The following is a telling of our experiences in Paris pieced together as cohesively as possible with the help of my journal notes , the order in which my camera program downloaded the Paris photos and memory.
Things to remember when leaving for the airport: Make sure your credit cards are in your wallet!
The morning of the trip, I remembered how I needed to make copies of passports and credit cards just in case. So I did. Our driver, a sweet and chatty Ukrainian man who has driven us in the past, picked us up, thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Great ride! Not a car on the road. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to check-in and wait at the gate for our 7:20 am flight.
however, when I looked for my American Express card to pay him, I could not find it. Of course! I had left it at home, in the copy machine!!! What to do? Never leave home without it, right? Right! So I told C to stay behind and wait for me. The driver and I got back on the car, sped up all the way back to downtown Seattle to retrieve the card and drive back to Seatac. Problem was there had been a multi-vehicle collision with injuries and News trucks already on the scene, that included an eighteen wheeler heading north on I-5 taking at least 2 of the lanes. Quel nightmare! Would we make it back to the airport in time? Would SBV miss her flight?
We sped up once we had a chance, as it was mostly gawkers holding up the traffic by then. We arrived at the building, I ran to the door, grabbed key from the security guy, ran to the elevator, ran down the hallway into the apartment, grabbed the card from the copier and ran all the way back to elevator and lobby, left keys at the concierge desk and got in the car. We made it back to the airport with plenty of time. Driver gave me a discount. Apparently chatting him up in my veeeeery limited Russian paid up. ;-) Total for Town Car Service Downtown-SeaTac-SeaTac-Downtown-SeaTac with discount from friendly driver: $115. Making it back to the airport with plenty of time to check-in, stop at Starbucks for some steamed milk with cinnamon and relax before departure: Priceless! ;-)
Things not to do on your flight to Paris: Drink coffee, alcohol or salty snacks!
Things to do on your flight to Paris: Put your earplugs and eye covers on, wrap yourself in a warm shawl, wear comfy socks , try to sleep as much as possible, drink as much bottled water as you can and move about the cabin every couple hrs.
Pleasant flights. Hardly any turbulence but the food and the movie selections on both flights were sub-par.
Friday... We arrived in Paris to find our driver waiting with his little card with both our names on, right out of the customs exit doors. Very friendly and chatty driver. Tall and lanky. Young. Luggage in car, we headed out to the city. Very enjoyable drive that allows the passenger to take in the view of early morning rush hour traffic. We chatted with our driver about Paris, the weather and the USA. My airplane sleepiness had disappeared, replaced by a sense of exhilaration, anticipating the fun we would have.
Arrival at the hotel. We left our luggage in storage and went for a walk and some shopping (parapharmacies, BHV and Monoprix). Back to the hotel for a break and to leave our loot. Then we went for a walk to Île St Louis, Île de la Cité and finally across Point Neuf to enjoy dusk with a view of an illuminated Eiffel Tower in the distance. I held back tears. It was perfect happiness, even with tired feet. We walked down Quai de la Mégisserie and Quai des Gesvres to Hôtel de Ville. After reading the papers and catching up on CNN we had a great dinner of saucisson, bread, grapes, cheese and wine. Chocolate for dessert. Went to bed very happy.
Saturday was a full day of activity and exhilaration...
We booked a tour of the city as C had never been to Paris before. Surprisingly, for an anti-tour person as myself, this was a fabulous idea! Re-visiting old Paris favorites, while enjoying great weather, taking lots of pictures and with a great traveling companion is always a plus in my book. C was wide-eyed. Amazed. Instantly falling in love with *my* Paris. Delicious lunch at a café a few blocks from Notre Dame.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we must pause for a tour anecdote: During the Seine portion of the 2nd part of the tour, the tour guide, a very hip and funky dressed French woman of no more than forty years of age was chatting with the people in front of us about the Euro. She finished talking and moved back to her side of the boat. As she sat down, the woman in front of me addressed her with yet another question but received no answer so I looked the way of the Tour guide seat to see if she would continue the chat from the other side. However, the woman received no answer. The tour guide was busy picking her nose. It seemed very casual and I wonder if she wa even aware she was doing this in public. But, at one point, she inserted her finger in her left nostril, digging for gold, looked at said gold digging finger and find and proceeded to...shall I continue? YES! You got it! Placed the contents of said nasal excavation in her mouth. It all happened so fast I thought I had imagined it but when I asked the woman in front of me, the one trying to get the attention of the tour guide, if she had seen the same thing as I she nodded, opened her eyes really big and said to me: "Can you believe that? I totally lost my train of thought and can't remember what I was going to ask her". HA HA HA! So much for refined French women.
After the tour, we walked, via Rue de Rivoli, pit stop at Sephora and Monoprix and then back to the hotel. Exhausted but so happy! Another intimate meal while catching up with news from home and daily papers. Then off to bed. A day well spent indeed.
Sunday...
Brunch and walk around the Marais and Île St-Louis.... We woke up, got ready for the day and waited until the Paris Marathon runners went past the corner of our hotel off Rue de Rivoli. Exciting! Then, we took a leisurely walk in search of a breakfast spot. Since Mariage Frères was still closed as it was not even 10am (they open at 10:30) we decided on L'Etoile Manquante on Rue Vieille du Temple. Wonderful breakfast, with the most intense persimmon colored orange juice I've ever seen in my entire life. Fromage blanc, fruits, plum jam, coffee, croissants, bread and a couple coffees each. Great table outside, under a heating lamp, perfect for people watching. The Marais early in the morning is a joy to behold. Paris at its best. Nicely dressed older men going to temple. Restaurant staff carrying around dozens of baguettes and boxes of pastries and breads. Dogs, bikes. We lingered over breakfast for about an hour. Then we wandered off around the neighborhood. Rue de la Bretonnerie, Rue du Bourg-Tibourg, Rue des Rosiers, Rue des Francs Bourgeois, Rue des Archives, Rue des Blancs, Manteaux, Rue de Turenne. Museé Carnavalet. Maison de Victor Hugo. Beautiful music. A respite at Place des Vosgues. We walked to Rue de Rivboli and took a cab to Berthillon. We got a table in the salon and ordered. Berthillon carries the most incredible selection of ice creams and sorbets in the world and probably only equaled by Italian gelaterias. We had Chocolate, Coconut, Pistachio, Passionfruit, Cassis and Blood Orange. Afternoon was spent walking and browsing Île St-Louis. Bought cheese, wine and bread and saucisson and wonderful chocolate pastries for the hotel. Fell in love with a dog staring quietly and unmoved into the Seine. Perhaps admiring the birds flying by or thinking of places he wanted to vist, meals had, lady dogs in waiting in some Quai. HAD to take a picture of it. I'll never forget that dog. He was oblivious to my camera and my movements. As was his owner. A homeless person by the looks of it.
From Île St-Louis we walked to Île de la Cité, past some bouquinistes to the Sunday bird market at the Marché aux Fleurs. Fell in love with too many birds and saw a little girl almost get bitten by a Chow Chow. Americans, from Texas. From there off to Saint Severin Church on the 6th and then to the corner of Rue De Rennes and St-Germain des Prés. Walked to the Taxi Stand at the corner of Brassserie Lipp. Cab back to the hotel. We had thought of going to Le Tastevin for dinner but we were soooo tired! So, it was dinner at the hotel. CNN, newspapers, a bubble bath and a good night sleep. Bliss!
Monday...
Early call to Pierre Hermé's assistant, Anne to confirm whether or not we he would be in town and available to meet him while in Paris. 5-6 chefs from Fauchon Tokyo were in town for training and would be at the lab all week. Alas! No meeting Pierre but we agree to stop by the boutique on Wednesday. So...quick breakfast at the Tabac across the hotel and on to a day foodie and fragrant day of exploration. Place de la Madeline, the beautiful Eglise de La Madeline. Later, shopping at Hediard and Fauchon. A beautiful, romantic and relaxed tea for two at Fauchon. Chatted up the shop keeper and drooled over all the delicious offerings at Caviar Kaspia. Then on to Place Vendôme via Rue Saint-Honoré. Stops at Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption
and on to JAR, Annick Goutal, a peek at hotel Meurice where the Queen of England would be staying that week and an attempt to go for a cup of chocolate lunch at Angélina but the line was too long. On to the Palais Royal past a number of fabulous shops and Hôtel Costes. Once at the Palais Royal we stopped to take pictures, enjoy the view and the trees and then we stopped at Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido to shop for some Serge Lutens fragrances to take back home. Window shopping is wonderful under the archades of the Palais Royal. Time for a late lunch.
Café Palais Royal has to be one of the nicest surprises during this trip. The restaurant was packed but we got a great table, the most incredible waiter and the food was not only to die for but very well priced. We had such an outstanding time I HAD to speak to the manager and waiter about it. This is a place that we'll go back to. We walked off lunch by heading towards the Pyramide du Louvre and through the Tuilleries on our way to Place De La Concorde. Along the way we met a friendly lady visiting from India who asked us for directions. We walked together throughthe gardens, finally parting ways at Place de la Concorde but by then we had already enjoyed a very interesting chat with her. We took pictue of the fountains and obelisk and while admiring its beauty, were reminded of its gruesome history. What a few centuries can do! Metro home to the Marais. Crepes for dinner. Around 10:30pm we headed out to Le Latina for Tortilla Española, vino y sevillanas. Came back to the hotel around 1am. It was so much fun we were some of the last few couples to leave the place. How I miss Spain!
Tuesday...
This was the day my friend N and I were to meet for lunch and shopping. This was also the day I had an appointment to get my hair cut, colored and styled as a little Parisian treat. So..I headed out to the Hair Salon and over a couple cups of hot chocolate and French Elle magazines my morning seemed to vanish. Back to the hotel to get ready. 2pm, Virgin Records Café on Champs-Elysées. N and I had such a wonderful time! And the funny thing is, we never even ordered anything for lunch. We talked and talked for a few hours over to big bottles of Benoit. Ha! Ha! Who needs food when the conversation is this substantial and entertaining. Then off to Guerlain and Sephora. Time went by so fast! I had so much fun and even managed to walk out with just one bag. After returning to the hotel from I spoke to N on the phone and we agreed on meeting at the Carousel du Louvre the next day. YAY! A wonderful afternoon with N, we felt like having ice cream for dinner so we took the Metro to Virgin Records to shop and have some Berthillon. But...the ice cream did not taste as good as it did at the Berthillon shop. However, browsing the shop was a lot of fun and I found a great 2 disc set of Sevillanas. Metro back to Hôtel de Ville. A fantastic and very happy day!
Wednesday at the Louvre... Woke up late. Coffee and croissants at the Tabac again. Metro to St. Sulpice on the 6th. The stop is across the street from the apartment I rented with my friend M last September. It was great to be back in the same neighborhood. Visited the l'Eglise St. Sulpice , stopped at Annick Goutal and finally arrived in the Mecca of all pastry shops: Pierre Hermé. We purchased all kinds of pastries, chocolates, croissants, pain au chocolat, jams. We picked up a pastry for N so beautiful that I regret not taking a picture of it. A gigantic pink macaroon w/lovely filling. Topped with a rose petal. It was perfection I tell you! Happy with our Hermé experience we walked a few doors down to Cacharel. Tried lovely heels that unfortunately were not available in my size and color. Talked with the staff about my fascination with Cacharel as a little girl (I still remember flowery print Cacharel outfits my mother purchased for me while still in grade school). Fell in love with some gorgeous glasses we just had to have They packed them securely for us and off we were again. By the time we got to the corner of Deux Magots, it started to drizzle and hail. So we went into Café de Flore for a cup of hot chocolate and some relief from the elements. We got a great table in the inside terrace. While having our coffee the amazing Charlotte Rampling came into the restaurant. Stopped in front of us to close her umbrella and went inside the restaurant. It all happened within seconds but it was a sight to behold. The woman had no makeup and yet she looked so beautiful. Having recovered from that celebrity sighting (she is one of my favorite actresses) we continued enjoying our hot chocolate. Thick yet creamy, intensely flavored. About five minutes later Kylie Minogue came int othe restaurant. Tiny tiny frame, very pretty, no makeup. She met some friends in the terrace and eventually they all moved inside to a table inside the restaurant that we had seen marked reserved when we first got in. What a treat! After enjoying our chocolate we walked across the street to the same Taxi stand and got a cab to the Louvre. In through security (where the x-ray machine screener joked about keeping our Pierre Hermé bags) and down to the museum. Got our tickets for the Louvre and went to meet N at Resonance. What joy to see her again! This time she also met C and we all sat down to lunch. A light white, pasta with salmon. Coffees. It was lovely food and conversation. From there we stepped into Sephora were I purchased some Sisley and Christian Dior glosses that N and I had seen the day before and I did not buy at the time. After our little shopping it was time for N to go back home and for us to go visit the museum so that's what we did. N, it was so wonderful to meet you and spend those two afternoons together. Thanks a bunch! :-)
Thursday, our last full day in Paris!
Up early to go to Café de Flore for breakfast. While we were enjoying our coffees this nice couple, Americans, sat down on the table next to us. Facing the street, inside terrace. We struck up a conversation with them. T and B. By the time we finished our breakfast we had exchanged email addresses and walked out together, hugging and shaking hands. What a treat! After Café de Flore we walked to the l'Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés , the oldest standing church in all of Paris. From there we walked past Madeleine Gely , made some purchases at a nearby bookshop and headed towards the Musée d'Orsay were we spent a few hours taking in all its beauty and incredible art collection. Shopping at Richart and IUNX. Pit stop for coffee and conversation with the owner of Café Solferino. After relating to her in detail a very unpleasant dinner experience back in September, she apologized profusely, said she would speak to the staff members about the incident and treated us both to more coffee. My friend M would be proud! From there we walked past Rue de Grenelle to the Musée Rodin, our last stop of the day. We left at closing time. 5:45 pm. Walked to the metro station and headed to the hotel. We had 8:30 reservations at Le Grand Colbert and we could not wait!
Our Dinner at Le Grand Colbertwas fabulous! Great corner table with a view of the whole room, champagne, oysters, escargots, onion soup, a succulent roasted chicken, a beautiful fish with creamy mashed potatoes, wonderful créme caramel. Service was very friendly, full of smiles. The perfect evening! They called us a cab and by the time we got to the hotel we were already feeling sad about leaving Paris but happy to be going back home to Seattle, home, the cat. Energized by the wonderful time at Le Grand Colbert and the delicious meal, I got a second wind. Got my suitcase ready for the morning, making sure I would not leave anything behind and went to bed very happy.
Friday...au revoir Paris! Salut Seattle! We woke up early. 9:30 pick up. Quick stop at customs to get our purchase vouchers stamped, AX counter to buy phone card for the September trip, check-in and at last! Charles De Gaulle Duty Free Shops! We loaded up at Lafayette Gourmet. St. Marcellin cheese, a Petrossian duo de Foie Gras entier de canard (2x50 grams) and Pepper Vodka. Alain Ducasse bread. Dalloyau macaroons, Vallhrona chocolates. Cookies. More Fauchon jams for gifts. The ladies at the shop gave us plenty of utensils and napkins for the trip and packed the Foie Gras and cheese in a special bag to keep them cool and fresh for the flight home. Now this is airline food *I* can eat. ;-) Needless to say, the flight back home was very sweet indeed. Great food and wine. Vodka. Air France. Air Bus. Very comfortable cabin. Plenty of movies to choose from. Hardly any turbulence.
Once the plane touched ground at JFK I was exhilarated to be back home. To be back in the USA and in New York. We picked up as many newspapers as possible and waited for our connection home to Seattle. The flight home was a bit uncomfortable, boring and for some reason seemed longer than the segment CdG-JFK. But when we finally landed at SeaTac we were ready to get home ASAP. So we got in the first car on the transportation queue and headed downtown. I love Paris and can't wait to go back in September...but there is no place like home! :-D
