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!

Day Trip to Champagne

"Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right." - Mark Twain 

January 2nd saw us braving the Parisian streets in a rental car and heading into Champagne. We had two appointments to keep, the first at the venerable G.H. Mumm. It's a large and well-organized machine, with an informative tour culminating in a tasting. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep the glasses. 

Mumm's global popularity means a lot of people want to visit, so the experience isn't very personal. The wine is lovely, to be sure, and the operation is impressive, but I recommend spending time at the smaller houses. 

One such is Champagne Gaston Chiquet, in Dizy. It's family-run and if you're lucky, one of the brothers will be available to show you around. We had the most incredible experience with Antoine, who walked us through every step in the process. Our enthusiasm for drinking Champagne was equal to his passion for making Champagne, so we spent a wonderful three hours with him. It was here that I fell in love with rose Champagne. So delicate and delicious! 

By the end, Antoine declared Eric and me his new ambassadors in America and he sent us off with a wave and a Bonne Annee.  Truly - a wonderful experience.  

Paris - New Year's Day fun

After an understandably late start New Year's Day, we had brunch at Cafe Hugo on the Place des Vosges, then just wandered in the general direction of the Seine. 

(I always feel like - somebody's watching me.)

In Place de la Bastille, we discovered a carnival, complete with bumper cars! 

After that, a visit to my favorite, the Musee d'Orsay, then hot spiced wine and a ride on the ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde. 

(She was laughing with us at our attempts to speak French.)

We capped off the day with a truly hilarious and 100% fun rickshaw ride up the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. 

Paris - Day Two

Our first full day in Paris was 31 December. I started the day with an early morning walk down Blvd St. Michel to the river and Notre Dame. It felt like the city was all mine, there were so few people out and about. 

Itty bitty cafe and a croissant for breakfast. 

Our adventure for the day was to see Versailles. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. We stood in line for a couple of hours in the courtyard just waiting to enter the palace, and then joined the sea of humanity inside. It was not pleasant.

A blessed pocket of solitude...

... before rejoining the herd.

After escaping back to Paris, we relaxed before heading out for our NYE dinner. We had a great meal with lots of Champagne, topped off with sparklers (indoors!) at midnight. We strolled toward Notre Dame and shouted "Bonne Annee!" to everyone we met. 

Bonjour, 2014! 

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.