Our fifth anniversary trip to Paris was wonderful. Finally, I got to see the iconic, romantic, historic, and oh so glamorous City of Light. Merci beaucoup to my fabulous husband for spearheading the arrangements and for finally making sure I could cross “go to Paris” off my to do list. Our trip was short, but sweet, as the say, and already, I’m planning for our next visit. Our tenth anniversary, perhaps?
Day 1: We stayed at Hotel Louis II in Saint Germain des Pres, a perfect location that was within walking distance to everything–the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Louvre, the Seine…..
There was a champagne store across the street–an omen of good times to come!
We visited with Lorie, a friend of the family who is a sculptor and lives in Paris.
We saw her studio, had lunch in a cafe (drank the best cup of coffee ever),
The husband by the Seine
Me! By the Seine! In Paris!
Ahhhhhh……
Our first evening kicked off with a drink with our next-door-neighbors from back home. In a surprising twist, they were in Paris, too! And, they were celebrating their anniversary–40 years of marriage–with a trip to Paris with friends who were also celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Then, the husband and I wandered. We walked through St. Germain des Pres, down to the Seine, over bridges, down curving streets, exploring, and soaking up all that is special about Paris. We also started the husband’s hunt for the perfect baguette. The weather was perfect that night, and throughout our whole trip (it was hot, in fact). We caught the sunset over the Seine. We also grabbed a delicious dinner at Fish La Boisonnerie, a small place near our hotel that had been suggested by someone from home. We highly recommend it; the food was great and the wine list was impressive. Plus, it’s on rue de Seine, a street filled with art galleries and not far from an active cafe scene. Definitely worth a try next time you’re in Paris.
Day 2: After sleeping 14 hours (the last time I did that was in 2008, and the fact that I can tell you the last time I had a good night’s sleep in pretty pathetic), we headed to Montmarte to see Sacre Coeur.
The view from Sacre Coeur of the city below
The famous Paris subway
Us in front of the famous, and surprisingly lovely, Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero
She has curves and swirls…
And, interesting angles.
But, she was much shorter than I had imagined.
Pont Alexandre III from a Bateaux Mouche
My first view of Notre Dame
The flying buttresses!
Me in front of the house on the Quai de Bethune where Marie Curie lived on the Ile St-Louis
Notre Dame is stunning from any angle.
Truly, the best part of our time in Paris: quiet moments at cafes.
Highlights from Day 2 include the best ice cream ever, ever, ever: a scoop each of Berthillon’s chocolate and pistachio heaven in cone. I’m thankful you cannot get this ice cream in Boston–that’s how good it is. If you could, I’d throw my “eat healthier this year” goal out the window. We had a great dinner at Perraudin, a quintessential French bistro in the Latin Quarter. And, we ended our second day with a stroll back to the hotel, happy to be together and looking forward to the next day’s adventure.
Coming soon: Paris, Part 2
