This trip was one for the books! E had been trying to fully surprise me with a trip to Paris for my 30th Birthday (which is in August) for quite some time, but due to my busy wedding season and shooting schedule, he was not sure he could make it happen. Thankfully, I had a perfect week off (and thanks to one flexible client!) so when E got asked to go to Prague for work, he asked if I could swing it with him and then he would take me to Paris for a long weekend! It was truly a birthday gift I will never forget! I am actually putting all my Snap Chat videos together for a little memory for us to have!

Anyway, here are a few photos from Prague and then I will continue down the line with Paris!

People CROWD around this clock as it’s one of the most historic pieces of Prague! The crowds are huge this time of year as it is high tourist season!

Watched the sun go down at the bridge and its just stunning how it lights up the castle on the hill!

In Prague, I spent lots of hours walking around the city, taking photos, shopping and sampling the foods by myself as E was at work. It was super nerve wracking as my sense of direction is pretty near nonexistent and is AWFUL. Needless to say, a couple of days it took me FAR to long to find our hotel at the end of the day haha!

This photo was the ONLY one we got of E and I in Prague together but I am glad we at least have that one! We spent the evenings walking together, getting dinner and drinks in a city that seems like it never sleeps!

I stumbled upon an adorable little antique shop and the guy actually had a Leica Camera from 1931 and let me play around with it a bit! It was fun to shoot this whole trip on my own Leica camera and just slow down a bit and enjoy shooting for me.

About 9 years ago, when I bought my very first house on my own, my parents gifted me an Andy Warhol print so when I saw that there was an exhibit on him and his work, I knew I had to visit!

I had the opportunity to shoot with two clients while in Prague that have lived there for about a month now! We had such a fun time shooting around the city together and stay tuned for that blog post coming soon!

The next morning, bright and early due to a flight change on behalf of Air France, we headed out to Paris for the weekend! Once we navigated through the airport and subway, we found our apartment right in the middle of the adorable neighborhood called “Montogueil” which is actually a no car zone and FILLED to the brim with the cutest cafe’s that line the streets that you could ever imagine! My favorite one was black and white and was directly below our apartment!

We hit the ground running walking ALL over town and making sure to see the main sights! We also hoped on a boat tour right on the Seine and saw lots of the major sights from the water.

Although we did not go inside the L0uvre, we enjoyed the grounds and the AH-MAZING building and architecture!

I asked E if we could do the show at the Moulin Rouge, and although we were slightly apprehensive, it was SO much fun and quite an act to see!

Seeing Monet’s work in person was awe inspiring! Hearing about his vision and seeing it in real life brought a whole new level of interest for me into his works and even made me think about my work and how I photograph and my process for each image.

Notre Dame is freaking cool. Just as simple as that. Hearing the bells ringing and seeing it up close is a TOTAL must. We also found an adorable little teddy bear dressed in a sweet Parisian dress and red hat for Hasty right near Notre Dame and I will never forget it!

Ok if you saw my IG post (here) then you know the story behind the image on the right hahah! Because that is NOT Eric and I! It’s a couple of Americans. So go read that post on my Instagram 😉

Of course I had to look around and see if there was a photographer who could capture some photos of E and I, plus give us some great recommendations on places to visit and the REAL Parisian Experience. I am so glad that we found Pierre Atelier and had so much fun exploring the city with his guidance and camera in hand!

 

The last evening in Paris, E and I ate and had drinks at our favorite little cafe and just talked about how we will remember this experience forever! Then, it was home to swoop up our little girl and hug on her until she no longer wanted to be near us haha!

 

Traveling Prague and Paris // Tonie Christine Photography // Pacific Northwest Photographer Tonie Christine