13 days later, 10 days of metro strikes, 3 flights and 1 more world class city later, I realize something, nothing can ruin Paris for me. I know I seem to obsess about this fact quite often, don't worry, in a month or so it will pass. We had a great time in Paris which included food, wine, pastries, lights, smoky cafes, caramel au beurre salé glace and long, long walks.
Day 1, Sunday - We settled into our fantastic apartment. It had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, dining room, living room & kitchen. It was on the 5th floor but had a typical elevator which fortunately worked during our entire stay. We then took a walk around the neighborhood to get an idea where all the necessities were. After we got settled we walked to the Belleville area for a very good, though a bit expensive Thai dinner. Favorite experience of the day - pulling into Gare de Nord on the train from Brussels.
Day 2, Monday - After a great breakfast, (boys made omelets, I went to the patisserie) we took the metro to the Palais Chaillot so we could enjoy the iconic view of the Eiffel Tower. After pictures, we wandered over to and under the tower, just looking, photographing and enjoying the tower in such beautiful sunshine. We wandered toward Les Invalides and finally into the 6th arrondisement where we stumbled upon a great little cafe for lunch. We were squeezed into the back room and served kir's before we ordered. The menu had a great prix fixe menu with tons of options. I had my first onion soup of the trip and a great salad Niçoise. We then wandered down Blvd. St. Germain and around the neighborhood near St. Sulpice. I knew we were in the area of Pierre Herme, one of the well-known macaroon producers but I didn't know the address. MW is a huge fan of the macaroon and they are one of the desserts my mom could enjoy so I was determined to find it. Then I saw someone eating a macaroon with a PH box. So, in the interest of doing anything to make friends happy, I walked up and asked them where they bought the gems. It turned out it was just behind us. We bought quite a few and shared them, the hands down winner was caramel au beurre salé or salted butter caramel. They were amazing. From there we continued toward Notre Dame and on to the Right Bank were we parted ways. The W's and I wandered into a Scottish bar for a token Guinness and then wandered our way back to our little corner of Paris. After resting up a bit we wandered downstairs to a smoky, dark cafe that served great food accompanied by ambiance. Favorite experience of the day - Standing underneath the tower and looking up the heart of it.
Day 3, Tuesday - Knowing that the transportation strike was beginning tomorrow we decided that the best option was to do the far reaching parts of our itinerary, so off to the Arc de Triomphe we went. The day was overcast but the view from the top is always fantastic. To see the 12 avenues radiating out from the etoile and the cars navigating the circle is a site that you can't see in the U.S. From there we walked the famous Avenue to the Place de la Concorde. After contemplating why the would erect a ferris wheel there during the winter, we dove back down into the metro and took it up to Montmartre. We wandered for a while together then went our separate ways for an hour or so. I went down some of the lesser known side streets so I could just be there. I found a corner cafe and grabbed a coffee and met everyone on the steps of Sacre Coeur. The Z's and CF wanted to go to the Catacombs but MW and I just wanted to wander. So we separated for the rest of the afternoon. MW and I took that metro down to Les Halles and ended up shopping for a while. MW had some success but nothing for me. Then we made our way outside to take some photos in the waning light then wandered toward the Louvre. I love the courtyard of the Louvre in the evening, it is quiet and the color from the setting sun plays off the stone of the museum in a glorious way and even the pyramid softens in the light. From there we caught the metro home. Since mom had stayed in all day, she offered to fix dinner and had done most of the shopping. When we arrived, the boys were headed out for few more things and then the struggle was on to figure out the stove. The meal was quite good considering some of the creative solutions it entailed. Favorite experience of the day - a 5 minute stop for coffee in a corner cafe.
Day 4, Wednesday - The strike was on. Paris is incredibly walkable, however, we were a bit too far from the center to enjoy this feature. It took about 45 minutes just to get to the river from the apartment and off course the weather was cooling. In the hopes that the strike would be short lived we decided to go to the Marais. This area is traditionally the Jewish area, now it is a great place for small, local artisans and some of the best falafels around. We wandered down, split up for some shopping (mom and I found the great dresses that the girls are wearing in the previous post) then met up again for a trip through the Carnavalet Museum. After that stop to see the history of Paris, we picked up some falafels and wandered to the Place des Vosges for a chilly but sunny picnic. The rest of the afternoon took us near the Hotel de Ville for some quality gelato (though the language barrier prevented me from having an afogato) then onto the Louvre courtyard, the Tuilieries garden and finally the l'Orangerie museum. I have been waiting for this museum for 6 years, it is the home to giant waterlily paintings by Monet. However, because of the strikes, they were closing early. Now we had to get home, unfortunately it was exactly 5 pm. We decided to try the Metro, since we knew that line 1 was running 1 out of 2 trains. However, this line which is crowded during rush hour on a normal day, was ridiculous on this day. The W's took off to walk but the Z's, mom and I decided to try a different line but that one looked to not be running at all. So we took off on foot, it was about an hour hike. It ended up being a fascinating walk home, watching the insane traffic trying to get home and the mopeds and bicyclists weaving in and out of the gridlocked traffic. Mom was tired so she decided to stay in and eat leftovers while the 5 of us headed out for dinner. The apartment owners provided some neighborhood places so we tried one. We had a nice French meal and MW & I split a good, inexpensive bottle of wine. Ahhhh, France. Favorite experience of the day - watching the bicyclists take control of the Parisien avenues.
Stay tuned for the rest of the week.
Thanks for reading.
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