Last year was eventful with me having to fly to Japan on three occasions and I can't be more grateful to be able to witness the transition from Summer to Autumn. Now that I've finally settled down and have some time, it's time to catch up on my adventures from last year.

I went on a 12 days Japan trip and while I went to some of the same places as I did a few years ago, I skipped out on Mt Fuji. If you're interested to know more about my trip to Mt Fuji, check out my previous post. I'll do up another post on the food gems I've found in Japan but meantime, here's my Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Takayama itinerary.

They say Paris is always a good idea and it's really hard not to fall in love with the place once you've set foot there. Even though I'm 6000 miles away, Paris still holds a really dear place in my heart. Paris city view is amazing because of the height restriction. This makes going up to the Eiffel Tower really special because you get a clear and unblocked view of the entire city. The Arc de Triomphe is another perfect location to spot the entire city view. And the Arc de Triomphe is amazing because it's right in the middle of a roundabout which gives an amazing view. Right at the Arc de Triomphe, you can find Champs-Élysées. Champ-Elysees is often labelled as one of the world's most beautiful avenue, and I absolutely agree with that statement. There, you can find high-end shopping and cafes. The question everyone wants to know the answer for is - Where do you get the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Trocadéro. It sits on the opposite side of Seine River, across the Eiffel Tower. Perfect place to see a clear, unobstructed view of the amazing beautiful Eiffel Tower. And it's within walking distance from Arc de Triomphe. The Louvre Museum, famous for the Mona Lisa painting. But of course, there are so many other notable artwork in the museum so don't bother squeezing with others for a selfie with that particular painting. I hate crowds so I just took a glimpse of the painting and moved on to the other exhibits.

There are two queues to enter the museum. Most people go in from the ground floor, entering through the glass pyramid. To avoid the long queue, I would suggest taking the entrance from the basement. It's linked to the metro and I queued for only 5 minutes or so to enter the museum.

There is free admission for 18 years and below and also on certain Sundays. Check the admission details before going! I managed to get in for free :) The famous love lock bridge is is just beside the Louvre Museum. Unfortunately, they are removing locks from the bridge. I don't know it's current state now :/ The famous Notre Dame de Paris is situated on an island along the Seine River. You can walk to Notre Dame from the Louvre Museum (which was what we did). We couldn't enter it when we were there because there was an ongoing ceremony so we simply wandered around, looking at people drawing the magnificent building. On the other side of the river from Notre Dame, lies a really quaint bookstore. Shakespeare and Company. It has become quite a tourist attraction and was featured in a couple of films. It's easily within walking distance from Notre Dame de Paris and a really good place to pick up a book. Pont Alexandre III is a famous bridge in Paris and provides a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower. It's listed as #10 on Tripadvisor's Things to do in Paris list, which says a lot about the beauty and significance of this bridge.

There were just too many places to cover in beautiful Paris. Some of the places we missed were the Musee d'Orsay, Luxembourg Gardens, and the Palais Garnier. The next day, we made a trip to Montmartre. Montmartre is a large hill in Paris and sitting on top of it is the famous Sacré-Cœur.

The Sacre Coeur can be reached by the metro, stopping at Anvers. However, Montmartre is known to be a pickpocket's heaven so it is always important to be vigilant. Along the way to Sacre Coeur, there are plenty of souvenir stores and they are pretty affordable. The Sacre Coeur is an amazing building. Also, it lies on the highest point in Paris so the view is breathtaking. While you're at Montmartre, drop by Place du Tertre, a place where artists gather. You can easily get your portrait done by these talented artists. This is my favourite place because it's really amazing watching artists at work, something you don't get to see in Singapore. The Moulin Rouge is also walking distance from the Sacre Coeur. You can catch a show in the famous landmark. Last but not least, Paris is home to the only Disneyland in Europe. Grab your tickets online to avoid the queue. Disneyland Paris can be accessed by the metro which brings you directly to the door. It was my first visit to Disneyland so I was really excited. It was a fun day for all of us. And we even met Mickey, who was such a sweetheart. The parade was so magical, watching our childhood characters coming into life. The Mad Hatter even came up to us and greeted us. It was amazing and definitely brought out the kids in us. That pretty much sums up my trip in Paris. To make full use of the time, a cruise along the Seine River is always a good idea because all the landmarks are near the bank of the river. I took it on my first visit to Paris and pretty much saw most of the landmarks.

Overall, my favourite place has to be Montmartre because of the artsy vibe it gives. It's a really unique experience which you don't see in Singapore.