Paris, 2023

After my first time visiting Paris, I didn't want to ever go back. Our experience, though, wasn't as much about Paris as it was about our travel issues. In hindsight I see that. This summer, I constantly thought, "I was here nine years ago, but it felt so bad then." I kept saying to Mom, who traveled with me the first time, too, "Can you believe how different it feels this time?"

What made the difference? Preparation. I planned things to help avoid the crowds. We stayed in the 6th, which is much less crowded. And I made sure to account for down time. Oh, and we didn't miss our flight to Europe, which cut our Paris stay in half last time.

I should show you all of the. images I took of this beauty. I loved how you could see her in so many different spots in Paris.

On day 1, we just walked around the 6th Arrondissement and enjoyed some exploration on foot. But first, we stopped in for lunch at Breizh Café. It's a crêpe restaurant, making the best crêpes from buckwheat and using Japanese infusion.

I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember truffle was involved. The one on the right was lobster inspired.

Fed and relaxed and so happy to be in Paris, we strolled.

(four pictures in the group) I became slightly obsessed with the Shakespeare and Company story. I read books by Sylvia Beach, the original owner. I read the fictional The Paris Bookseller. So a visit was a must. In one picture, Campbell is reading about the history of the bookstore on our travel app.

Notre Dame was beautiful. Next time, we hope to go inside.

Sainte-Chapelle and just a random street corner! Love the corner buildings. We hope to go inside Sainte-Chapelle next time as well.

The cool thing about Paris this summer was we were going to pick-up Elaine! So on night number 1, we made arrangements to include her for dinner. (She still had a few days of class left.) Before dinner, we enjoyed an aperitif back at Breizh because the weather had cleared and they patio seating and it was on our way! (Did I mention I can plan things like this for you, too?)

Campbell was trying to be like Hemingway and ordered a whiskey.

Dinner was at Polidor. Why here? Hemingway ate here and it is said that he spent a lot of time writing A Farewell to Arms while dining here.

We were so excited to see Elaine we didn't take too many pictures of the food.

I think she was excited, too!

We ended the day by crashing at dusk. But look at our view right before bed.

We stayed at the Hotel Madison, and the weather was so nice, we slept with the windows open. The street sounds (not really that bad) were perfect to remind us that we were in a magical place.

Day 2

On day 2, we were up bright and early for our full day Normandy tour. We took an Uber to our meeting location and got on the bus for our small group tour. We stopped at a ridiculously fabulous gas station about mid-way through our drive to grab some breakfast. (Side Note: Buckee's does NOT compare. This was calm and peaceful and full of real food.)

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was breathtaking, but to think of the tragedy during WWII, it's hard to imagine the fear and turmoil of that compared to what we look at today.

Le Braves Monument has three elements to it: the wings of hope, Rise, Freedom!, and The Wings of Fraternity.

After Omaha Beach, we went to the American Cemetery.

It was so peaceful on this day. The weather was perfect, and the crowd was small.

While the beach here is not Omaha Beach, the setting overlooking the same water leaves a lasting impression of honor and sacrifice.

Our final stop of touring was at the German artillery bunkers in Longes-ser-Mur.

We ended our day with a late lunch in Arromanches-Les-Bains. Here, we were all allowed the time to explore the town and eat at our own place. I prefer that to being forced to eat together in a place that is giving you a very low-bar dining experience. Since it was a small place, I definitely wished we had enjoyed just a little more time to explore.

Once we returned to Paris around 6:45, I had made reservations for us with a view!

Au bon Accueil is the place. And it's as spectacular as it looks. When the Eiffel Tower's lights came on, everyone celebrated. Best part? We only walked a half mile from our drop-off to get here.

We ate and drank a lot, but this is all I have to show for it. These were our entrées. I remember I got steak for the main course though. It was getting dark as we got our food.

Day 3

We woke up on Day 3 with a small group tour to Versailles. We arrived before the crowd, so getting a great picture was easy.

Versailles was amazing! It's too bad the weather was less than fun to enjoy the grounds.

Look at this craziness! What a place to wake up in!

The funny thing was this was Elaine's group trip for class this particular day. We never saw her, but she definitely enjoyed herself too!

Here she is in the Hall of Mirrors.

After leaving Versailles, we spent the rainy afternoon exploring the Covered Passageways. These passageways were built in the early 19th century as a way to offer dining and shopping for the elite and keeping them out of the elements.

See Frennie and Robert still looking for directions. :)

These passageways house restaurants and shopping. You can shop vintage stamps, antiques, books and clothing!

We only touched on a handful that are still open today. But it was so much fun. I definitely recommend spending time here.

For lunch, we ate at Rancine's in the Galerie Vivienne. The food was fabulous.

Everything is made in house. The blurry pictures are Frennie's idea of lunch, melon and prosciutto.

Dinner on day 3 was our favorite. It was worth the Uber ride. (We hadn't forced ourselves to try the Metro yet.)

Italian that was out of this world! They have a short, often changing menu. I don't remember what all of this goodness was. I do remember everyone really wanting to go back again for one more taste.

For some reason after dinner, at around 9:30 at night, we thought it would be a good idea to walk back to Hotel Madison. THIS WAS NOT OUR BEST DECISION. It was a loooong walk. By the time we made it back to the 6th, most of the cafés had closed. Once we found one that was open, we took a seat outside and enjoyed one last drink. There is nothing like sitting at a café in the middle of the night.

Day 4

Campbell, Robert, and I had a Summit Eiffel Tower ticket for first thing on Day 4. And the weather was the pits, but we ended up having the best time. My grandpa once told me that the biggest regret he had while in the service in Europe during the war was not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. So I let that be the reason that I went back up with the guys. I really didn't want to because heights and I don't love each other. I am so glad I didn't let my fear keep me on the ground.

Campbell doesn't like heights either, but look at that smile! And Robert is smiling, too!

Then we headed to lunch where Frennie met us! We decided to brave the line at Carette, and let me tell you, they have it down to an art. It moved quickly.

It was so good. Like hit the spot good. And we had an outside facing table on the porch!

After lunch, we strolled the Champs Elysees. But it really started down-pouring at that point, so we called it and went back to the hotel to prepare for our tour of the Louvre.

Because this was Robert's short trip and both, he and Campbell's, first time, we definitely kept busy.

See the rainbow?

Okay, this is an example of trip hiccup. Our tour never was entered into the system at the tour company. So no guide at the statue meant we had to fix it. (Imagine calm cool collected Campbell and actually pretty calm travel advisor/mom and even Frennie maintaining her -ish. Now imagine Robert. If you know him, you know he is fairly regimented. So he was the polar opposite of Campbell.) But I digress.

We just purchased tickets in the cue. Since our tour was a night tour, the crowd was much better than it would have been during the day, so we didn't wait long to get inside. From there, we had to focus on what we knew we wanted to see because the museum closed at 9:30. We decided on the Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo, and Napoleon's apartments. I think we did pretty well without a guide and a little time.

Napoleon's apartments were worth the trouble.

Our way back to the Left Bank, we caught a gorgeous sunset.

Dinner that night was unplanned. Gasp! I know, but our hotel was in the perfect spot to walk around to find a spot to eat.

We settled back on Italian. Listen, I know we were in France, but French food is either good or bad. It's either a tourist trap or not. It's harder to mess up Italian. And, let's be real, I did take note of a place or two as we were walking around on night 1.

Restaurant Chez Bartolo served up exactly what we were craving: wood-fired pizza. The one pictured was Nutella. We missed our main pizzas, but they were awesome.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Paris, Elaine was having her last dinner with her friends.

Day 5

Day 5 was Robert's last day, so I made a special plan just for him! We were going to Montmartre to see the Sacre Couer and then heading to the biggest flea market in the world.

We tackled the Metro early on this Saturday morning. Early was the only way to see this beauty peacefully!

Look how beautiful this day was.

Now we did ride the Metro. Once we arrived, we walked about 3/4 mile to the top.

Can you see that steep climb behind Frennie?

We even enjoyed the choir practice inside. Look at that view!

After this, we (me) were determined to find a local pastry shop. But as we walked, look at some of these gorgeous places.

Look how cute!

Even the cafés are mesmerizing when empty;

Then we found our spot. Look at this cute bakery!

They are famous for their fruit tarts, but I just wanted a pastry.

Picture does not do it justice.

Out for their morning stroll, carrying the day's baguette.

Then we strolled down the hill and found the only running winery in Paris, La Vigne de Montmartre.

And found a picture perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.

Next time, I would love to see a show here.

We said goodbye to Campbell and Frennie, sent them back on the Metro and we took an Uber to Les Puces Saint-Ouen. This is the largest flea market in the world. We had no idea what to expect, but we went with an adventurous spirit in mind!

The red carpet at the flea market!

Life in Paris.

The dog is what gets me. But otherwise all of the items in the window are couture.

I loved this place. You could easily spend all day. Now the crowd was okay here, but as soon as you stepped into the outer realm of the area, you were bombarded by fake Gucci and designer knock-offs and tons, I mean TONS, of people.

Once we made it back to the 6th, Robert and I decided to people-watch in a café. It was the best couple of hours.

So for our final night, we ate Italian. Elaine was with us again, so I searched for a special location. And since we thought we were Metro experts and we wanted to show Elaine how we were as cool as her, we rode it to dinner. But. When we came up from underground at our stop, let's just say we weren't really expecting what we got...a few hurried blocks later, we made it to La Madonnina.

Once we Ubered home, we wanted drinks all together one last time. So, of course, we took off behind our hotel for a spot.

Well, that wraps up our time in Paris. This probably should have been two posts, so hopefully, you made it to the end. Next week, I will be posting about our time in Beaune! Be looking for it.

Remember, if you need me to help plan your European vacation, I can help you make memories of your own!