Paris Days 1&2

Yes I’m back in Paris! It never gets old to me. This time will be different though because I’m not doing things that I’ve done once, twice or even three times before - like the popular museums. So if you want to read about places like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Orsay etc., check my previous Paris posts. All great to see but I have some different things planned and more time to just walk the streets and browse and relax. To me the city is spectacularly beautiful - even in the rain.

Day 1 was mostly a travel day. I was flying from Bergen so not really that big of a deal - except that Bergen is not a huge airline hub so my best option was a flight that forced me to get up at 3:30 AM to get to the airport on time. That was tough. Then a flight to Oslo to change planes for Paris. Once I landed I took the metro from the airport to my hotel. Charles de Gaulle is a big and somewhat confusing airport. And then not super well marked to find the metro and make sure you’re getting on the right train. But I do love puzzles so that’s half the fun for me. Plus you save a bunch of money and also time. The trains are more efficient in most cases than a taxi or Uber because of traffic. So after accomplishing all that and getting to my hotel I was almost ready to call it a day. But nope too early. So instead I went out for food and then walked around making sure some of my most favorite things were still here.

I like to make my first meal in Paris the famous Croque-Monsieur sandwich. Basically a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich but no one makes it like here in France. And available just about everywhere.

Found some of my favorite things. Still here and even beautiful with a few sprinkles.

Paris has one of the best public transportation systems in the world. And now coupled with a smart phone it’s the best bargain and gets you from one end of the city to the other in no time. And so reasonable. I always research which metro pass to purchase and make it a priority to get it right at the airport so I’m ready to go. They don’t all have these cool retro metro signs but it makes me happy when I see one.

On to day 2 which was way more exciting than day one. Started with my breakfast of choice. Just assume this is what I will be eating every morning. Different places but always the same items.

My first stop was the Opéra Garnier. It was built for Napoleon III in 1875 and still to this day hosts the opera and ballet. I had never been inside so it was on my list for this trip. Mind blowing! If you don’t have time to go to Versailles then go here instead. There are parts that were modeled after Versailles and just over the top decoration. I was there about two hours and did the self guided audio tour for a few extra dollars. Well worth it for the detail I would have missed on my own. It’s a HUGE building so had to use my panoramic camera function to get it all in.

I took at least 50 pictures of the inside. The bottom right is the ceiling in the auditorium and was redone in 1964 by Marc Chagall. I’m so glad I went. I really loved it and even though it’s not covered on the Museum Pass (which I highly recommend if you’re seeing quite a few museums) it’s worth the entrance fee.

Then when you leave the Opéra Garnier walk right across the street into Galleries Lafayette and go up to the roof and see it from there! And get a picture with the I love Paris sign🤗

And a fabulous view of some of the city and the rooftops!

Take some time and browse the store also. Has a magnificent stained glass dome over the cosmetics area that has a constantly changing centerpiece and at Christmas an enormous tree.

In the afternoon I did a wonderful food tour. I did some research as you need to sign up for these in advance and decided to go with Paris By Mouth. They had great reviews and do small groups no larger than 8. Also different areas of the city. They last between 3 and 3 and a half hours and since I’m not really a foodie and there is such fantastic food in Paris I decided to try it. First of all I met really fun people. All from the US from NYC to LA, and a great guide Stephanie that is originally from Philly and living in Paris for the last 6 years. She has been in the wine business and super knowledgeable about French food and culture.

We met Stephanie in the 6th arrondissement which is kind of the Beverly Hills of Paris. She took us to 5 of the best shops in the area for different foods that we would learn about and enjoy in the last part of the tour. Bread, cheese, charcuterie, chocolate and dessert. And we ate it all in a wine shop. The French take food very seriously and have awards that are given out for the best of the best. Like the Oscars of food. And there are things that there are actual laws about such as what ingredients bread can contain and how much it can cost. The best bread in the world and it can’t cost more than about $1.50. And they regulate the cost of chocolate croissants - because everyone should be able to afford one. Got to love a country that thinks chocolate croissants are a need😊

So after we went to all the shops we went to the wine store and Stephanie taught us so much about each of these categories. We tried them all with different wines and I will never buy my cheese at the grocery store again! This was such a fun thing to do and I highly recommend it. And I’m sure none of us were hungry for dinner!

More fun planned for the coming days. Everywhere you look in Paris you see something beautiful.