwafels, but since I knew I wouldn’t be the only one with that idea, I decided on cute candy. ^^
Emilie and I walked back to where my mom dropped us off. We bought some baguettes (my mom had called me to ask if we could bring them) at the supermarket (yay, now I could show Emilie a real Dutch supermarket too! XD) and then waited for my mom to pick us up again. After a little while she arrived and we went home, where Emilie and I watched some more stupid videos until dinner. My mom wanted to eat something traditionally Dutch, but eventually we decided to go ‘gourmet’: everyone cooks their own meat and optionally vegetables. We often do this at Christmas, so it’s really something special. Emilie liked it a lot. ^^
After dinner we talked, practiced the dance, talked some more and eventually went to bed. The next day would be a very special one! Prepare for many pictures!

All pictures are taken by Emilie.

Paris, Day 8 – Jardin du Luxembourg and Last Time Shopping

On Thursday morning we woke up on time to have breakfast and then pack all of our things. This was our last day in Paris! :( I always get worried whether everything fits in my bags or not. Especially now, since my bag was pretty full already and I had to put an entire extra dress set in! But I managed. :3

Packing, packing, packing~!
We dragged our suitcases into the hall and I checked the room one last time. We took our stuff downstairs and while my mom sat down on one of the cute chairs, I checked us out. I asked the nice lady behind the desk if we could stall our luggage somewhere until the end of the afternoon. We followed her into the courtyard garden and stalled our luggage in a special room there. We thanked her and then left the hotel, where we took our last outfit pictures of our trip.

Outfits of the day!
We had decided to visit a place we had never been before on this day: Jardin du Luxembourg, a garden which was supposed to be really pretty, so we wanted to check it out. But before that we decided to go to Montmartre so my mom could buy some last things there. We crossed the street to get some money at the bank and then we crossed the street another time to look at the cute bakery’s pastries one last time. We walked into the metro station and took the metro to Abbesses. Since it was still early, the streets weren’t very crowded yet. We walked past a shop that was all about angels and cherubs and they had the most beautiful cameo necklaces. My mom and I doubted about buying one together, so we decided to wait to see if we made other purchases that day. We also passed a shop with lots of cute cards.
We arrived at the Sacré Coeur hill and walked into the shopping street, where we bought chocolates at Georges Larnicol. My mom had been waiting a year to buy her favourite chocolate mussels again! The guy behind the counter was very good-looking by the way. *_*

Our chocolates~! ♥
We quickly found the store we had discovered last year: it sells all kind of cute things, from stationary to touristic key chains. My mom had seen a beautiful pink, Paris-themed serving tray there and she regretted not buying it, so we went back to see if it was still there! While my mom walked around the store, I admired all the adorable Ladurée items they had! Everything was so expensive, but so cute! ;_;
My mom quickly found the serving tray (which seemed even more beautiful than last time), but doubted about buying it again! I do admit it was a bit pricy, but they came in multiple shapes and sizes with this theme. I convinced my mom she would regret it again if she didn’t take it, so eventually she took one size smaller than planned. She uses it a lot now. ^^
We left the shop and I bought some touristic jewelry at a shop nearby. I bought a necklace, bracelet and earrings I believe. We decided we were done in Montmartre and walked down the steep street to metro station Anvers, where it was suuuper crowded. Suddenly I spotted a Photomaton and since we wanted to take pictures, we ignored the crowds. But unfortunately I did something wrong, because the machine took only one picture which got printed 16 times, all very small. Oops! -_- I was not very pleased with that. Oh well, at least I took a funny picture with some Wolverine posters.
We took the metro to a station near Jardin du Luxembourg, but when we got out it took me a while to figure out where to go. This was a part of Paris we had never been before, so I needed all my concentration to find out how to walk. Luckily we went the right way. ^^
We arrived at a gate with a sign that said ‘Jardin du Luxembourg’ and walked in. Jardin du Luxembourg is supposed to have a castle and lots of recreational facilites. And of course lots of trees and flowers.

My mom enjoying the park.
There were lots of statues around, but none were really exceptionally beautiful to me. I did really like the playground we passed. It looked like a lot of fun! Children could also ride around in little cars, so cool!
After walking for a while, we arrived at a very big open space and to our left, we could see the palace! It was so beautiful! The sun was quite bright and reflected a lot from the ground, so I was glad I was wearing my hat. ^^ Before we went to the palace, my mom took some lovely pictures of me with our red polkadotted umbrella.

There were a lot of these beautiful flower pots. Great photo material!
We walked around for a bit and took lots of nice pictures. There were many brightly-coloured flowers everywhere. They were so pretty!

Some of the beautiful flowers in Jardin du Luxembourg.
We walked up to the palace. There was a really big, round pond in front of it where children could play with boats. There was a little stall where you could rent a wooden boat with the flag of a country on it that you could use for a certain amount of time. There was no remote, you had to push the boat away with a long stick. It was really fun to see the children play, without electronics or machines, just having fun with their boats. The boats didn’t sink, so they just sailed around the pond, passing ducks that couldn’t care less about them.
After watching the children play for a while, we decided to take some pictures. If I may say so, I took quite a nice picture of my mom!

My mom in front of the Luxembourg Palace!
We sat down on two chairs for a little while (we could see both the Eiffeltower and Tour Montparnasse), while I checked the map to see what the best route would be to the Lolita shops, since we wanted to go there one last time (it was my mom’s idea, I swear)! We left our chairs and walked in the direction of the exit. We wanted to take some pictures around another beautiful flower pot, but some old people were taking ages taking theirs. After what seemed ages, they finally left. I wonder what was so special that took so long to take pictures of?
We walked to the exit (passing a woman who was enjoying her coffee while her two cute doggies were sleeping ♥) and we left the park.
We walked past two ice cream cars that had like a million flavours and several amazing photographs of the Tour de France through the years. They were really amazing! *_* We also saw the Panthéon not so far in the distance.
We crossed the street and quickly visited a cute bakery (with outrageous prices) and then went on our way to the metro. We walked for quite a while and finally we found the station. My mom bought some drinks at a machine, but the machine gave her too much money back. She gave it to a homeless man. ^^
We walked to the right platform and waited. Soon the metro arrived and we sat down. We had to ride quite a while, so we made ourselves comfortable in our seats. Across from us sat a mother with her baby and I have to admit: it was the cutest baby I had ever seen! She was sooo sweet! She had two band aids on her arms, so I think she had just gotten her shots, but she looked really happy nonetheless!
We finally arrived at Ledru Rollin, when I suddenly realised there is a great Photomaton there! We took pictures again (with Amélie), but this time we made sure we chose the right option!

My mom with our new pictures!
We left the metro station and while I went into McDonald’s to use the toilet (where I had to wait for ages), my mom waited outside. A very old couple passed her by, she said they looked really sweet together. ♥
We walked for a while until we reached the Baby shop. ^^

The beautiful Baby shop window!
Claire was there of course and she welcomed us. ^^ Nothing had really changed, but because I had been there last time without my mom, now I could show her everything I had seen. I showed her all the lovely bags (she didn’t like the coffin bag at all), accessories (my mom really wants me to buy a bonnet someday), dresses and blouses. I also showed her the beautiful sax blue lace dress (called ‘Dreaming Sherbet’) that I absolutely adored. Unfortunately, it was very expensive and way over my budget. My mom really loved it too. Later she told me that if it hadn’t been so expensive, she would have bought it for me! N’awww! ;_; ♥

My mom with one of the blouses she really liked! I think she matched it quite well with her outfit!
I browsed around for a while, but nothing (other than the sax blue dress) caught my attention. We talked a little with Claire about the Tea Party and before we left, I asked her for a picture.

With Claire! We kind of matched!
We left the shop and took some pictures in front of the windows! My mom wanted to be in a picture too this time, hihi! ^^

In front of the Baby, the Stars Shine Bright store~! ♥
Suddenly I saw Sawada-san (smoking), so I walked up to him and thanked him again for the wonderful Tea Party! Hopefully again next year..?
We walked down the Avenue Ledru Rollin until we reached the Rue Keller. We soon arrived at Angelic Pretty, but it was closed! We read on the door that it would open again at 3:30 pm and since it was almost time we waited. We didn’t have to wait for long, because soon Dominique arrived and let us in. ^^
My mom looked around (she really loved the Angelic Pretty shop with all the old toys for decoration) and I showed her the Promenade de Paris print. She really liked it as well. ^^ She also loved the Drained Cherry dresses a lot! We didn’t only browse the AP section, we also took a look at the other dresses, shirts and cardigans they had to offer, from for example MILK and Tralala. I tried on two really sweet cutsews, but unfortunately they were not made for me. Oh well. ^^
While we were busy, a mother and daughter came in and we started talking a bit. They were German but they lived in Norway and they were really nice! I gave the girl the link to my blog. ^^ We also talked with Dominique for a while.
Meanwhile, I browsed the shop to see if I wanted to buy something. Eventually I decided on a pink and blue 6% Dokidoki bracelet and the blue and pink Heart Lollipop necklace from Angelic Pretty. Both would match my new dress really well. ^^ I went to pay for them (Dominique gave me two postcards with my purchase), thanked Dominique again for the wonderful Tea Party and then we left.

Purchase picture!
We decided to eat something heavy now, as we wouldn’t really have time for dinner because of the train ride back home. We quickly decided to have a Croque Madame at the café we had been two years ago again. We walked back to Avenue Ledru Rollin and quickly found the café. We sat down on the terrace and ordered two Croque Madames, an orange juice and a lemon juice. When the food arrived, I tried my mom’s lemon juice. It was so sour! It didn’t understand how she could like something like that at all! XD My orange juice was wonderful by the way. ^^

Our delicious Croque Madames with Emmental cheese!
While we were eating, my mom asked me where my cardigan was. Then I realised I had left it in the Angelic Pretty dressing room! Stupid me! After we finished our food, we went back to the shop. When we arrived there, the door was closed! Suddenly, Cocotte appeared around the corner and I quickly told her what happened. She called for Dominique (who was just walking away from the shop) and he quickly let me in to get my cardigan. I felt so stupid, having to say goodbye twice. ^^’ Oh well.
My mom and I walked to the big Bastille square, where we took some pictures of the monument and then walked into the metro.

Taking the metro from Bastille.
We arrived at our transfer station and suddenly, while we were walking, we heard music. My mom and I looked at each other and we realised it was the group of musicians we had heard two years ago! My mom really regretted not buying their cd and last year she kept listening if she heard them. And now we found them by accident! We followed the sound and quickly found the men! We kept listening for a while and my mom finally bought their cd. ^^
We continued our way back to the hotel, where we picked up our things. We said goodbye to the neighbourhood (;_;) and then dragged our stuff through the metro. It wasn’t far to Gare du Nord, but it’s still a terrible job.
We finally arrived at the station and while I waited, my mom went to get some drinks and food. Soon after she was gone, our train number was called and we could go to the platform. My mom returned and we walked to our train. We entered the train, stalled our bags, sat down and just relaxed. Not long after, the train departed and we said goodbye to Paris.
Not much happened after that. We had an incredibly annoying child behind us (stupid parents as well), we ate our delicious cakes, my mom slept, I listened to music and after a few hours we arrived back at Amsterdam Central (of course, no delay now -_-). We had a bit of trouble finding my dad (thank you everlasting constructions) who came to pick us up and then we went home.
It had been a magical trip I will never forget!!!

This was my last Paris 2013 post! Thank you all so much for reading about my adventures! I hope you enjoyed them! All of your comments were so nice! ♥
Thank you for staying with me~!