A Breath of Paris Preserves the Soul

On our last day in Paris, I ventured out on my own and spent most of the day blissfully wandering around my favorite city. I had a few objectives: find the cool Arts & Metiers metro station (fail); find the rooftop 360 degree view on top of Printemps (success!); cross off the last of my souvenir gifts list (done!); and meet Eric at the Louvre at 4PM (check!). The day started with beautiful blue skies but gradually became overcast before the rain set in. 

But first, one more brunch at Cafe Hugo.

Rooftop view of Paris from the terrace at the top of the Printemps Home store. Gorgeous even on an overcast day.

All the department stores have amazing Christmas displays. The was Prada's at Printemps.

I walked from Place de la Concorde through the Tuileries Gardens to the Louvre.

Oh, hey there. 

Our last dinner in Paris was at a fabulous Provençal restaurant just down the block from our apartment. Wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, and delightful company. I highly recommend a meal at Chez Janou!

Arrival in Paris

The view from our apartment across from the Luxembourg Gardens was nice, especially with the sunshine.

The inside window opened onto a pretty little courtyard and the roofline was quintessentially Parisian. Love the blue and dormers.

We ventured out to explore and pick up our Paris museum passes. And get lunch. Must have food!  Our apartment is on Bd. Saint Michel, about a ten-minute walk to the river. We checked out Notre Dame, gawked at the two-blocks-long line to go up the tower, and crossed the pedestrian bridge onto Il Saint Louis.

I had read about a cafe there and wanted to find it for lunch. Find it we did!  Cafe Saint Regis. I had the plat du jour - a delicious chicken with rice and peppers. Eric tried the croque monsieur with pommes frites and we split a lovely carafe of Cotes du Rhone.  Everything was so good!  http://www.cafesaintregisparis.com/en/

Even on a dreary day, Paris is pretty.

Peek-a-boo! 

Love the delicate details.

Flipped umbrella.

Me and Mr. Black! A couple of guys from MIT we taking their own pictures next to us, so we took some for them and they took some for us. Nice! 

By then, we were ready to call it a day. We walked along until we found an inviting bistrot. We shared four different crepes and I got some cafe. Win!

The view from the apartment is pretty swell. This apt is only temporary, though, we'll be in a different one for the rest of our stay. 

Paris in 24 Hours

Yes, we only had one week of vacation and spent two of those days in Paris. Yes, we could have stayed in England and seen lots of other wonderful, amazing, historical, English things. But, Paris is only a two-hour train ride away from London. There's no way I was going to let the opportunity to return to my favorite city pass me by! So, after a whirlwind five days in England, Lee and I packed our overnight bags, woke up before the crack of dawn, hopped a train to London and boarded the Eurostar to Paris. 

We had such fun and, incredibly, managed to visit all of the major sights. Instead of taking you on a chronological recap, I'll post by sight.

First up:

La Tour!

One very happy Miss Lee.

Your guide on this journey, moi!

Sparkly Tower!

My camera doesn't take the best of night-time pictures.  Combine that with a hefty dose of operator error, and the result isn't exactly award-winning.  But, I like it, all the same.

This one was taken at the tail-end of our night-time Seine river cruise.  Such a lovely way to end the day.

But, wait!  There's more!

The Arc de Triomphe:

To reach the Arc, one must pass UNDER the road.  Too many people died trying to cross the insanity that is the Place Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. 

I found it impossible to get a good picture of this behemoth. 

These pictures really do not do it justice.

Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  No perpetual guard like at Arlington, but solemn nonetheless.

Next stop:

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur!

Yes, we took the funiculaire up the hill.  Climb all those steps, are you crazy?

No, we did not accidentally walk onto a Michael Bay movie.  These dudes were everywhere.

After walking down the hill (no, we didn't take the funiculaire down; we're not THAT lazy), we decided to take a ride on the carousel.  It was absolutely some of the most fun we had on the entire trip.  There was a little girl in the teacup in front of us, just twirling around and around and around and around. 

Good times!

Next stop:

Notre Dame!

But first, breakfast at Les Deux Magots.

Ready to go!

My favorite picture from the entire trip.

Enough with the piety already.  Where's the next palace?

Ah, right.  The Louvre!

One might think the signs would be better kept.  One would be wrong.

Sooo, we didn't actually go into the Louvre, but we snuck a peek in the window.  See the statues?

One last look at the Eiffel Tower.

A few miscellaneous parting shots:

Interesting...

When I win the lottery, send my mail here.