Why hello there!

I'm sure and I hope you've read my previous article on how much I've spent on my 50-day Europe trip, If you haven't, you can read it here.


Now, i'm going to break it down for you, bit by bit, city by city and show you that it is possible to do, see and eat a lot with such a tight budget.

Backstory: 

If you haven't heard, my friend, Talya and I decided to embark on this 50 day Europe Adventure, mainly because we were done with school and we needed a break away from the craziness happening in Singapore.
Another reason being, I was reading a Tumblr post done by Jeryl Tan, another fellow Singaporean, who backpacked in Europe for 69 days, with a budget of less than $6000, as well as another Singaporean, Dominic Phua, who backpacked around Europe for 50 Days for $3900.
And I figured, Why not challenge that? 

We did.

On the 21st day of the 3rd month of the year 2016, we embarked on this 50 day (mis)adventure!

It was Talya's very first time travelling without the comfort of her parents, so I was indeed excited for her.
It isn't my first time, but I was as excited to not face to horrible tropical climate mixed with haze-y atmosphere.

And do you know the best part of it all ?? ....




THE PLANE RIDES!


We took Qatar Airways from Singapore to Doha to Paris.

I squealed a lot when we were boarding the plane, because knowing that I'm flying Qatar Airways, The No. 1 Airline in the world, 3 years running,....

 mannnnnn, did i feel like a QUEEN!

Also, Talya and I are suckers for plane food.
We don't exactly know why either. Maybe perhaps we simply really like plane food?

But what's more appealing than the comfortable seats, world class entertainment, Free wifi, charging ports?

UNLIMITED BOOZE.

Oh yesssss, Never forget that guys.

When money gives you Airplane tickets, go straight to bar.

I personally had 14 cans of Heineken from Singapore to Paris.
Oh! and I don't think I've mentioned this, but I did get some Vodka Sprite too,
maybe like 4 glasses of it? :p

#AlcoholicVic



The plane ride was especially nice, considering the fact that there were a mere 50 adults and Children on board, so there was plentiful of space for us to shift around and run around the plane.

Also, I was still a bit drunk from my friend's birthday party the previous night, so I did get a good sleep... even before the plane took off HAHHAHA.


After 13 hours of being in the air...



We've arrived in the Charles De Gaulle Airport Terminal 1 !

Pretty interesting airport I must say.

Heads up!
The transit from the Airport to any part of the Paris by Metro is 10 euros.

I wish I was kidding.
Like legit, 10 euros aka SGD 15 just to go to another part of Paris.
insane I tell you!

But thankfully, my bestfriend is really smart and she knew a way out of the system, so we didn't lose 10 euros on that. Phew!

Hey Talya!

We stayed in Paris for about 9 days.
A week when we arrive, 1 day before we headed to Amsterdam, and 1 day before we headed home.
Amount we spent = 70 euros

Now what did we do?


1. Followed my best friend to work day!
We followed my best friend to work on the 2nd day, because well, I wanted to see what work was like for her.
It's different.
Something really not what you expected to see.


Oh! Did i mention? We ended up in a police station on the 2nd day as well.
Shit happened, but we were alright.
It was kinda funny to think about now actually.

So what happened was, months before my trip to Europe, my best friend would always call be and rant about how shit the people around work was. And apparently, there was this guy, let's call him Arman, who constantly steals from the store everyday without fail.
Even with my best friend telling him to stop, he would continue stealing.

The day came when I decided to follow her to work.
I didn't think it was that bad, but it really was.
The guy who has been stealing, is apparently just a 16 year old kid, and man was her annoying.

Shit then started to get real.
It came to the point that she had to call the police, they arrived with huge ass guns.

And well, before you know it, Talya and I ended up in the police station, waiting for Sasha to finish up the police report.

What A trip!


2. Explored Paris (by Ourselves)




(i) The White Church.
I honestly forgot what it is called, but it's basically some beautiful white Cathedral on top of a hill.



**Another heads up!
Since this is a tourist attraction, there will be a lot of Africans trying to sell you bracelets because apparently it's "an old tradition and it's for good luck".
So annoying.

Just say no. Be firm and say no.
Don't feel bad.

Feel bad once your money is gone.

(ii) Eiffel Tower

You never see it taken from this angle, do you?

Ahh yesss!
One of the most important landmarks in Paris.

It was built for some exhibition that was held every 11 years back in the days, and initially it was supposed to be torn down within few months after the exhibition was done, but apparently this guy loved the Eiffel Tower so much, that he slept it in, and eventually found a way to save the tower from being demolished.

Read up on you history books kids :)







To be honest, the Eiffel Tower is actually pretty ugly.

And if you're looking for cheap souvenirs, there are some people selling 10 Eiffel Tower keychains for only 1 Euro

So keep a look for that.

(iii) Bastille


A great place for night life and drinks!

Never ending rows and streets of bars, hookah bars, clubs, restaurants, and of course, Drunk people.


Cost of all those places: Free
(That's if you're just walking around)

But If you do want to sit in one of those bars or dance in one of those clubs, generally, it'll cost you apprx 5-20 Euro.
Then again, it depends on where you decide to go,


3. Ate a Croissant on the Streets of Paris



One of the most touristy thing one can do is to eat a croissant.

Its quite satisfying too, especially when you order and pronounce "Croissant" perfectly!

Croissants = 0.80 -1.50 euros  (Depending on where you got them.)


4. Rode the Parisian Metro



The easiest means of transport from place to place.
A trip at full fare is about 1.80 Euros
A bundle of 10 tickets costs about 14.10 euros
We simply split amongst the 3 of us. Walah!


5. Saw 6 Million Dead People


Calm down!
I'm talking about the Catacombs!


Entry for Students = 12 euros
General entry = 16 euros

** Tip: Bring your student ID wherever you go. There are alot of benefits and discounts for students in Europe.

Must visit!
But the queue was insane. We waited for like 1.5 hours just to get in.
The whole stretch of dead people is about 10 blocks, and it takes a good 45 minutes (normal pace) to reach the end.

Roughly about 150 Steps into the ground.
So it is Deeeeeeeep, and cold.




Yes, legit dead people.

I was actually quite impressed how neat it is, because I tend to have a bit of OCD when it comes to being neat, but seriously tho, Neat game on point!


6. Explored Paris (Free Walking Tour)
YES!

You read it right!
Indeed, there is such thing as a free walking tour.

There is this company called Sandeman.
They give free walking tours in (almost) every European City. It's completely by foot, and yes, it's free.

Now how does it work?
Well, the tour guides earn their income by tipping. aka, we are in control of their income.

So if you like the tour,  be generous and tip, if you don't like the tour, just tip!



(i) Notre Dame


waited a good 10 mins for my hunchback to come

(ii)Lovelock Bridge


Can you imagine how many couples have vowed here to never leave one another, but they end up breaking up? LOL

I also believe that if they do break up, they should also break the lock. Don't you think so?

Poor Bridge.

(iii) The Lourve


(iv) Oldest Bridge in Paris


(v) Arc De Triomphe
The Arc was built intended for Napolean but too bad, he died before it was completed.


There's a ton more of landmarks that we got to see, but sadly I didn't take much photos.


Cost of The tour: Depends on how much you want to tip them

Cost of Transport: Free. Walk walk walk


7. Had French Fries in France
Haha just for laughs!
Yesssss. French Fries in Fraaaaaance!

A bowl of french fries = 3 euros


8. Had Lunch in a Parisian Cafe.


Completely forgot what the food is called, besides Escargot, which was so delish!
Yummy!

Lunch= 7 Euros.

9. Hookah-ed Most of the Time

Well, as most of you may know, Shisha is soon to be banned in Singapore.
And the remaining places selling shisha costs almost SGD 50.

Like you mad bro?

Thankfully, (OH THANKFULLY), Bastille has a Hookah bar that costs only 8 Euros (SGD 12.40), so....

WHY NOT SHISHA IT UP ALL NIGHT.


and yeah we did it for 4 nights straight and since it was just the 3 of us, we split the cost.

And drinks there are generally affordable.

Yipppeeeee!


10. PARTYYYY

at Bastille of course, and my bestfriends house.

Bottoms up Bottoms up!

-

Time to calculate the damage done: 

Length of Stay: Apprx 1 week. + 1 Day (before Kingsday) + 1 Day (before Singapore)

Accommodation: Free

Food & Transport (On Average):  7 Euros/ Day 

Entertainment: 7 Euros/ Pax (Period of 3 Nights)

Total: 
70 Euros // SGD 108 

* Amount is rounded off to the nearest dollar

-
CONCLUSION
Paris is a lovely city, no doubt that.

But there's more to that than meets the eye.

I was shocked at how Paris isn't what they say is.
Despite it on the surface being the fashion capital and having all those wonderful landmarks, which makes wonderful Facebook or Instagram posts, there's really a lot of corruption in the country.

My best friend lives at the boarder of Paris, apprx 10-20 minutes to the city area, and just next to the ghettos, and we've got a taste of what Paris is truly like.

Beneath all that high fashion, the Mona Lisa (which isn't that great to be honest) and Instagram worthy architecture, there's really a lot of Poverty happening around, so much corrupted people. I don't know how to really explain what I saw, but it's definitely not something you'd see on Google Images.

I have to thank my best friend for that definitely.
She has given me a total different view of Paris that not many travellers really get to see.




Next Destination:

HAARSEWINKEL, GERMANY.

Stay tune!

-

Note:
All of the pictures belong to me, taken by either my Iphone 6 or my Canon DSLR 1100D.Under no circumstances should you be a thief and steal my pictures. I will find you and I will kill you.Im kidding.Just remember to Credit to meeee.
Feel free to drop any questions if you do have.
I don't care about your opinions.

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How Much Did I Spend On a 50 Day Europe Trip?


xoxo