My Summer Trip to Paris
116,265 steps and far too many bottles of rose to count, my trip to Paris was the adventure of a lifetime. We stayed for exactly a week and went at exactly the right time - mandatory government sales in boutiques, Bastille Day, the World Cup and ideal weather. We mixed tourist attractions with wonderful authentic shops and restaurants.
Day 1
After arriving to Charles de Gaulle at 7 am Paris time (1 am eastern), we had to track down our shuttle driver. This took some time. So did getting into town. Oops we arrived during rush hour. But once we hit the city I was entranced. My head was on a swivel. I wanted to look everywhere at once. We first had to drop someone off in Montmartre and the steps and architecture are truly a site. We spotted Sacre Coeur too.
We were staying in the 8th arrondissement, not too far from Montmartre. It took another 10 minutes and my head was back on a swivel. I was trying to take in the sites, make mental notes and stay awake all at the same time.
Once we arrived to the Hotel Alison it was like we were being welcomed back by an old friend. We freshened up, grabbed some coffee in the charming “petit dejeuner” dining area and headed off to the Champs Elysees. We were on a mission. We came to Paris to buy Louis Vuitton bags. I know, I know. We are those people.
Our hotel was perfectly situated in the center of it all. We took a 10 minute cab to the Arc de Triomphe and it was like my body transformed and became so happy instantly. The area is the hustle and bustle of Paris. But Parisian hustle and bustle just feels more chic. We hopped in line for LV (yep a line, this place was no joke). Once inside our jaws may have dropped. Not only were we in the flagship store, but the store was simply one of the most beautiful sites we had ever seen. From the luxury goods to the sales person who helped us, everything was perfection. We picked out our bags, had them monogrammed on site (for free and you get to watch) and finally peeled ourselves away from gawking at the beautiful pieces.
After that we needed fuel. We wandered into the closest restaurant. Probably not our most authentic moment but Le Deauville provided what we needed, seats and great people watching. I ordered the cheese plate and a glass of champagne (when in Paris) and started to watch the world go by. The fashion in Paris is unrivaled. I was inspired every second. Of course we were in tourist central, but that kind of people watching can be fun too.
Following lunch we were desperate to rest. At that point we had been up well over 24 hours. We made our way back to the hotel and took a siesta. We were up within in an hour and ready to go again. We headed out on foot. We had spotted some vintage stores on our ride back from lunch and went to find those. Vintage in Paris is unreal. We walked into one store that just sold Chanel. Another was lined with Louis and Hermes bags.
After that we wandered down the Rue de Faubourg Saint Honore. This is like the 5th Avenue of Paris. There is a luxury shop every 3 feet. But it's Paris so it's also directly across from the President's Residence. We had another mission. We wanted to thank our mom for taking us on such a beautiful trip. So naturally we went to Hermes. We were in love. Beautiful scarves at every turn. It was like being in print heaven. We tried on at least 50 scarves between the three of us. My mom found the one of her dreams and we were so thrilled to bestow the smallest amount of gratitude on her. After dipping into a few other places we couldn't afford we went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff.
My sister and I were antsy, we couldn't wait to get out and explore some more. So back out we went. This time we headed toward La Place de la Madeleine. We wandered around a bit and stumbled upon the Place Royale alley. Alleys in Paris are not filled with garbage and broken down vehicles. They are filled with magical little shops and cafes. We found one such cafe in this particular alley.
We parked it at Le Village and ordered some rose. Again, the people watching was unparalleled. This time it was more French than tourist and I'm tempted to burn my entire wardrobe and start over after seeing it all. We sat there for a bit and enjoyed our drinks then headed back out. We wandered in and out of different shops and stopped to read the restaurant menus and soaked in all the beautiful culture.
After awhile we went back to retrieve our mom for dinner. We insisted she came with us to explore this new development in our wanderings. After looking all around we stumbled upon Cafe Pouchkine. It was a gorgeous Russian tea room. We ordered more rose and beautiful dinners. I had a honey glazed duck with some perfectly done French green beans. The waiters in Paris are so understanding that we don't truly speak the language. But it was really fun getting back into trying to speak French.
After dinner we were beat. We went back to the hotel to crash and rest up for day two.
Day 2
My body adjusted perfectly to Paris time and I got up right at 7 am. I got ready for the day and went to have un cafe at the little restaurant in our hotel while my mom and sister got ready.
We were up and ready early so we could go to the Louvre. We arrived at the Louvre just a few minutes before it opened. It already had quite a line. We had purchased the museum pass and were able to get in a much shorter line. After just a few minutes of waiting we were in. We headed straight for the Mona Lisa knowing that's the one that gets the most crowded. We weren't wrong. There were already at least 30 people around her. It didn't take too long to get to the front of the pack though. We stood and admired the woman that so many have done the same for.
After Mona we wandered around for a bit and then found ourselves at a little cafe. We grabbed a little breakfast and coffee, then went on a mission to find the winged victory and Venus de Milo. Both are exceptional pieces of sculpture. After those two we just let ourselves wander and see what we could see. The Louvre is huge and is broken into three separate sections. Each section features different time periods and styles of art. We saw the Ancient Greek exhibit, romans, and renaissance in the first section. Then we ventured to the Sully section where we discovered the remains of the old building that used to be where the Louvre is today. After that we headed to the Cour Marly which was the sculpture garden and used to be a courtyard.
We happened upon cafe Angelina and stopped in for a fabulous lunch. I had a beautiful foie gras salad with a glass of champagne. We also split an incredible mousse chocolate dessert. The waiter was kind enough to seat us at the best table with a view of the pyramid.
After lunch we wanted to hit one last exhibit. We found Napoleon's apartment. The place was decedent. Chandeliers and all the trappings you could ever imagine. It was phenomenal.
We were finally ready to leave after five hours. We made our way through the Tuileries gardens and enjoyed how Parisian it felt. On the opposite end was Musee l'Orangerie. It houses a lot of work from Monet and some of the other impressionists. It was a truly beautiful place. The Monet landscapes took up whole walls of rooms.
Two museums later we were ready to head back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at the Eiffel Tower.
Of course it's a huge tourist attraction but the Eiffel Tower is truly an impressive piece of architecture. We went up to dinner but were a few minutes early. We wandered around and saw all the beautiful sites.
Once we got into dinner we were blown away. We got seated by the window and the view was beautiful. We had the most fantastic waiter. Dinner was prix fixe so we chose from a few items. I got the shrimp appetizer which was fantastic. I got the fish for dinner. It was a grilled bream and it was so wonderful. It was followed by a plate of cheese. We had the best time. It was certainly touristy but we had a blast. The meal comes with wine and it ended up being incredible. We were slightly annoyed by the fact that the elevators took forever but it was fine.
After Le Tour Eiffel we headed to Harry's bar. We went down to the bar in the basement and ordered some great drinks. We met an adorable couple next to us and chatted with them for a bit. It was a piano bar so we asked the musician to play happy birthday for my sister at midnight. It was a really fun bar. We stayed out pretty late then headed back to the hotel.
Day 3
We started out a little late due to our late night. We found a little bistro around the corner from our hotel and grabbed a bite to eat. It was Saturday and Bastille day in Paris. We headed out toward St. Germain on foot. We made a pit stop at Le Meurice to grab a drink and take a rest. It was an amazing hotel and we enjoyed the drinks and AC. Our mom decided to go home and rest and my sister and I ventured on. We walked across the bridge and made our way through St. Germain. We stumbled upon Ralph's and decided to stop in for a drink. That drink ended up being amazing and the biggest carafe of our lives. It was a rose cocktail and incredible.
After our cocktails we went walking around again. We found some excellent shops on one street. After stopping in a few stores we ended up at Hermes (as one does). We got some champagne (because of course) and sat and watched the world go by. After we walked around a bit more, we headed back to get ready for our river boat dinner.
We dressed up for dinner and headed out to get picked up near the Musee d’Orsay. We stood around for a few minutes and got to listen to a musician play some live music.
Our boat arrived and we got sat and ready to go. We ordered from the prix fixe menu and got some champagne. The appetizer was a delicious tasting of caviar, souffle, crab and scallops. I ordered the white white fish for dinner. It was delicious. We also got our choice of dessert and of course I chose the cheese again. The boat took us up and down the Seine for some sightseeing. We saw all the highlights - Notre Dame , The Louvre, etc. Then it headed back down the river to the Eiffel Tower and parked so we could see the fireworks. It was an incredible show. The best I've ever seen. There were hearts in fireworks, multiple locations going off at the same time and so many colors. It lasted about 45 minutes.
Around midnight, after the fireworks were over, it was time to head back. On the way we danced. Our group was so fun. They also brought out a birthday surprise for my sister (and other birthdays) and we all sang. We also saw someone propose! It was such a fun evening. We had to head home around 1am but brought the second bottle of champagne with us. My sister and I laughed and drank the champagne in our bed to finish out her birthday.
Day 4
Time for the Musee d'Orsay! It had been on my list forever and I was so happy to go. We headed into the gorgeous museum around 10 am. It is just over the left bank (rive gauche) almost directly across from the Louvre. This museum was converted from an old train station and is so gorgeous. It features french sculpture and many impressionists (my favorite). We wandered around the main floor for a little bit, ducking in and out galleries. We found a tiny museum cafe and of course I needed a cafe.
After our coffee stop, we headed to the fifth floor. This is where all the impressionist work is located. They have all the big guns - Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas. We saw it all and I loved it all. I also “discovered” Sisley, whose work was breathtaking. Throughout the exhibit you get glimpses of the outside and the views of Paris. I think that’s one of the best things to do at some of the places we visited, peak through the windows to see what inspired all these artists. At the end of the gallery you could go outside and take it all in.
We had a few more galleries to hit and worked out way downstairs through them all. I got the absolute best postcard for my BFF at the gift shop. Let's just say it was rather French.
The Musee d’Orsay is located right in front of St. Germain so we decided to wander the streets again. One of the best parts of Paris is you are never bored just walking around enjoying the architecture and charm.
We stumbled upon a highly recommended restaurant - Brasserie Lipp. We should have left. It was the most authentic menu ever and therefore we understood nothing. No one spoke english so we couldn’t ask. (They couldn’t understand any of my broken french questions to even begin to answer.) While people around us got awesome looking meals, we ended up with some interesting food. I got beef stew (not what I was expecting) that wasn’t bad. My mom ended up with a plate of ham. I’m not joking. My sister got a half chicken. Nothing else. It ended up being a really funny experience, but we realized we needed a real French person to assist us with a place like that in the future. I will say the interior was gorgeous. Old french restaurant for sure.
After our entertaining lunch we walked down the street a little to some of the vendors. We found some beautiful cashmere scarves to give as gifts. We decided to go the Musee Rodin next. This museum is located in a small castle in the 7th arrondissement. The castle and gardens were amazing. We wandered through the inside, but the real star is outside. Sculptures are placed throughout the gardens and you sort of just stumble upon them.
We were looking for a taxi and just wandering around and stumbled upon Les Invalides. This is where Napoleon is buried. We stopped in for a refreshment and to see the tomb of the little conqueror. It was actually an incredibly beautiful building.
It was the World Cup on Sunday and France was playing. With that being said, we had no idea the level of excitement. Not a taxi to be had, so we started walking. As we walked, any bar that had TV had patrons spilled out onto the streets with some of the streets shut down completely. So, we just kept walking. We had to get to the right side of the river. I had thought we’d be able to grab a seat at a bar and watch the game, but it just did not work like that. So we walked and walked and enjoyed the excitement of the city. We finally made it across the river after walking five miles and found the one and only cab driver who wasn’t super pleased we needed to get to the 8th. We convinced him and made it back to our hotel to watch the second half where we could actually see. And they won!
Paris erupted. They shut down the Champs Elysees. Everyone was freaking out. Every person had on their flag and was going wild. Of course we wanted to celebrate with them and we had to eat so we headed to La Place de Madeleine right near our hotel. It was the best people watching of my life! We just sat for hours and watched all the fans. It was madness in the best way possible. They were dancing on moving cars, hanging out of windows and it was truly organized chaos. We were at a restaurant on the corner and many fans had poured in (it was a blessing we got a table). There were chants and cheers every few minutes. (Champion du monde, champion du monde, champion, champion, champion du monde is one I will never forget.) It was so exciting to be there and witness the elation.
We made our way home a little after 10 and turned on the news to continue watching the madness. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.
Day 5
Monday we went to Marche aux Puces. This was something on my list of must-dos for the week. It is their flea market and supposed to be the best in the world. When we first got dropped off I was ready to hop back in the cab and leave. Let’s just say, the area of St. Oeun is not like Paris. We ended up staying and walking into the first market (there are 15) and it was like being in a different area. We were in the market with antique stalls which is exactly what we were looking for. We walked around to get a sense of what we were working with. I found some awesome old photographs at one stall and had a charming conversation (in French!) with the owner who said his father did them all.
We kept walking through this market which was called Marche Vernaison and was the original created in 1920. The three of us all found things at different stalls. My finds included an Hermes scarf from 1967, a ginger jar and the photographs I mentioned. My mom got some horn and silver serving utensils, a painting, an Hermes scarf and salt and pepper shakers.
There was so much to see, but we only made it to two markets. I will certainly be back for more. We saw some great vintage designer items and the prettiest furniture, plus we need to hit the other markets.
After the market, we headed to Notre Dame. Located on an island in the middle of the Seine River, this is where Paris began. It is located on kilometer 0. The historic church is breathtaking! We stood in the line for free admission and got in fairly quickly. The stained glass and the stone architecture are just gorgeous. We lit a candle for my dad and stopped to say a quick prayer.
Once we were finished at Notre Dame, we walked over a little bridge to Ile Saint Louis, which is the other island located in the middle of the river. While Ile de la Cite is gorgeous, it is also very busy with Notre Dame. Ile Saint Louis is the opposite. Quiet and idyllic. I had read that Cafe Saint Regis was a great restaurant and we happened to walk right up on it. We grabbed a table in the window to enjoy the weather and people watching.
The menu looked amazing, we started with the snails. We were in Paris and needed to try their local dish. They were awesome. Smothered in a parsley, garlic sauce they were delicate and flavorful. I’m trying to figure out how to recreate them. I also ordered carpaccio (because I wanted to eat things I normally couldn’t in the states). It was very good. It was almost like a beef salad. My sister got some delicious ravioli as well. This was my favorite, best tasting meal we had during our stay.
After that amazing lunch we decided to explore the island a bit. We found some great shops and picked up a few more great items. I got some amazing lavender soap made in Provence and super chic Palazzo plants. We wanted to check out the Gardens of Luxembourg so we grabbed a cab. They were gorgeous! Beautiful flowers even though it was the dead of summer. There was also a cute little lake where children were playing with boats. Have you ever heard of anything more french?
Another item on my list of must-dos was Bar Hemingway at The Ritz. Luckily it was very close to our hotel. After some trouble finding the front door (stupid Americans) we settled in to the bar I would like to die in. I love Hemingway and the romance of his life. During his time in Paris, he spent a lot of time at the Ritz bar, so they decided to name it after him. It was decked out in newspapers, photos and just about every piece of Hemingway memorabilia possible. It was like a museum you could order a cocktail in (honestly the best). We ordered a couple drinks off the menu to try and they were all fantastic. They each came with a flower too. When we finished we walked back through the Ritz and observed all their gorgeous shops and the amazing fashions.
Not too far up another street was Madeline 7, a cute french cafe our hotel had recommended. We loved it! We ordered rose (of course) and settled in. I ordered the steak for dinner and of course it came with fries. We enjoyed the restaurant so much we ordered a second bottle of rose and just chatted and watched everyone walking on the Boulevard de la Place Madeline.
Day 6
Versailles is located about half an hour outside of the city and was home to most of the Louis’s we all know from history. We had arranged for a shuttle to pick us up and drop off to get hooked up with our tour guide. Driving into the city of Versailles was beautiful. It is a true little french village (with the world’s most decadent castle at the center). We passed by the local market and it was market day so all the residents were out shopping.
At about 10 am, we were greeted by our tour guide Audrey, who was just the cutest french woman. We were lead to a side gate and were able to start our tour pretty quickly. Audrey explained that we would see three different areas of the castle that day - the chapel, the kings quarters and the hall of mirrors.
As soon as we started off something was immediately clear - everything was gold. We walked into the chapel and our tour guide started to tell us how the french kings always compared themselves to the Roman gods. They had a weird rivalry with Italy and wanted to prove they were better. Also the Roman gods correlate with the planets and Louis the 16th was the sun king, so all the planets revolved around him. Each progressive room we walked through in the kings quarters represented different gods and had more and more gold. There were also so many self portraits.
We learned that every aspect of the king’s life had an audience. From waking up to eating to something a bit more private. Also 3,000 people lived at Versaille and they were hand selected by the king. We walked into the hall of mirrors and learned they were the first mirrors created in France, only Italy had figured out how to make them prior to that. (Again, weird rivalry.)
After we finished in the palace it was time to hit the gardens, which were massive. We maybe made it to eight percent of them. We saw you could rent golf carts and put that on our list for next time. My sister and I did explore the gardens a bit though and were just blown away by the precision and obvious planning.
We got lunch in the cafe in the castle and it was yummy. We had more rose. (You have to pay for water so you might as well have wine.) I ordered a cheese platter and my sister and I shared a salad. It was fun to sit in a castle of such decadence and eat and relax. We headed back to our meet up point to get picked up by our shuttle.
My sister and I decided we needed more shopping in Saint Germain, so we ventured on while my mom rested. We walked by the Grand and Petit Palais and they were both gorgeous. Our goal was to find bikes, but we couldn’t figure out the bike share system so we walked. We found more great shops and I got some baby gifts for some friends. We found this great hotel and decided to stop in for a drink, rose of course. It was in the Lutetia Hotel and was called Bar Josephine. It was modern but still maintained that certain Frenchness. After some drinks we kept walking around and eventually made our way back to our hotel.
We dressed for dinner and headed to the L’Imperial Rivoli located across from Tuileries. It was a darling restaurant, with many different nationalities conversing. It was fun to sit on the main road and watch everyone walk by, but the highlight was the cute dog sitting at the table next to us with his owner. We all enjoyed our meal, which was of course accompanied by rose. I got a beef fillet that was delicious and my sister and I split escargot (our new favorite thing). After a few hours, we headed back to our hotel to get some sleep for our last day.
Day 7
For our final day, we headed to the top of Paris, aka Montmartre. My mom really wanted art from the local street artists, but first we walked through Sacre Coeur and enjoyed the expansive view of the city. Just about every turn has a tourist souvenir shop, but you can also find the art galleries that are collectively owned by several artists. Each one we went into had at least one of the artists working. We found two great shops where we shopped for a few minutes. We grabbed lunch at one of the local cafes and people watched.
After lunch, we headed to the little square with the quintessential french artist painting in the street. Both my mom and I made purchases from the street vendors. The neighborhood was so charming with row houses covered in ivy and steep stairs leading to the top of Paris.
When we were finished in Montmartre we headed on a search for another vintage store in the 4th arrondissement near the Arc de Triomphe. When we couldn’t find it, we just walked around the chic district. But of course, we stumbled upon it a street over. They had just moved. They had some gorgeous Chanel pieces but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the money. Peut-etre next time. We kept walking and found ourselves on the Champs-Elysees for our final afternoon in Paris. We stopped at a cafe for an afternoon drink of rose and some water. We watched the amazing fashions walk by and talked about how great our trip had been.
One thing we hadn’t done yet was get macarons, so we headed up the block to Laduree to pick them up for later. Then we headed to dinner at another cafe on the Champs-Elysees called L’Alsace. We had a lazy dinner with oysters, steaks and mussels and fries. We chatted with a couple next to us who were on a whole European adventure. It was a lovely end to our stay and we just didn’t want it to end.
After a week in Paris I am ready to uproot my life and figure out how to move to the fashion capital of the world. I am also ready to burn my entire wardrobe and start over and only dress like the french from now on. Life in Paris for a week was magical and exciting. I have never seen more chicness in one place. Being there for the World Cup was a once in a lifetime experience and I really felt just as happy as them when we were celebrating. Merci Paris for a remarkable week.