Two Americans in Paris

After braving the cold for our evening boat ride, we returned to the neighborhood where we were staying. We had heard of an Americanized restaurant in the area and were very curious to check it out for ourselves. Now, we don't often get a lot of American food (except for fast food, gross), so at the end of an exhausting and cold day, comfort food was what we needed.

We went to a place called Coffee Parisien where we had American presidents on our place mats. How awesome is that? It made me miss my president place mat I had as a kid! We were off to a great start. The restaurant was very much like a diner back home and I loved it. I ordered coffee, a bowl of chili that was delicious and the size of my face, and we had sundaes for dessert. I went from starving to unbelievably full in a very short period of time.

I want these place mats.

For our final morning in Paris, we joined our host in exploring the vast markets just across the street from us. However, we were departing in mere hours and I had yet to indulge in a true French pastry. We wandered down to the end of the block where we found a bakery brimming with fresh baked treats of all kinds. I don't just mean donuts and that sort, they had decedent pies and intricate desserts, any type you can imagine. We each got some sort of huge, fresh pastry and ate it while wandering the neighborhood like two very giddy children. Not very Parisian, but super delicious and relaxing.

Before leaving, we picked up macaroons for me to try. I got a raspberry, chocolate, and praline. The praline was amazing and easily my favorite. We will be returning to France in two weeks for the Christmas holiday and I look forward to seeing what other luxurious treats I can find!

Paris in the Moonlight

Paris was much more welcoming our second day. While the morning began as overcast, the sun came later on. We took the Metro down to Les Invalides where we walked through gorgeous architecture and Napoleon's Tomb.   

Our entire day was spent walking. We did have Metro passes, but we would walk to one site and agree to maybe just walk one place more. Ultimately, we walked the entire area from Napoleon's Tomb to the Latin Quarter and back to the Eiffel Tower. 

Saint Germain-des-Pres is a well known shopping area which also happened to be a fantastic connecting route to all of the locations we wanted to visit. While the streets were still crowded, it was slightly less touristy than the Champs Elysees. 

To break up our walking, we went into a restaurant with a fantastic sidewalk cafe that not only had heat lamps, but blankets.

Most may associate the French with their fine wines, but Tom has a favorite French beer, Desperado. I played it safe with a pino noir. The "salads" which accompanied our meals weren't much of anything to look at, however my duck and mashed potatoes were delicious. From the restaurant we walked to the Pantheon. 

As you can tell, it was under construction on one side. This area is much more near to a university neighborhood and many people in the area were students relaxing and reading books. 

From the Pantheon we walked through the famous Jardin du Luxembourg. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and many Parisians were out taking advantage of the sun. A fountain located in the middle of the gardens had many people huddled around it as they were racing sail boats decorated with flags from various countries.

Eventually, we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower and to our cafe from the previous afternoon to enjoy a chocolate chaud before our evening boat tour. We walked for literally hours and deserved a bit of rest. I have been told things in Paris are horribly far apart and you shouldn't plan to walk from many tourist sites to another. This certainly may be true if you're older or are traveling with a large group of people, I found it nice to walk all over the city. Besides, you get to see so much more and how landmarks relate to one another.

The Eiffel Tower is obviously an icon of French culture and it can be seen from most every focal point in the city. As long as you know were you should be in relation to the Eiffel Tower you can really use it to navigate many city points. My favorite was when we were approaching the tomb earlier in the day and just over my shoulder and behind me, I was able to see the tower through the trees.

Now, just because the weather was better than the day before by no means meant the day was warm. When the time came for our boat tour along the River Seine, Tom wanted to go "as late as possible". No. I agree, seeing the sites at night is absolutely amazing, especially as they reflect off the water, but once night fell we really didn't need to push our luck by going even later.

I braved it in the exposed portion of the boat for the trip down the river. Once we turned and began to head back however, I went inside! We were fortunate enough to get a boat with an interior portion, not typical of an hour sightseeing cruise. I do have to give credit where it is due and agree that Tom had the better idea of the Seine cruise at night, where I would have gone during the day. Freezing wind and all, the illuminated structures were absolutely worthwhile.

Louis Vuitton for the Evening

Walking distance from where we where staying for the weekend, a new art museum and cultural center had just opened days before. The Louis Vuitton Foundation was designed by Frank Gehry, the same man who designed the snake bridge and outdoor amphitheater in Millennium Park back in Chicago. Loving Chicago as I do, and working across from Millennium Park for the last two years, I was very familiar with his work and knew to expect something futuristic and, to be honest, rather out there in terms of style and structure. 

The iconic LV monogram on the exterior

The lobby housed an information desk and gift shop as well as a restaurant. A number of art galleries, all from works of various artists, were spread throughout the building. Each gallery included a brief biography of the artist and their prominent works. The likes of Sarah Morris and Taryn Smith were included. Some areas were film, many were paintings, and one was even an auditory form of art where one individual at a time was allowed in a contained room to take in the full experience.

Tom studying up on his art. Spoiler alert: they were all lovely blank white squares.

The most intricate of the galleries featured video, scaled structures, and meticulous designs of the building itself. A large screen on the wall projected the exterior progress and construction work through all seasons and temperatures. This provided for an amazing appreciation of the difficulty to create such a building with unique support systems all along the outer concrete walls. 

A suspended design of the Louis Vuitton Foundation

While the structure itself was intended to be the main focal point upon approaching, the lighted water feature was brilliantly lit up against the dark of night.

We ended our evening with a walk through the park to a local Italian restaurant. Copious amounts of wine and pasta allowed us to refuel after our art filled evening. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to not only see a site I never would have known of, but to be able to do so that soon after its initial opening.

A Rainy Day in Paris

Paris is perceived and idolized as an enigma of a city. Beautiful, thin women walk the streets, a culture of sophistication prevails, knowledge and history are down literally every road you turn, and perhaps most importantly, they have world famous decadent cuisine. Outside of enjoying a week in the south of France for a wedding last year, I had never been. Many books and blogs I enjoy are written by true Francophiles, and I was greatly looking forward to finally embracing their lifestyle, if only for a long weekend.

We flew in on a Thursday afternoon and were fortunate enough to stay in a truly gorgeous apartment with family friends. As we made our way to the apartment, backpacks in tow, I was unsure of what to expect from the next few days. Upon our arrival, it was clear we were off to a great start. Our living quarters were absolutely picturesque. We entered a building, passed through a court yard, and went up to see a perfectly furnished abode and a homemade dinner being prepared for us. Secret number one to French cooking: simple and fresh ingredients are everything.

The following day we were greeted by gloomy rain storms that lasted throughout the entire morning. Both of us had backed our travel umbrellas, but my feet became soaked and it was making me chilly. We purchased a two day pass for the Metro system, and it was fairly easy to navigate our way around using the lines while avoiding the worst of the rain.

We began at the Arc de Triomphe. In a way, I was very grateful for the rain as it probably deterred many tourists from the outdoor spots. We made our way through the tunnels leading up to the arc to avoid the roundabout of cars, scooters, and motorcycles. We took cover underneath while enjoying the detailed etching on every edge of the structure. 

From there we made our way to the Louvre, we didn't have much of an intention to go inside, but felt it necessary to check out. It's a good thing we didn't have our heart sets on the museum, as the lines of umbrella carrying Louvre-goers wound its way throughout the center grounds.

We made our way from the Louvre and it's pyramids through the Jardin des Tuileries.

To get to our next destination, Notre Dame Cathedral, we took the Metro. I took numerous pictures both inside and outside of the cathedral, but they unfortunately didn't turn out due to the rain and the drops which fell on my camera lens, smearing all of my photos.

Hungry and cold, we left Notre Dame and made our way to a cafe where Tom ate lunch with his family years earlier. We both had burgers and fries, not your typical French fare, but it's pretty much all we could decipher on the menu. Besides, we weren't feeling adventurous at the moment. As we were leaving, the weather was finally beginning to clear and we captured some great pictures of the "love lock" bridge by Notre Dame.

Taking advantage of the now clear weather, we jumped on the Metro to go to the Eiffel Tower. While there were minimal lines to go to the top of the tower, my dislike of heights and I passed on the experience.

Upwards view of the Eiffel Tower

We made our way through the grounds and across the pathways to the quaint shops and cafes along Trocadero. The chill and gloominess of the day was making rather tired so we popped into Cafe Trocadero for a chocolate chaud and a break.

Under gloriously warm heat lamps, we relaxed and enjoyed the view of the Eiffel Tower from the patio seats. We covered a number of sights in our first day alone. Lounging in what I considered to be a very Parisian fashion served as the perfect ending to our sightseeing in the heart of Paris for the evening. After scraping the bottom of my mug for every last drop of hot chocolate, we returned to the apartment to take a nap before a night out at a very unique location. But that is for another post.