Scott and I have been trying to plan a trip to Europe with the Romneys for a couple of years. We had it penciled in for a few years ago and things came up so last time we were with the Matt said "Scott, I think we really owe it to the girls." Laurie and I held them to that!
Scott and I flew in a few days early to go to Paris. We arrived at 7:30am on Saturday morning. We took the train in to our hotel. Our hotel, Hotel La Perle, was on a small side street in the St. Germain area. Close to where Rue Bonaparte and Rue Du St. Germain intersect. It was the perfect location. We dropped our bags and headed out to find breakfast. We found a little indoor market and a great bakery called Gerard Mulot. We had yogurt, fruit, cheese, a crossiant, and the yummiest quicher Loraine!
We then walked through St. Sulpice (it was in the Da Vinci Code as having the Rose Line running through it) which is right next to our hotel. We took a quick nap to refresh ourselves and went to tour the Musee d'Orsay. We LOVED it. It houses tons of impressionist art , it was so fun seeing original Monet, Degas, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Gaugin. Here I am in front of the Musee d'Orsay.
On a bridge over the Seine with the Louvre in the background
After the Orsay, we walked through the Tuileries Garden and then onto the Champs-Elyees.
On the Chanps-Elyees we went to Laduree and saw the Arc de Triumphe
We stopped at the Eiffel Tower and got one of many, many crepes. Banana Nutella - YUM!
Then we went to the Rue Cler area and had dinner at Petite Cler a restaurant Donna had recommended. It was delicious and just as you imagine small sidewalk cafes in Paris.
The next day we started the day with a yummy breakfast of yogurt, fresh squeezed oj, crossiants, veggie quiche, a pain au chocolate and a chocolate eclair. The eclair was amazing. It had chocolate filling and was DELICIOUS! We headed out to Versailles. Of course I already had blisters from wearing flats that had not been broken in and then I forgot to pack my comfy converse so we had to stop and get a pair of tennies on the way to VERSAILLES!
I've dreamed of going to Versailles ever since I studied it in French class in 10th grade. I loved it! It was especially fun seeing the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens in real life. It's hard to believe someone called this place home. We spent most of the day there.
Scott especially loved this picture of Louis XIV with his tights and dancing shoes.
After Versailles we hit another Crepe stand and picked up some goodies at Laduree for later that night. YUM!
After Notre Dame, we went to Saint Chapelle. We waited in line for a little bit and then had to pay something like $20 a piece to see this tiny chapel. The stained glass was amazing but because it was cloudy the colors weren't as vivid. After we were in there for about 5 mins, I was ready to go but Scott said he wanted to get his money's worth. I asked him hadn't he heard of "sunk cost" he countered with haven't you heard of "spreading out your fixed costs" I countered with haven't you heard of "opportunity costs."
Here is Scott "spreading out his fixed cost"
We then went to what was my favorite store of the trip, E. Dehillerin. It's a kitchen store Sarah Caine told me about. Her mother used to shop there when they lived in France a long time ago. It was the best. It's a small store with the best kitchen things. There are no prices on things, you have to go to the end of the isle and look things up in a book. It had everything. I could have bought so much but had to settle for a really nice crepe pan, some mini fluted tart pans and a rolling pin. I love them!! We ran into Elizabeth Smart and her companion (she's on a mission in Paris). Her parents were also there and were very nice.
Here are some strawberry tarts I made with my tart pans.
We then headed to the Louvre. I hate admitting this, especially in writing, but it wasn't our favorite. It was sooo big. I actually enjoyed the architecture of the Louvre the most. It is an amazing building. We of course hit the hit lights while we were there. Here's Scott in front of the Mona Lisa.
After the Louvre, we had a quick snack of tomato and prosciutto Panini & another crepe. We had to video the guy making a nutella crepe for Owen to see. Owen is obsessed with crepes so we had to let him see how the real ones are made.
We then took the metro to Sacre-Coeur. This was one of the sights I'd never heard of before we got there but it was BEAUTIFUL. It's definitely in a sketchier part of town - Montmartre. The basilica is huge and you hike up a long steep hill to get there. At the top there is this beautiful view of Paris. It is only 130 yrs old so it's really new for a church in Paris. Inside the cathedral there is a huge painting of Christ on the ceiling. While we were there, Nuns started singing is was wonderful. We just sat in the back and listened until the finished.
We took the metro back got ready for dinner. We walked through Luxembourg Gardens to the restaurant. It was beautiful. We had dinner at Colliers des Lilas, an old school Parisian restaurant. The food was good but the cheese plate was WONDERFUL!! A great way to end our time in Paris.
Great post Aimee! I especially loved the play by play of all the yummy food you ate. Did you take a pic of the cooking shop you went to? After reading all you did, it really makes me want to go back!
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