Hi there Posse! Being the most fortunate of people it’s holiday time again at Chez Portia. Leaving Jin at home and heading out with two of my good buddies, Anna-Maria and Scott, we have organised a London + Paris Holiday. How freaking exciting is that.

Portia London + Paris Holiday 2018

Scott and Anna-Maria’s first time in Paris, Anna-Maria’s first time in London. So a really big deal. Fortunately I lived in London and worked in Paris so I am fairly proficient in both cities.

There is the added excitement this year of the strikes. Rail and Air France strikes. Fortunately there is a Strike Map with dates and we should be able to navigate most things with Uber, feet, Taxis and buses. There are also those bikes you can rent.

The original idea was that we spend the three weeks we are away in Paris solely. A week of wandering, a week of museums and castles, a week of perfume and shopping. We are doing a pared down, less extravagant Paris Holiday in 2018, currently there just aren’t the funds for any of us to go too OTT. Fortunately we got an Air BnB apartment right between the 1st arrondissement and the Marais (Paris’ cool kids and gay town), 19 nights for three cost us about the same as a week at Jin and my favourite hotel. The really good thing is that we will have a kitchen so most breakfasts and dinners can be had together at a fraction of the cost.

London

THEN we got the news that the Art & Olfaction Awards are on in London the first weekend we are in Paris so Anna-Maria and I are jumping on the Chunnel across the drink and spending three nights in my old stomping ground London! Woo Hoo! Another Air BnB, this time a tiny little 4th floor loft with ensuite around the corner from Westminster and Buckingham Palace. There will be quite a perfume and blogging crew in town and we are meeting up with Tara and Val the Cookie Queen from A Bottled Rose, Vanessa from Bonkers About Perfume, Thomas from Candy Perfume Boy, Pia and Nick from Olfiction and a slew of others.

Paris People & Places

We have a few seriously amazing things organised in Paris also. Another crew of perfumed peeps are coming across to Paris (some double ups) in the next week and we have booked a Private Lesson at the Osmotheque. SO excited about this. The morning at Versailles and afternoon at one of the world’s most famous perfumery schools. Next day we have been invited to do a Serge Lutens Bell Jar Exclusives Class upstairs in the yellow room at the Palais Royale, so cool.

Three of us have so much to see and do in only three weeks, it is going to be manic! Hopefully meeting up with some of my mates who are perfume royalty like Neela Vermeire, Pierre Guillaume, Nicolas Chabot, Denyse Beaulieu and the men from Oriza L Legrand. The perfumeries and fashion flagship stores in the 1st arrondissement we also hope to wander. I haven’t even started talking about CHEESE yet!! O M G!

We are all so freaking excited about our London & Paris Holiday.
Have you been to Paris or London? What were your favourite things? Things we need to know and can’t miss.
Portia xx