Travel Series | Paris
Luckily for us, Friendly Rentals arranged a driver to pick us up from the airport. As we drove through the city, our driver pointed out the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. I was so excited to explore a city I've dreamed of visiting for so many years.
Our FR rep met us at the apartment to give us the keys and show us around. The first thing I thought as I walked up the five flights of narrow stairs was how much it reminded me of our apartment in Sicily when I was a kid. It was just so ... European. If you've ever lived in Europe you'll understand what I mean. There's just a certain feel and look the buildings have. You feel it the minute you walk in.
When we finally made it to the sixth floor, we opened the door to see yet another set of stairs straight ahead (sigh), the bedroom to the left and the bathroom next to it. The entryway was a bit cramped and very dark. The bedroom was a decent size though and had two big windows that looked out to the street below and lit the room up nicely. My parents had this room which meant I would sleep upstairs. I hauled my suitcase up there and loved what I saw on the top floor.
 |
The living room area upstairs. So cute! <3
|
The balcony looked out over the courtyard and the other apartment balconies. They were all attached and separated by walls. On the balcony door there is a bigger, heavier door that locks to keep someone from breaking in. Every night I closed that door and every morning when I opened it, a man in the apartment across the courtyard would greet me with a "Bonjour" while he sipped his coffee and watered his plants. It was perfect.
Anyway, after about 19 hours of travel, we were exhausted so we didn't do much that first night. We found a diner near our apartment and had dinner, then walked around the Louvre and looked at all the souvenir shops. The next morning, we picked up our Paris Passes which got us in to all the main attractions for one fee. We could skip lines and get special perks with these cards. After we picked them up, we walked down a walking-only street which was lined with boulangeries (bakeries), fromageries (cheese shops) and cafes. We stopped in Le maison Kayser. I had heard about this place and wanted to pick up some bread but we decided to do it on our way back to the apartment to avoid carrying it around all day so we stopped in a cafe for breakfast instead. We ordered coffee and croissants after which we watched the waiter walk over to Le maison Kayser and pick up the croissants!
After doing a bit of shopping and having a nice lunch on the Champs Élysées, we hopped back on the bus and headed for the Eiffel Tower. Later that night we hit up the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner (HRC shot glasses!). At one point, we stopped for a drink at Le Champs de Mars Cafe near the Tower. I had a Diet Coke. It cost $12! My mom had wine that was about half the price of my soda. Moral of this story: It's cheaper to get drunk in Paris than it is to stay sober. Ha!
The next day we did a wine tasting at a place called O'Château on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. We bought two bottles of wine to bring back home. I highly recommend this tasting if you're going to be in Paris. Our wine expert was very nice and informative. After we left, we were walking towards the apartment when, for the first time since I've owned my Ray Bans, I dropped them in the street. The damage wasn't too bad but they got their first scratch that day. I blame the wine.
Earlier that morning we had tried to go to the Bastille Market (the biggest market in Paris) but it was closed due to protests so we went to Norte Dame instead. It was a Sunday so we were able to see the service in the church. The cathedral is absolutely gorgeous on the inside. Because of the service, we weren't allowed to take pictures so I only have a few pictures that I took near the entrance (which didn't disturb the service). They didn't turn out well unfortunately.
A few days of exploring later (including time in the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and Napolean's Tomb), we switched apartments. We moved to the Adagio Tour Eifel. This one was more like a hotel than the other apartment. There was a concierge and maid service. It was nice but I felt more like a Parisian staying in the other apartment. It felt like I was living in Europe again. Though our view of the Eiffel Tower made up for the hotel vibe of the new place. It was while we were staying there that the story broke on the Ariel Castro kidnappings. It was strange watching the news coverage in a different country. They didn't repeat the story over and over. It was more like "look what happened in America. But anyway, in other news..." which is understandable. Why should they care about it in France, right?
We also checked out the Shakespeare and Company bookstore on rue de la Bûcherie.
 |
| So did Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris :) |
We took a boat tour on the Seine and found the second Statue of Liberty. The third one is also located in Paris but we didn't see it. We stopped in a McDonald's to try their macaroons and compare them to Ladurée (which we tried on the Champs Elysées a few days earlier). Ladurée was better in my opinion but the McDonald's ones were pretty good too.
On the way back to the apartment, we picked up wine and different meats and cheeses. Then we hit a bakery to pick up fresh baguettes. I was taking pictures of the breads and this guy who works at a restaurant next door insisted I take his picture too. We carried the baguettes back to the apartment like true Parisians and had a delicious French dinner. We spent our last night in Paris at the Eiffel Tower. We had watched it light up and flash from our apartment the night before and I had to see it up close. It was beautiful. I can't even describe the feeling I had when I watched it. It was almost magical, like a kid watching fireworks at Disney World.
 |
| Le sigh. |
Wait! I can't believe I forgot to mention this! Throughout the week we spent in Paris, we had dinner in this little neighborhood near Notre Dame a few times. It was another walking-only street (actually a few streets) lined with restaurants.
 |
| Some cars don't follow rules. |
All in all, Paris is a wonderful place to visit. The people are polite, the food is amazing and the city is beautiful. I'm definitely going back one day. I wouldn't mind living there one day too. You never know, right?!
Of course, I can't leave you without sharing a few more of my favorite shots from this stop on our trip.
 |
| The bird whisperer and other people of Paris |
 |
| Carb overload |
 |
| My mom with our baguettes |
 |
| Le Louvre |
 |
| Ladurée sweets. I got diabetes just walking in the door. |
 |
| The "traditional French breakfast" a.k.a. bread |
 |
| Purdy. |
 |
| French Elle and the Eiffel Tower. Because it's awesome. |
 |
| Silly French people. |
Look for my Adventures in London post next week!
Relevant Websites:
0 comments