Paris Diaries – 4 Nights; City of Lights

April 7th, 2017 – We arrived in Paris and took the subway from CDG airport to Danforth station. Next, we walked towards our airbnb apartment (a charming studio on 5 rue liancourt, Île-de-France 75014) passing by a colorful marketplace called Rue de Gard. We stayed at the home of a parisian artist named Laila. We collected our Paris Pass (308 euros) and were ready to begin our adventure through the City of Lights.

Day 1 – After lunch of duck, fish and seasoned veggies in a restaurant below our accomodation, our first stop was to the Montmartre Cemetery. Then we walked to a lovely little cafe called Le Pain Quotidien. Our standard order of a hot chocolate and a cappuccino was placed. We strolled through tiny cobblestoned pathways and passed by so many small vendors and street artists on Place du Tertre. Our final destination was Sacré-Cœur. Here, after touring the interior, we sat on the grassy slopes and enjoyed a live guitar performance on the streets. Next, we went to the Le mur des je t’aime wall where I love you is written in every language in the world. As the day came to an end, we came to bastille station which was the meeting point for pubcrawl. After watching a surprise flash-mob style street dancing show, we continued with our group to 3-4 different pubs. The rest of the night was lost to new friends, good music and lots of fun filled memories.

Day 2 –  We visited the florist to pick up a bouquet of the most fragrant white daisies to start off the day. We had booked a local photographer for a shoot outside the Tour Eiffel – the exact meeting point was Pont de Bir-Hakeim. It is hard to describe in words the happiness I felt as we walked around the most romantic city in the world dressed in wedding clothes and holding hands – it was heavenly. After, we proceeded to Les Ombres (meaning the shadow – of the Eiffel), a fine dining restaurant for lunch. Next, we had a wine tour at Les caves du Louvre before we relaxed and enjoyed the weather at the Luxembourg garden. Then we were on our way to the Montparnasse tower for a skyview of Paris. We watched the sunset from beneath the eiffel tower before boarding the boat for the Bateaux Parisiens cruise along the Seine River.

Day 3 – After breakfast, we browsed through the marketplace buying fresh strawberries, oranges and french cheese. It was a day full of museums. We started off at the Musée d’Orsay. Then on to the Église Saint-Sulpice cathedral. Next was the massive Panthéon with its amazing greek-roman columns followed by my absolute favorite – Notredame. With blooming cherry blossoms right outside, it was a picture perfect place with stunning architecture. Being inside this cathedral and soaking in the beauty was the most peaceful feeling. Next was a rather small chapel called Saint Conciergerie. We continued the journey towards the Atelier Brancusi (showcasing modern art and furniture). Next we went to the Centre Pompidou which was a both a public library and a museum on the higher floors. Here, we got to see many paintings by Renaissance artists such as Van Gogh, Renoir and even Picasso. We gave our legs a rest by enjoying a live jazz band playing across the street. We called it a night after stopping by a book cafe called La Belle Hortense. Dinner was vietnamese cuisine (Pho) on Rue de Gard.

Day 4 – We had some delicious freshly baked croissants with coffee from a boulangerie for breakfast. Then we took the metro to visit the Opera before we went on the famous Musee de Louvre. After standing in line for over 2 hours, we entered the home of the Mona Lisa and several other works of italian and french artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Next, we strolled along the Tuileries gardens where I had the opportunity to feed dozens of pigeons – an amazing feeling as they pecked at seeds directly off the palm of my hands. After this, we tried what I would assess as the best french onion soup I have tasted in my life at a cafe within the gardens. We then went to the Orangerie Museum where we were lucky to catch a showcase of an artist’s impression of waterlilies by Claude Monet in the form of 360 degree wall murals. We also saw some works of Renoir. We continued to place de la concorde with the ferris wheel, luxor obelisk and several street performers. In particular I loved watching a man making large hundreds of bubbles in the air using simply a bucket of soapy water, some rope and 2 sticks. Then we walked along the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe. We snacked on crepes from the street before climbing over 500 steps to the top of the Arc for a beautiful view of the city. At 7pm, we arrived for the Lido Show – a cabaret style musical performance that was almost a more elegant form of New York’s broadway. We were joined on our table by a friendly french speaking father and daughter. A night to remember for sure.

In my next blog, I will discuss the second part of our journey in France where we rented a car and went on a road trip along the countryside into the smaller towns and the beautiful south of france to be able to live the less touristy and more authentic lifestyle of the French locals. Stay tuned!