10.24.2012

289. Paris | my encounter with a Russian Mr. Bean

summer in Paris Hotel Costes
I wish I could rewind time to this night, sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower listening to Hotel Costes..
My Eurotrip was like 5 months ago. Will I ever finish posting these vacation photos? It's like deja vu of my attempt to post all my Asia photos of 2009 hahah. I figured was due for another Paris post.

After years and years of listening to Hotel Costes compilations on repeat, I finally got the chance to visit the real Hotel Costes! This place was near the top of my list of "to-do"s (both on my Paris and life lists) and luckily, I found a friend willing to come with me. He works at the Chanel store, so after he got off work that day I went to meet him at Rue Cambon and we walked over. It's located right near Place Vendome and the Tuileries which is one of my favourite areas (ah totally reminiscing about Paris right now....!!!!)


Hotel Costes patio Paris
Hotel Costes
Hotel Costes drinks menu
These are actually the only photos I took there (I hate being all tourist-y when I'm with someone). We just had drinks on their patio. The only place I've seen where servers wore Hermes belts and CDCs. After Costes, we parted ways and I headed over to the Mothership (aka Champs Elysees LV). I visited this store everyday when I was in Paris, somehow managing to bypass the line-up each time:

Louis Vuitton George V
Louis Vuitton luggage display
Louis Vuitton damier graphite
Louis Vuitton hotstamp luggage tag
Picked up my hot-stamped luggage tag! Great service here - was able to drop it off and pick it back up within the day. In most other cities I'd have to wait a week.

Jardin des Tuileries - spent the most time here. I love how you can see all the way down Champs Elysees..

Tuileries fountain
Musee D'Orsay
Eiffel Tower
drinking with a Russian
I met more random acquaintances everyday in Paris than I could count..most of them were actually quite memorable including this one. As usual, I was sitting by the Eiffel Tower minding my own business...when this guy comes up to sit next to me. We sat there side by side, without saying a word to each other for about half an hour.
He was slightly intoxicated, drinking a bottle of Diabräu 1516. Suddenly he pulls another out from his bag and silently offers me one..sticking it right in front of my face. He did not speak A WORD OF ENGLISH. I think he spoke some French but he was Russian. As I didn't know any Russian and my French is horrible, we had the hardest time communicating.
Somehow we ended up "talking" for over an hour. I've never experienced this before, where neither of us knew each other's language and all we were able to do were use hand gestures and keep speaking in our own language with the hope that the other person would somehow understand. It was such a funny conversation though..I just remember we laughed a lot..or maybe that was thanks to the beer. He rambled on in Russian while I told him all about myself & my trip in English. From our hour long conversation, all I learned was his name (which I totally forgot now) and that he's from Russia. How did I manage to stay there for so long? He was so amusing. If you want to visualize...he looked like a Russian Mr. Bean.
After each bottle of beer, I increasingly grew more and more frustrated with our attempts to communicate. I stood up and just said "I need to go!" and walked away as he kept yelling at me to come back.

More stories of random encounters to come soon....


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29 comments

  1. Great pics!!!!!
    Kisses
    Francy&Stef
    chicwiththeleast.blogspot.it

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  2. I love little memories like that. I've never been to Paris so love seeing your photos. Maybe next year....!

    Luxx Mint

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  3. I can totally relate to this story having experienced bench encounters myself in Mexico, New York and Warsaw. Thanks for sharing your memory. I think LV offers same day service in Lux as well but I have never used it in case I want to resell my bags. xo

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  4. This is so funny Tiffany. Here I am looking for a picture of the actual Mr. Bean ! I know the feeling that you can never stop talking about our trips. Where can I buy that CD from Hotel Costes? I like that Hotel too. So chic. During Fashion Week, the Editors, models and Fashionistas hang out there. I remember the flower arrangements there were so grand and fragrant. Have a good day.

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    Replies
    1. lol you've never heard of Mr. Bean? I bought mine online and downloaded most of them..I still haven't gotten the latest ones!
      yea, very chic and stylish place :D

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  5. Lol, am I the only one that found that sort of .... sexy?
    A Russian Mr. Bean.
    D(izzy)W(ith)L(aughter)

    http://pulchrior-evenit.blogspot.de/

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    Replies
    1. hahaaha
      the guy certainly wasn't sexy..at least to me he wasn't lol

      Delete
  6. Paris Paris <3

    Nice photo of the Louis store ;)

    I follow you now dear! :)

    RUNWAY JUICE

    xoxo

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  7. Wow these photos are so gorgeous! They take me back to my first trip to Paris, so perfect and just what I needed right now! LOL! Love that you got to visit Hotel Costes how amazing is that feeling when you get to cross something off your bucklist!

    Have a wonderful weekend lovely,
    SDMxx
    www.daringcoco.com

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    Replies
    1. lol yea definitely..always a great feeling crossing something off the bucket list!

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  8. Looks like it was the most amazing trip! Awesome photos!!

    Rebecca
    www.winnipegstyle.ca

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  9. You have a lot of patience. I probably would've given him the side eye and then left. Also, I would have no awesome story.

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  10. I loved your pics from Paris, specially the "bateux mouche" ship one.
    It's hard when you can't communicate with someone, and the alcohol never helps because you speak faster, same happen to me once, when Speaking with an irish boy, he was triying too hard to speak spanish (which is actually my language but he was really bad) and I tried to speak with him in English but he wanted to practice Spanish so conversation keep going for ages and I could barely understand something.
    kisses
    city-aholic.blogspot.com.es

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    Replies
    1. lol yea I totally understand. The Irish accent is difficult (for me) to understand in the first place!

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  11. oh Paris... i actually love that you still post these pictures - they are interesting to look at and your stories are interesting to read. i must be repeating myself but i still admire you for doing that and for having so much fun while doing it. seriously! what an awesome trip that must have been! and i hope there are some more photos to come :)

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    Replies
    1. hahah oh I've got vacation photos to last my blog until next year..
      it's fun for me to write/reminisce as well! it was definitely an awesome trip

      Delete
  12. Love every pics, and the one u took of the eiffel tower reminds me of the one I posted too <3 twinsiesss!

    Anyways, I'm the same..can't believe it's been almost 2 months already since I been to PARIS! IT's crazy and I well miss it :( boohoo

    Jardins des tuileries are my fave too :D

    www.thewild-swans.com

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    Replies
    1. lol I think everyone who's ever been has a similar photo of the Eiffel Tower
      hopefully we'll both get to go back soon..but you live so much closer! you can just pop over for a weekend again

      Delete
  13. i have just come from Paris, but i havn't seen the turn to LV
    if you want and come to my blog and read about Paris Fashion Week

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  14. lol..traveling is like that..i encounter crazy, fun, weird, hot, smart, annoying people everyday:P


    xoxoxo

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    Replies
    1. lol one of my favourite things about travel!

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  15. HAHA ))) Fun story ))) Paris is a lovely city and I'd love to go back there! Beautiful photos, dear! Have a great weekend!
    LA By Diana Live Magazine

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  16. ah, giving me serious wanderlust and memories of past trips! following you for more adventures!

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  17. Omg you have such fabulous friends all around the world!!! I totally know what you mean about being touristy in front of friends, heck I get that feeling even when I'm at home -.- I always think twice before whipping out my camera and it sometimes gets awkward when I need to change settings so usually I just take the photo with whatever setting it's already at and leave it at that LOL

    The bf and I managed to never wait in line at the LV store too! Though we did have to at Galleries Lafayette =( But we got lucky since they were closing and thus cutting off the line and now I have this random thought that I sort of wished I got my bag in red instead of white because I wear so many whites and if I wear them all together it looks weird since they all look like different shades of "white". Not sure if I asked you this but have you seen the new empriente speedy? *drools* LOL

    Ahahaha A russian mr.bean, I'm sure the bf would have a great laugh if he read this but I'm not a huge mr.bean fan. I don't think I would have lasted an entire hour there!

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    1. lol I know..I always do it as fast as I can..sometimes I wait patiently til they go to the washroom until I do a quick photoshoot! hahaha

      I think different shades of whites look good together though! it's funny I used to wear a lot of white when I was younger..now it's all black. yea I've seen it! I don't know if it's really my style though but it's beautiful

      omg I used to looooove Mr. Bean :D

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  18. We always have Paris...

    www.stylentonic.com

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  19. that's gotta be quite fun... but awkward at the same time i believe.. having this random dude out of nowhere sitting beside u at the different country... without knowing too much about their language..!! :D makes me smile though~ love the pics!!

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