Ciao for Now

After a sad goodbye to Yves and Claudine at the Rennes train station, we made the two hour trip to Paris, city of love and light. I was so excited to meet up with my parents who had already been in the city for a few days attending the French Open at Roland Garros. Our hotel was nothing to write home about, but we were able to get our entire stay for free with our Starwood Points…not too shabby!

At dinner our first night we were quickly swept up in the magic of this enchanting city at the famous brasserie, La Coupole, where the likes of Picasso and Hemingway used to gather. A delicious meal and boisterously friendly waiters (who sent us rounds of champagne and chocolates on the house after discovering we were from California!) made for an unforgettable and perfect first evening in Paris.

My parents at La Coupole

Over the next four days we walked (what felt like) every inch of the city; from the Luxembourg Gardens to Musée D’Orsay and Musée Rodin over to Café du Marche on Rue Cler (where Johnny finally got his Chèvre salad that John & Melissa had been telling him about!), to the Eiffel Tower, up to Montemartre to Sacré Coeur and back down to the Louvre and Orangerie, along the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, to Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, around the Marais, and finally topped it all off with a trip to Versailles! Along the way we consumed many “Sandwiches Mixtes,” choquettes, Chèvre salads, pichets of Sancerre, baguettes and croissants. I also had my first tried-and-true Boeuf Bourguignon, which was delicious (and probably a little better than the Williams-Sonoma starter in a jar;)).

At the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Versailles

Sainte-Chapelle

Sancerre break

I have to say that my Dr. Scholl’s foot inserts for my Toms were probably one of the best investments I have ever made (even though I felt like I was 90-years-old when I bought them)! If Johnny and I don’t have awesomely-toned calves and bums by the end of this year, then there is something definitely wrong.

The Louvre

Notre Dame

Highlights included a sunset walk down the Seine, the twinkling Eiffel Tower at dark, dinner at Le Coup Chou (Cameran & Jen, great rec!), a crêpe with caramel and salted butter, the Shakespeare & Company bookstore (I have always wanted to go!), strolling around the Marais and visiting Merci, an amazing store that I had heard about from our Quiksilver designers, and our final dinner at Les Papilles….arguably the best dinner of the trip, AND I could have lived in the tiny little restaurant/wine shop.

“The Thinker” at Musee Rodin

Dinner at Les Papilles

And finally….the beautiful Eiffel Tower at dusk (10pm).

Now it is off to Beaune in the Burgundy region for some wine tasting and a much slower pace….our feet will thank us:)
Au revoir!

Posted on June 1, 2011 at 5:06 pm in France   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL