[русский текст - ниже]
"Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer" is one of my favorite quotes (along with "a ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for" - as you can see, I'm a sucker for a good cheesy quote!). Traveling is an ultimate source of inspiration - and the kind of experience that helps you grow as a person. Every time I board my return flight in CDG, I realize I'm a slightly different person than I was a couple weeks ago while checking in in the airport of my hometown. Here are the 7 new habits I acquired after coming back from Paris this summer...
#1. THE BEST BREAD IS THE ONE FROM THE LOCAL BOULANGERIE
Try making
avocado toasts with some fresh bread from a local bakery, and you'll see just how big of a difference it makes as opposed to cooking them with the prepackaged bread from a grocery store! Bread sold at boulangeries is also typically cheaper, so it's a win-win.
#2. CANVAS BAG = ULTIMATE BAG
The next time somebody raises their eyebrows and asks why you are carrying a canvas bag, just raise yours and say "but that's what Parisians do!". When I was packing a canvas bag with me to carry around a DSLR, I had no idea that wherever I'll look in Paris, I will see women, children, men casually carrying their belongings in basic beige canvas bags. It fits in so much more than a regular bag and looks kind of rebellious. Perfect!
#3. NO TAP WATER NEAR MY FACE
The only way to make me drink tap water in Russia is to hide the fact that it's tap water (kudos to my French teacher who mastered this technique). In Europe, however, the quality of tap water is generally better - people rarely doubt whether to pour or not to pour. No wonder my skin is always glowing when I return home! It took me years to connect the dots, but now that I have, I stopped using tap water to wash my face and only use filtered and boiled water to do that. My skin is thanking me.
#4. LESS IS MORE
The abundance of products used in popular Korean skincare routine is overwhelming - and so is fashion, which encourages us to wear the most elaborate pieces. Women in Paris, however, stick to the basics and stay loyal to neutrals, completely disregarding the trends. Turns out, your face only really needs a good cleanser (L'Oreal Micellar Water & La Roche-Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel are the best!) and a good moisturizer (I'm obsessed with Hydreane Legere by La Roche-Posay), and it comes as no surprise that your body is more than fine with Bepanthen instead of a fancy, full-of-chemicals lotions. When it comes to day-to-day outfits, flats and a pair of cropped jeans are just what you need - and that's coming from a girl who didn't own a pair of trousers for years!
This Zara pair that mimics the famous Vetements ones is a game changer.
#5. A GOOD OLD BOOK IS BETTER THAN FACEBOOK
One of the best things about Paris is, that people there are pleasantly old-fashioned. When you go to the metro, people are actually
reading - can you imagine?! We tend to wake up and reach out for our phones immediately, but it's so relaxing to start your day with a nice book. If you want to read something that involves Paris, I highly recommend
"Le Ventre de Paris" by Émile Zola.
#6. BIKES ARE CHIC, PERIOD
Considering the beauty of Parisian streets and an excellent public transportation system, there really is no point in owning a car - everybody either walks, takes the metro or rides a bike (which is also a real secret to why Parisian women don't gain weight regardless of how much pastry they eat). Inspired, after coming back from Paris I've signed up to Velogorod - which is a self-service bike system similar to Velib. To be honest, I haven't yet tried it out, but I have high hopes! Just imagine me riding a bike in a flowy skirt and a pair of Repettos... Now is there a Parisian girl that is willing to teach me how to do that without totally embarrassing myself?..
#7. BONNE JOURNÉE!
"Bonjour", "merci" and "bonne journée" are the words you hear and use the most when you go to France - you don't even think about it, it becomes a habit. In Russia, however, people are generally more restrained and rarely say these to strangers they interact with daily in cafés, supermarkets, and stores. And that's exactly why you should do that! Since people are not used to hearing "hello", "thank you" and "have a great day", their mood suddenly lifts when they do - and yours does too. Another game changer.
Et voilà! Are there any things you learned to do while traveling abroad? If so, share them in the comments down below!
