Paris! — Patti Part Two

I think I’m recovering from my jet lag! And what I mean by that is that I fell asleep in my office chair last night at 8PM and woke up at 9 to drag myself over to my very tiny couch and curl up uncomfortably and sleep till 10:30. Then waking to walk over to my bed and fall in without even brushing my teeth and sleep till 5AM. Definite progress! On to my Paris recap!

This was my 4th trip to Paris, and I love it more every time I’m there. Maybe because with every trip I feel more comfortable with where I am and where I’m going, plus there is just so much to see, do and eat! I had a tiny bit of concern going with the unrest that has been reported widely by the media, but luckily we found Paris to be calm and as beautiful as always, and certainly less crowded than we had expected - probably due to the level of concern there has been. The original intent of the trip was to meet my friend Cheryl and her two daughters in Paris for a few days, and then go on with them to Austria. When I started checking on flights since I have never been to Ireland and Aer Lingus (Irish Airline) was coming up as a one of the cheaper fares I for the heck of it priced flying first to Dublin and then on to Paris and found that it didn’t cost a dime more to make that stop for a few days in Dublin. So keep that in mind when you are looking at airfares. I like to use Google Flights because it gives you lots of options and you can easily compare prices - and it’s very easy to navigate.

I flew from Dublin to Paris and based on Cheryl’s excellent recommendation I took the suburban train formerly called the RER and now called Train-B (but lots of signs still say RER so it’s the same thing) to the city from Charles de Gaulle Airport. She and the girls had arrived the day before and took an Uber and it took an hour and a half to get to their hotel! The train takes 35 minutes and only costs something like 11 euros. I looked it up in my Rick Steves trusty travel guide and got off right where he told me to - Notre Dame. I walked up the stairs and look what I immediately saw!

We had rented an Airbnb in the Marais district (my new favorite area to stay in) and since my GPS said I was less than a mile away I decided to walk there and check out the neighborhood. Our Airbnb turned out to be fantastic! Much larger than we had expected and very clean and comfortable.

The cool door to our building and our “Oh So French” courtyard. Christmas trees being sold on the street and fresh flowers no matter how cold it is. Yes I’m in Paris!

Cheryl, Ava and Meredith arrived from the hotel they had stayed in the night before and after getting a little settled we headed out for some lunch. This was my first time really exploring the Marais area which is in the 3rd Arrondissement and it is wonderful. It has lots of great restaurants, shops, hotels and artistic sites like the Picasso Museum and the Pompidou Center. Ava has spent quite a bit of time in Paris so she suggested we head to one of the large department stores for a quick bite. Le BHV/Marais was close and we ended up having the perfect lunch there. That was a department store I hadn’t ever been to and it was huge. Even had a hardware department. Light bulbs anyone?? Their Christmas theme was Mary Poppins and the decorations were incredible. I took pictures of the amazing animated windows but they really didn’t come out well with the reflections, but trust me when I say the chimney sweeps were dancing on the rooftops!

A little browsing post lunch but no serious shopping. Saving that for another day.

We wanted to walk the entire Champ-Elysees from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe before Saturday, because of the potential for demonstrations that have been occurring there on Saturdays. The Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris, and has a lot of historical significance. During the French Revolution the guillotine sat in this square and lots of people including Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded there. There is a 3,300 year old obelisk there that marks the spot. In addition to being Paris’ grand boulevard the Champ-Elysees is also the finish line for the Tour de France.

Cheryl and I in front of the obelisk and you can see the Eiffel Tower in the background! And the beautiful Clark ladies!

Next we headed up the Champ-Elysees to browse the fancy stores, restaurants and see the beautiful Christmas lights. All ending up right across from the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately due to the demonstrations the Arc itself is closed. Normally you can go up to the very top - a spectacular view of the city and the street. We lucked out on weather. It was cloudy but fairly warm making it really easy to be out and about.

This was my first time in Paris over the holidays and the lights were magical! I love the streets with the Eiffel Tower lights!

We headed back to our apartment via the excellent public transportation system. We had purchased a couple of 10 packs of carnet tickets which are shareable and good for all the transportation in the central area of Paris. A bargain!

We walked just a few doors down from our apartment to an Italian restaurant that got great reviews on Yelp. It did not disappoint. The owner was adorable. It was pretty tiny inside and he promised us it was the best Italian food in Paris. I especially loved that the wine list was handwritten in a spiral notebook. Makes it easy to switch up your wine list when you discover something better. We all loved our food.

On to Day Two! Rule number one of traveling with someone is that you need to have similar interests and energy level. I had no reservations that Cheryl and I would travel well together, and day two proved it. We were on the go from early morning till late at night, and the only thing that stopped us from doing more was that the museums closed. Did I mention that the Paris Museum Pass is an absolute must purchase if you intend to go to at least 4 museums? Saves money and another very valuable resource - time. We each purchased the two day option (comes in 2, 4 and 6 day options) and definitely got our monies worth. It covers most of the main museums and sites in Paris and saves you from having to stand in line at every museum to buy a ticket, and then stand in another line to get in.

The girls wanted to sleep in a bit and meet us at our first stop Notre Dame at 10AM. That’s the opening time to get up to the Tower - covered on the museum pass and one of the best views of Paris. Cheryl and I headed out for coffee and croissants which is available about every 10 feet. And always delicious!

I love the contrast of the old and new. Scooters in Paris!

Our goal was to be in line for the Towers at 9:30 so we could hopefully be in one of the first groups to go up as they limit the number of people in each group because it’s not a very big space up there. It used to be just get there and line up and wait your turn, but we found out that now there is a time stamping kiosk where based on availability you reserve a time slot. You can’t book in advance of the day and you must go in person to get your reservation, but it does help you maximize your time waiting. We couldn’t get 4 spots for 10AM but were able to get 10:20 so when Ava and Meredith arrived right at 10 we had time to go across the street and get them coffee. At a busier time of year like summer you might have to settle for a much later time or even come back another day - but it worked out great for us!

Looks like the Clarks are behind bars but it’s actually just for safety in the Towers - such a spectacular view even on a cloudy day. Hello Eiffel Tower! Hello gargoyles!

It’s free to go into the main level of Notre Dame - just get in line and enter. That was next for us, and the Christmas decorations were beautiful.

Really puts you in the Christmas spirit! The pretty Clark ladies in front of the tree on the main alter😊

We have lots to do and see today so we are off to our next stop - almost right across the street to Saint-Chapelle. One of my favorite places in Paris it’s a 13th century Gothic chapel with the most amazing stained glass on the planet. Also covered on the Museum Pass (see already getting our monies worth) head in and right up to the second floor where there are more than 1,100 Bible scenes in light and glass - breathtaking! There used to be chairs all around the perimeter which are now gone. I guess people were lingering too long?

They do have some laminated guides that explain a number of the scenes but they are hard to get your hands on. Just enjoy it!

Next up The Louvre. Considered to be Europe’s oldest and greatest museum it’s a must if you haven’t been. It’s enormous and would take at least a week to see it all. Also covered by the Museum Pass. Since Cheryl, Ava and I had been a couple of times we just wanted Meredith to see it, and she was fine with just hitting the most famous pieces. It’s a small city underground with a great food court so we stopped there first for some lunch.

Outside the Louvre in front of the famous glass pyramid.

The art is incredible but I am always most fascinated by the building itself. I would love to take an architectural tour if available sometime.

Hello Mona! Always the most crowded and least impressive to me. But I’m not an expert. Also the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Time for a break from museums so we headed to the famous tea house Angelina’s right across from the Tuileries Garden, the Royal Garden of the Louvre. Angelina’s is probably best known for its incredibly rich hot chocolate, which sounds good in December and not so good in April. The line to get in was huge so we just got it to-go and sipped as we walked across the garden and through some festive Christmas markets.

Next up one of my most favorite museums - L’Orangerie. Often missed when visiting Paris I highly recommend you take an hour - covered by the Museum Pass - and stop in. It’s the closest you will come to living in a Monet painting as the second floor was specifically built to showcase 8 Monet Water Lilies. The lower level houses the Walter-Guillaume Collection of fabulous Impressionist works by all the big names you know. I think there are about 135 pieces so definitely worth a stop.

Ava, Cheryl and Meredith in front of one of the Water Lilies upstairs.

The girls had done an impressive job up to this point of letting Cheryl and I dictate the day, but they decided shopping was the next most important thing on their list so we parted ways and Cheryl and I headed over to the Musee d’Orsay for our last museum stop of the day. Our last stop only because the museums were all closing at 6 and we were running out of time. We really wanted to stop at Rodin but not possible☹️And the d’Orsay is covered on the Museum Pass! Have I proven my point that the passs is a great value? It’s also important to plan your day based on geography. All of the spots we were at are within walking distance, so you’re not crisscrossing the city and best maximizing your time.

The d’Orsay is in an old train station so worth seeing just because it’s incredibly beautiful and has two huge clocks that overlook the Seine. The d’Orsay also has Europe’s most impressive collection of Impressionist works so what’s not to love about that?

Cheryl and I closed down the museum and then headed via the metro back to meet the girls in the Marais for dinner. There are lots of fun little restaurants in the area so we just walked around and found one we could get into right away. I don’t remember the name but I do remember I had a delicious salad. We were all just focused on our last event of the day which was a concert in a beautiful church called Eglise Saint Paul-Saint Louis. Cheryl and I had seen a poster when we were walking for breakfast and it sounded wonderful and tickets were still available. It was really great. We all enjoyed it immensely. The church was beautiful and all decorated for Christmas. The orchestra and soloist were very talented and they played Vivaldi and Chants de Noel - Christmas carols!

They don’t heat churches in Europe we found out so wear a warm coat and keep it on!

That was a full day even by my crazy standards so we promised the girls Day 3 would include a little more relaxation and shopping😊

We started with an awesome brunch at an old and historic restaurant called The Cafe St Regis. Located on the Ile St Louis which is the tiny island right across from Notre Dame. The waiters wear long white aprons and the food is amazing.

Meredith is happy because she gets a great meal!

Waffles, French Toast, Omelette, Cappuccino anyone?

We had one more museum on our list for the day, but took our time getting there and browsed the shops in the Marais. Did I mention the Marais is awesome? Here’s just a few of my favorite spots.

An awesome old school paper store - I love paper stores!

Such beautiful pastries! If only I could eat another bite!

Last museum in Paris for us is the new Picasso Museum conveniently located in the Marais. It’s a new museum but located in a gorgeous old mansion - not to repeat myself but some of these museums are worth it just to see the building. And covered on the Museum Pass! Even if you’re not a Picasso fan the museum is interesting in my opinion because you learn more about Picasso himself and his entire range of art versus just the style he is most famous for creating. He was an incredible classical artist before evolving his Cubism style.

One last word about the Museum Pass - and I swear I don’t get a commission on it! It’s important to be aware of the days each museum is open, because the pass must be used consecutively for the days you purchase. Many museums are closed on a Monday or Tuesday so you wouldn’t want to activate your pass on a Sunday and have museums on your list that were closed Monday. Plan ahead and be strategic.

Next up shopping! Paris as you can probably guess has incredible shopping, and some of the most amazing department stores in the world. Galleries Lafayette is definitely one of those department stores with a spectacular Tiffany ceiling over the cosmetic area. We headed there and because time was limited we separated and set a time and place to meet. Divide and conquer was our motto and it worked out great. The Christmas decorations were unreal including the biggest and most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen! It was also insanely crowded being that it was December 23rd. Getting on and off the escalators they actually had employees directing the crowds through a labyrinth to keep it flowing and prevent a catastrophe like falling dominos.

I had to pick tree or Tiffany ceiling to post and went with the tree.

I’m almost done! Thanks for hanging in on this very long post. We headed to the Montmartre area up on a hill overlooking Paris to try and have dinner at a restaurant Ava had heard great things about, but unfortunately they don’t take reservations and the wait to get in was over two hours. So while that was disappointing it did give us a chance to see something I had never seen before - The Moulin Rouge! Probably a much bigger deal when it opened in 1889 for the World’s Fair, a nightclub where girls danced the cancan. Very risqué in those days. Not sure what goes on in there now, but still fun to se from the outside.

We headed back to the Marais and ate at a cute brasserie right by the George Pompidou Center called Cafe Beaubourg. I finished my Paris stop with two classic French favorites, the Croque Monsieur and Crepes!

Well that was Paris. Loved it and had a great time. Next up we are off to Austria. First stop Vienna. Or as I like to call it - Pastry Heaven! Check back soon!