My Favorite Photos from Paris

Reality has set in.  We are back in the States, for better or for worse.  

There are emails to be answered, voicemails to be listened to, and lots of laundry to be done.

While I long to still be on vacation, and in particular long to be in Paris, I figured it might be fun to pull some of my favorite photos from the trip into one post.  

I like the photos with me and John in them, but for this list I will keep it to the photos that represent Paris itself, not our tour of it.

Everyone at work keeps asking how my trip was, and it's hard to know where to begin.  I usually start with "Amazing!"

Paris is a city packed full of tourists, but also a city where families and friends gather in the park right outside Victor Hugo's house to lounge, laugh, and share some wine.  I hope they do not take Paris for granted.

Taking my camera with me everywhere was worth it.  Sometimes the ordinary things created the most beautiful images of our visit.  

Hopefully someday I will be back and will take even better photographs of this amazing city.  From this trip, though, these are the highlights.

Our Last Day - Rue Cler, Champ de Mars, and Rodin Garden

Today was bittersweet.  We had a great day in Paris, but it was our last.  I don’t know when we will be back, but I hope we won’t be away too long, since it is my favorite city in the world.

There are two things I’m looking forward to about getting back to California – seeing Harper and hopefully leaning how to sleep again.  Every night since we’ve been here at least one of us has slept terribly and been up for 3-4 hours straight in the middle of the night.  We just never really got on the right schedule here, and it seems like we never will.  I can’t imagine what it will be like going to work on Monday morning.  Oy.

Based on the strong recommendation of my guidebook, we headed to tiny Rue Cler to see a genuine Parisian market street in action.  Rue Cler has been closed to traffic (though you see an occasional car there making a delivery) since 1984, making it ideal for a stroll.

We went to Rue Cler not only for the eye candy, but to pick up a picnic for lunch.  At Top Halles Fruits and Vegetables we picked up a package of raspberries and a Clementine, since we basically haven’t had fruit in a week. 

Rue Cler offers shopping the traditional way – where every store has a specialty and you stop in at all the shops to get what you need.  We picked up a hunk of Swiss (for John) and thin Parmesan slices (for me) at the Fromagerie.

We had to stop at the bakery to pick up a few beignets and a baguette. 

My favorite shop was, of course, La Mere de Famille Gourmand Chocolats Confiseries – a chocolate shop that has been in the neighborhood for 30 years.  I may or may not have walked out with more chocolate than anyone could ever finish in a single picnic (even me).

We took our picnic to the nearby Champs de Mars, a huge park that runs from the Eiffel Tower to the Ecole Militaire (Military Museum – no thanks!).  Not a bad view during a picnic, right?

We were standing too close to the Eiffel Tower when we made the ascent, so we had to get a few pictures in front this time. 

In one of the fountains out in front of the Ecole Militaire, two dogs had a great time playing and swimming.  You probably couldn’t get away with that in the U.S.

When I told John this was Napoleon’s Tomb he basically blurted out “NOT INTERESTED!”  Did he think I wanted to go in and take a look?  In the words of Cher from Clueless, “As if!”  [I’m not a history buff, if you couldn’t tell.]

We walked over to the Musee Rodin and instead of doing the whole museum, we paid one euro a piece to just see the garden.  This ended up being a great decision since the garden is huge, beautiful, and full of many of Rodin’s best works.  (Above: Burghers of Calais, Gates of Hell, The Shades, and Victor Hugo)

The museum is housed in a historic mansion where Rodin once lived and worked.  Even when he was alive, his sculptures found a home in this garden.  I can’t think of a better way to appreciate them.

Since it was our last afternoon, we headed back to the Left Bank to do some more shopping in the lively area.  I didn’t snap many pictures, but believe me when I say it was packed with locals and tourists doing their best to support the economy.  We picked up a large carry-on bag from a boutique to help haul home all our goodies. 

Our favorite restaurant of the trip was one we visited a couple nights ago and booked again for our farewell dinner.  L’Entredgeu was within walking distance (barely) of our current hotel – which means it is probably nowhere near anyone else’s hotels.  It is definitely worth the trek, though, as this place was perfect in every way.  The tiny restaurant looks like it has for probably the last 50 years, but nothing feels dated.  The waitress was kind enough to help translate the chalkboard menu for us, which changes frequently.  I got a “vegetable soup” (perhaps celery root) and the best roast pork imaginable.  John got scallops St. Jacque, served atop their shells, which he proclaimed to be the best scallops he had ever eaten, and an amazing piece of lamb.  John got two triangles of chocolate mousse for dessert and I had a thinly-sliced caramelized apple (put back together to look like an apple – stem and all), atop a cookie and served with burnt caramel ice cream.  They were as good as they sound.  (83 rue Laugier, 17^th, 01.40.54.97.24.)

Arc de Triomphe and Marais

After grabbing a warm croissant and pain au chocolat for breakfast, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe from our nearby hotel.  Once we arrived I’m pretty sure even the people on top of the Arc could still hear me talking about that incredible pain au chocolat.  It was life changing, let me tell you.

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, which has no match, most people have seen several similar arches in their lives.  Lots of big cities in Europe and the U.S. have these type of arches scattered about, but none are as big and as majestic as this. 

The Arc de Triomphe manages to ruin all other arches for you, since it is beyond stunning up close.

And just when you thought you had seen the last of the “Kathy takes photos on top of another Paris monument” – you were wrong!  We climbed up quite a few stairs for this view, and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by.

The Arc de Triomphe is fairly close to the Eiffel Tower, so the views of the Tower are especially great.  It can be hard to snap a picture with the Eiffel Tower showing up in the background on such a bright day – but I won’t complain about the sun

The Champs-Elysees is one of the twelve roads that leads out from the Arc de Triomphe, and is by far the most famous.  While it is known for its shopping (and expensive cafes), John and I weren’t particularly impressed since we had already seen much more interesting shopping elsewhere in Paris.

We ditched the snooty shopping and hopped on the metro to head out to Place de la Bastille.  We grabbed a couple of café sandwiches to go and ate them outside on a cute bench so we didn’t waste time and could get to the shopping.

My guidebook led us through the Hotel de Sully (not actually a hotel, but rather a mansion of 17^th century French aristocracy) courtyards to the Place des Vosges.  We loved the garden.

John and I adored this beautiful square and could see why it turned Marais into an exclusive neighborhood (in 1605) – who wouldn’t want to live here?  Now the Place des Vosges is full of locals and a few tourists there to enjoy some time outside.

Other than the Place de Vosges, Marais is great to visit for the wonderful shopping. 

It reminded us of a Parisian Soho, except with slightly more boutiques and a few less chains.  We did get a kick out of the Lee Jeans store, though.

Victor Hugo’s former house is on the square of Place des Vosges – so he was apparently doing pretty well for himself.

I got some gelato for a snack (John found a doughnut later) – don’t you love this flower design?  The French are just too perfect.

Before we metro-ed home, we took a seat at one of the sidewalk cafes for some hydration – John got a cappuccino and I gulped down another uber-thick hot chocolate.  It’s nothing like the watery stuff back home, let me tell you.

On our way to dinner we happened upon a market right outside a metro stop.  There were fruits and vegetables for sale (not all local, I believe), seafood, and premade food.  Not a bad way to start your weekend.

We started our weekend off well too, with our dinner at Frenchie in the 2^nd Arrondissement.  “Frenchie” isn’t the name of a restaurant you’d expect to see in Paris, but the chef picked up the nickname while working at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in London (he also later worked at Gramercy Tavern).  The place had a modern yet ancient feel to the aesthetic – exposed beams and a brick wall with modern tables and serve ware.  The menu offers only two appetizers and two main courses to choose from.  John and I had identical meals – the pork belly to start (melt-in-your-mouth tender) and the chicken for the main (flavorful and juicy with a perfect sauce).  My lemon tart was to die for and John ate every ounce of panna cotta on his plate.  The food reminded me of California more than Paris, but in a good way.  I highly recommend it if you can get a reservation a few days in advance (5 rue du Nil, 2^nd, 01.40.39.96.19).