Paris. I love you.

 

Day 1: First glimpse? I love Paris.

Fresh pastries are everywhere, the vibe is alive, street performers are doing their thing, the architecture is surreal and the lights at night are stunning. {sigh} Today, we scratched the surface. Tomorrow, we dig in a little deeper with fresh eyes and empty tummies.

Boutique hotel tiny elevator and views. 

 The sunset. The buildings. The huge, full moon that appeared around the corner.

 

Me. The Louvre. That feeling.

Jam packed (prob Covid filled) Christmas Market that we quickly exited.

 

Because, snacks.                            Christmas tree, anyone?

Day 2: Located some tasty food on our explorations today, strolled down the brightly lit Avenue des Champs-Élysées, admired the Eiffel Tower through a foggy lens and drank lots and lots of espresso. Oh, and we walked amongst the 6 million bodies at the Paris Catacombs.

Pistachio Eclair. Omg. Delish. I had the original Eclair yesterday but this version was incredible.

Eiffel Tower enveloped in a foggy blanket.

 

Bistro where we had dinner, plus snacks. Cute and cozy.

 

Paris Catacombs.

Arc de Triomphe driving madness.

Sea Bass over a sweet rice.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Day 3: Macarons, espresso, croissants, and art.

Pro tips: Don’t get rid of your metro ticket before you exit the station (metro police will harass and fine you a certain amount) and in the metro when you see an elevator with a decent line queued, join the line (because there are 182 spiral stairs ahead).

Stats Today: 6 shots of espresso, 25k steps and 46 floors.

 

  Cité Metro Station 

             Sainte Chapelle. Built in the 13th century. Over 6500 square feet of glass.

Hôtel de Ville aka Paris City Hall. During the holidays, they have Christmas Market behind me but since I arrived early in the morning, I mostly had it to myself.

Espresso and pistachio macaron refueling.

The Magic of Christmas: La Magie de Noël at Tuileries Garden. This is one of many Christmas Markets in Paris. It featured a gigantic ferris wheel, other fair rides, tons of food vendors and handicrafts for sale. While it was moderately busy on a Monday at lunch time, it was wall to wall Saturday night so we quickly exited.

Montmartre area.

Day 4: A city makes the top of my list when it can take my breath away with three magical moments in one day.

•I finally found a piece of Banksy street art after having my heart break yesterday when I couldn’t locate another one. People either cut the work out of the wall (as was done with the rat that’s supposed to be popping out of this bottle or paint over it).

•After walking up 300 stairs in the Sacré-Cœur Basilica tower, I caught a beautiful sunset over Paris and the Eiffel Tower. On any given day, I love a sunset, but throw in the romance of Paris?

•Every night on the hour, the Eiffel Tower twinkles. As the clock struck 6pm, there were audible gasps, including me, as 20,000 bulbs sparkled just for me.

Climbed 300 stairs to admire this sunset view.

Me and Banksy. Someone stole the rat but I got the champagne.

 

 Duck Confit melted in my mouth.                  Pain de Chocolate.          

  

Day 5: Alright, Paris. You win. I love you. I’m enthralled by both your glamour and your grunge.

I’m adding tonight’s concert in Sainte Chapelle, which was built in the 13th Century, to my wow moments. Enjoying a variety of classical and Christmas tunes, sung in the midst of vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling stained glass, left me speechless (and cold… because there was no heat and it’s 30 degrees outside).       

Bateaux-Mouches tour. Super duper cold boat ride on the Seine River through the city. Notre Dame is in background.

 

Me. V. The Louvre. & Mona.

Part of Napoleon’s Apartment.

 

Unbelievable concert at Sainte-Chapelle.

Warm chocolate lava cake, vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle. To. Die. For.

Day 6: What I thought was going to be a low-key, chill day turned into 30,000 steps around the city. I spent part of the day wandering the canal area and visiting “59 Rivoli,” which is now a huge art, co-op studio but used to be a squat house. Super trendy, modern art as can be seen clearly in the spiral staircase. From art, I turned my attention to Paris sites at night, food and wine with Lauren for the rest of the evening. Even if it was only for a few hours, I’m grateful to have been able to catch up. We never skipped a beat, even though she’s now in Portugal.

59 Rivoli

Nutella Crepe

Cool art in my neighborhood.

 

Love this girl!!

Pear and blue cheese.

 

Paris at night.