Honeymoon 002 \\ Paris

On our second day in Paris we had planned to do a free walking tour. I've previously talked about the New Europe Free Walking tours as I've now done them in numerous cities & think they are great. At the end of the day it doesn't actually wind up being free since they ask for tips if you think it was worth it, but it let's you decide how much you want to pay. If you didn't like the tour - leave nothing. If you thought it was great - leave what you think is reasonable. I've always found the tours are great since they won't be getting paid if they aren't.

Unfortunately, we got a little turned around in the morning & missed the first tour, so we decided to try our luck at touring the catacombs. This was my first trip to Europe during anything close to peak time, so I had no idea what to expect in terms of lines. That's one of the nice things about travelling outside of busy season - you rarely wait long in a line. We arrived at the entrance to the catacombs & the queue snacked all the way around the square. I think we laughed out loud - we certainly didn't have time to waste hours in a line up, so instead we walked back towards Place St Michel & the Jardin du Luxembourg.

This is one of my favourite things to do in a city like Paris. Just wander. Take in the neighbourhoods & the buildings & enjoy a walk. You miss so much taking the metro from sight to sight. The Jardin du Luxembourg is one of my favourite parks in Paris. It's huge, for one. It's also got some great people watching & a pond in the centre where kids run around pushing these little rented boats. It's a cool spot.

Always a sucker for these kinds of buildings

Gas Station, Central Paris 

We hung out there for a bit before continuing on back to Place St Michel for the tour. We arrived just in time to start the tour with a British girl named Harriet (or Harry as she preferred to be called). That day there were actually two English-speaking tours running, another reminder of what season we were travelling in. Both tours took off at the same time but we almost never crossed paths with one another. (Another perk of these free walking tours - they're always different.) So although I'd done this Paris tour before, it wouldn't be the same as last time. It wasn't exactly a recent experience either (as I'd already proven by getting lost earlier).

From Place St Michel we headed over the Notre-Dame de Paris. This church is such an iconic sight for many when they visit Paris that it's shocking to think it was almost demolished. Luckily for us, Victor Hugo was interested in saving much of Paris' gothic architecture & began writing a book to raise awareness of its importance. In 1831, he penned Notre-Dame de Paris (or as you probably know it better - The Hunchback of Notre-Dame).

Next, we walked along the banks of the Seine to Pont Neuf - the oldest bridge in Paris. The many amusing faces mounted on this bridge are said to be King Henry's friends at the end of a particularly unruly night of partying. I'm not sure if this story is actually true, but it certainly makes these faces even more entertaining. Up the stairs & around the corner stands a statue of Henri-Quatre (Good King Henry), who was murdered. Apparently, you can tell because one of his horse's front legs & one of his hind legs are raised.

We wandered further along the banks of the Seine towards Pont des Arts (another bridge filled with lover's padlocks) for an incredible view of Île de la Cité. Pont des Arts also joins the Institut de France (home of the Académie Française) to the Louvre, which was our next stop. We stopped in the Cour Carré, one third of the whole Louvre Museum & originally the King's Palace, before crossing over into the iconic square with the glass pyramid.

Institut de France 

Île de la Cité & Pont Neuf 

We took a quick bathroom & snack break just off Rue du Rivoli (where you'll find great shopping if you're ever in Paris) before continuing on to the Jardin des Tuileries. This was originally the Queen's garden as their Palace once stood there. Our final stop was one of the largest square's in Europe - Place de la Concorde. From here you can see the Eiffel Tower & the start of the Champs-Elysées.

We decided to walk the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, with a little stop in at Ladurée for some macarons. I know Ladurée is one of the more touristy spots for macarons, but they are still truly delicious. We picked up a little box of six & continued on to the Arc.

In 2005, I had met my parents in Paris for a weekend & we had stayed at the beautiful Hôtel Prince de Galles on Avenue George V. The afternoon they arrived, we ventured out for a glass of wine at a little bar around the corner. Before moving to France, I strictly drank cocktails & coolers. I quickly found out that's a very expensive way to drink in France & within my first month in Rennes, learned how great wine could be.

We all cherish the memory of that afternoon in Paris very much so I convinced N to see if we could find the little bar again. We did (it's called Rival) & proceeded to enjoy a glass of wine, & nibble our macarons as I told him about that very first trip to Paris, nine years prior.

Rival

Pretty little box of colourful macarons

It had been a long day of walking so we jumped on the metro back to our apartment to change for dinner. I'll talk about that next time though. This post is starting to remind me of my long winded emails home while I was living in France,so it's time for a break (& some wine & dinner).

Bon appétit!

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Honeymoon 001 \\ Paris

The de Boers are off to Europe!

When we first started talking about our honeymoon, I knew I wanted to show N the city I lived in for seven months (& the reason this blog exists): Lyon. That would also mean flying in to Paris first & spending a few days in the city of lights. 

Not everyone loves Paris. I'm not one of those people. I find Paris beautiful & exciting & I can't visit enough. This would be my fourth trip to the French capital. (Paris is always a good idea, non?)

I started planning early. We booked our accommodations with AirBnB. After this trip, I can't recommend enough this site enough. We had nothing but great experiences. You have to do your research, but that's always something I've enjoyed. Looking at photos of apartments & reading reviews never really feels like work to me. Making a decision though, now that's another story.

Lucky for us, I picked a great place in Paris' fourth arrondissement - one of my favourites! Notre Dame, City Hall, Ile de la Cite, & the Marais district are all within walking distance. I was quite excited to have scored such a great location after having staying much further out on my last two visits. (My first time I was spoiled & stayed with my parents, right off the Champs Elysees. Tough luck, eh?)

The living room & kitchen of our apartment

Our flight arrived early &, after a delay in the sweaty baggage claim room due to an unattended bag at the McCafe, we made our way into the city on the RER. Our host, Paco, told us we could drop our bags at the apartment while they finished cleaning up. We grabbed lunch near the Centre Pompidou (typical brasserie fare with a couple beers) while we waited.

The crowd waiting to exit baggage claim

Affligem on a terrace

By 1:00 pm, the apartment was ready for us. Paco welcomed us to Paris, gave us a few instructions, & left us to freshen up. We hadn't slept much on the plane, but had decided to make the most the day anyway.

Our first stop was Pont de l'Archevêché, or Lovelock Bridge. It's said to be the first of this kind in Paris. Who knows if that's really true, but we added our lock to the bridge & kissed the key goodbye (literally) before throwing it into La Seine. If you find yourself in Paris, look for our lock. Hopefully they won't have cut it off - I hear that's bad luck.

Les Bouquinistes along the Seine

  

Notre Dame de Paris

Lovelock Bridge

 

Goodbye Key!

Travelling is ninety percent about eating for me so our next stop was a wine bar in the sixth. I'd heard about it while watching one of the many shows featuring Anthony Bourdain in Paris. (He's not for everyone, but that man knows food & gives good advice. Check his stuff out. I like No Reservations.)

L'Avant Comptoir is a standing-room-only tapas & wine bar near the Odeon metro. It serves up an assortment of small plates alongside a beautiful selection of wines for those who can't afford Le Comptoir du Relais next door (or can't get a reservation). The space is narrow. You walk through a plastic curtain to find people standing around a zinc bar, ordering from a friendly barman. The open kitchen allows you to watch staff scurry back & forth with different orders.

We started with the ham croquettes - filled with iberico ham & not to be missed if you pay a visit - & a glass of red wine. I can't tell you which as I just asked him surprise us. I'm assuming this was Eric, who I read knows exactly what you need. We were not disappointed.

Sleepy N

 The menu hangs from the ceiling on cards & after much back & forth about what we should order next (everything sounded delicious) we settled on a charcuterie board. We watched as they prepared our charcuterie, using a beautiful red meat slicer. They were more than generous with the assortment of meat they provided & it was likely more than we needed, but we thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

a slicer made in heaven

The most incredible Charcuterie

Crocks of cornichons, mustards, hand-churned butter, and fresh bread sit out on the bar, to be shared with other patrons. As we enjoyed our wine & charcuterie, the barman would come by to suggest combinations of cornichons & charcuterie or mustard & bread - it was my favourite part of the whole experience. All of his suggestions were enthusiastically devoured by both N & I.

We'd gone at an off-peak hour, but by the time we left people were starting to filter in. I've heard it gets packed later on, but that could make for a fun experience. If you're in Paris, I can't recommend it enough. Eric took a picture for us before we left & I made sure to sign the wall.

nerd

incredibly happy

Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower. N hadn't been up last time he was in Paris so we thought it was worth going. As we arrived, it looked like it might rain, so we ducked into a little brasserie to wait it out & have a drink.

Hello, Jet Lag! Our lack of sleep on the plane had caught up with us & we took turns accidentally nodding off at the table. We must have looked ridiculous to passersby. Fortunately, the rain seemed to hold off for us so we decided it was best if we got moving & made our climb to the top. I've been up a few times now & it really is a spectacular view. Paris appears neverending.

Post Nap. Ready to Climb

Weary & hungry, we made our way back to the Marais for dinner. We attempted to go to Breizh Cafe for an authentic Breton dinner (crepes & fresh seafood were a staple when I lived in Rennes!), but it's not the type of place you can just walk into without a reservation (before 10 pm at least).

I had my heart set on crepes (or galettes if we're talking the savoury Breton variety) though. Wandering around the Marais, we found La Droguerie du Marais on Rue des Rosiers. The crepe-man makes your crepes right in front of you, taking orders & making jokes from the window that opens onto the street. I was sold. I ordered a jambon-oeuf-fromage, a staple in Brittany, while N went for a slight variation on that combination. (I don't remember exactly what his was because I was too distracted by my own.)

We'd planned to enjoy our crepes with a glass of wine, but they were pretty much finished before we got back so it wasn't long before we called it a night. We had a lot more exploring ahead still, so it was time for some much needed sleep. I'll leave day two for my next post.

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