4 Cs-Champagne, Cartier, Chanel & Christmas in Paris 2013 were fantastic!
 

I’ll start the trip report off with some general info and background on the trip. We have been to Paris several times and this was our second trip over Christmas. We really looked forward to the trip and we love Paris.

Flights – I put my miles to good use and we flew business class on Delta. Going over, we connected through Detroit as it required far fewer miles and it went off without a hitch. 767 business class is super nice as the seats really recline and are the more modular, compartment style. Maybe, the thing I like best is that the display screen is offset so that the person behind you isn’t constantly thumping the screen behind your head! Great service (but the most overdone piece of steak I have ever had), a short nap and we were there. Coming home, we had a direct Delta flight in business class. Amazingly, both flights we walked up and they were already boarding, so no waiting at the gate. We also got super lucky as there was a generator issue on the flight coming home and we took off only a bit late. For a few minutes, we were headed back to the gate after trying to restart the generator multiple times. Thank God for the maintenance crew in Atlanta solving the problem without de-planing.

Arrival – No immigration line and we didn’t check a bag, so no waiting. Our pre-arranged driver from Victor Cabs was waiting on us. Very little traffic and a quick drop off at the office of the apartment management. We stashed our bags and were sternly told not to be late to come back for our check in appointment at 1:30.

Departure – Despite two accidents on the peripherique, we got to CDG in good time. No line at check in (another reason to love biz class), no line at the tax refund desk and no line at security. We were lucky to have access to the Access One priority lines for passport control and security. The Air France lounge was nice but the food options were a bit limited and less than they have been in the past.

Weather – A bit warmer than last time over Christmas. No snow this time. A few rainy days and some wind. The rainy days were not too bad and it was never pouring down.

The plan – No big sites that we have not already been to in Paris. A day trip to Strasbourg was on the agenda to see the Christmas markets. I wanted to visit Musee Marmottan, as I love Monet and had never been previously. The other goal was, not just browse, but to purchase something at Chanel (costume jewelry, I found something I love!) on rue Cambon, the original Chanel salon. We were also looking forward to a Christmas Eve concert at Sainte Chappelle. It was mostly about being back in Paris at Christmas, drinking as much Champagne as possible (which we did-shocking to imagine how many glasses we drank) and eating well (which is easy to do in Paris). The Cartier exhibit was the unexpected “find” for the trip.

Apartment – We decided to stay closer to the 6th and our favorite area near the Odeon metro stop. The apartment was exactly as photographed and advertised. It was between the Pantheon and Notre Dame and around the corner from the Maubert Mutualite Metro stop and market.

The good….elevator, water closet not right in the bedroom, tons of storage space, all appliances you need including a big fridge, lots of room and a really great hairdryer (hey, I have very thick hair).

Only 2 negatives….most days a very “smoky” smell in the apartment from the fireplace and no coffee pods left for us for the Nespresso coffee maker (really?). We learned to close the hall and bedroom doors, to keep the smell out of the bedroom (it really bothered me the first night). We probably should have asked the office to come and put up some plastic around the fireplace to block the smell but didn’t think of it until about the last day. I would say there was a bit more noise from other apartments than we had in the Kir apartment two years ago, but it wasn’t too bad.

The apartment was rented through Paris Perfect but it is not managed by them. One complaint/point of confusion I have (although on our visit was not an issue but it could be)…the apartment is advertised as non-smoking, however, the check in agent said we could smoke but just to open a window. We didn’t ask, as we don’t smoke, so I would worry if the renter previous did smoke in the apartment as that is a deal breaker for me. This management agency does do things a little differently from Paris Perfect, but for the most part it was OK. You do not get a returning renter discount on this apartment.

The link to the apartment is below:
http://www.parisperfect.com/apartmen...is/seyssel.php

The food – More details to come. We had only one lunch reservation and two nights without dinner reservations. We wanted to visit a few new spots, re-visit a few favorites. Lunch most days was just popping in somewhere for something easy and simple. I have overloaded on too much foie gras, rillettes, pate and the like in the past, so this trip I skipped it to save my stomach (there was still plenty of cheese, beef, pain au chocolat and other good stuff). Below is a list of the more well-known restaurants we went to:
Bistro Belhara, Verjus, L ’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Les 110 Taillevent, Café Marly, Le Comptoir, and Marco Polo. Again, I will post more information once I get to the “meat” of the TR, but they were all good.

The Champagne- It was all good. One reason I love Paris because you can always get Champagne by the glass and it’s always good. Yep, we had a lot of it. We have come to really enjoy it and for those who don’t know, we have Sparkling Saturdays at our house every week. There were occasional other beverages (beer, red wine, white wine), but for the most part, it was all Champagne and most of that was Rose. We had our first Bruno Paillard Rose, which is a brand we came to know in Paris but never had the Rose before. Delicious…it all was and I am glad I didn’t count the glasses consumed.

What we didn’t get to – a Seine cruise. It’s never been a priority and we just have not gotten to it, although I thought we might this time. Montparnasse tower (and the view without the tower).

What we could have done better - the trip to Strasbourg

Major "panic" moment - my passport went "missing" as we were boarding our flight in Atlanta

Favorite things - sipping Champs at Le Bar at Georges V (and we actually got a table); the magnificent Cartier exhibit, the "added" Bonaparte family exhibit at Musee Marmottan

What I know for sure – My French is still so bad that I still have to show taxi drivers the address since they can’t understand me!

More to come, including links to pictures.

Jumping in to follow along and read tonight when I have more time to savor what I know will be a great trip report! :-)

Can't wait to read the détails. I'm sure you know that our concept of Paris is not identical, nor should it be since a resident and a visitor will never see the city the same way or want to do the same things. But I am always happy to see what people discover when they come here because for some reason quite a few people continue to ask me for advice.

Great start, denisea - looking forward to all the details.

I love champagne and sparkling wine, and remember you mentioning your Saturday tradition - love it!

Carry on...

>>What I know for sure – My French is still so bad that I still have to show taxi drivers the address since they can’t understand me! <<

I know exactly what you mean. Maybe Mark Twain was correct, that the French language is so difficult even the French citizens don't understand it.:)

Denise, you have another fan but please no food pictures. I have to drive 70 miles to find a good restaurant. just kidding

I don't like the Seine cruises in winter anyway. Can't wait to read more.

Denise..I think I was there about the same time you were and I did the Seine River Cruise. I was excited for it, but didn't live up to the expectation. I am sure it was because it was raining. So don't feel bad you didn't get to it.

Loved your last trip report on Paris at Christmas - and that actually clinched my decision to go at Christmas. So of course, I can't wait for this TR!

Hi Denisea, really loved your last Christmas Paris report and look forward to following this one.

I loved the Musee Marmottan and look forward to your take on it.

Denise,
We are looking forward to following your report as we were there at about the same time. We did do the Cartier exhibit as well which we found was very interesting especially the 2900 plus diamonds on the maharajah's piece. We saw Belhara but did not have a meal there and will be interested in your comments.
Thanks for sharing.

Excited for your report and your pictures. We went to Paris at Christmas the year of "The Storm of the Century" so it may be time to give it another chance. Maybe next year. Something tells me you could convince us.

You all are kind and I may need an assistant to get the report done. I really appreciate the encouraging words and the fun of it is to share what you love and find interesting about a destination. There is certainly a lot to love in Paris.

More is on the way.

Hi Denise,

I'm still working on my TR and will hopefully post soon.

Your trip sounds great so far!

ttt

Can't wait for the details! We never miss a visit to George V on any trip to Paris, if only to see the flowers/lobby displays. We were there in October during fashion week and the flowers surrounded a display of Ellie Saab gowns. I was just stunning.

I don't partake of champagne, Cartier, Chanel, or Christmas, but I am greatly looking forward to the rest of your report. Sign me on for the ride.

IT was stunning....I was looking quite ordinary.

That sounds cool Judy!! Nikki, we only got to see Cartier jewelry....no buying, but hopefully the rest of the report will be of interest.

Day One - Friday, Dec 20, 2013

We looked forward to the trip so much. We really enjoyed Paris at Christmas when we were there before and couldn’t wait to be there again. There is an energy for me that I love about Paris.

So getting there was easy. Strangely enough there is an amazing pizza place at the Atlanta airport that made a good pre-flight meal before leaving Atlanta, so we started with pizza margarita...very French.

We made our way to gate and pre-boarding was announced. I reached into my travel tote and grabbed Chaz’ passport and boarding pass. But, where oh where was mine? Ok, it’s in there…relax. Check another pocket….nope. Check the iPad pocket, gotta be there right? Nope. I just went through security…I had it an hour ago. Check pockets again. Getting hot now. Crap, crap, crap. I am formulating a plan on how to back track, find my stupid passport and get to Paris. Think it through, where is it? My wallet, my wallet, now I remember putting in my wallet (don’t ask why I put it there in the first place). OK, on to Detroit to connect on to Paris. Flight is on time and we had a quick break in Detroit. Got to the gate and they were boarding already and we just hopped on. Easy.

Diego was our Champagne serving flight attendant. He happened to mention that his middle name is Francisco and I started thinking about “Elf”…”Francisco, that’s a fun name to say, Francisco”. Just so happens that Elf was a movie choice so I had to watch it. (and it was almost Christmas).

Great flight except for the poor tenderloin of shoe leather we were served. Oh well, I don’t think Wolfgang Puck is the chef on the flight but the rest of it was excellent and we both got a little sleep.

In and out of CDG and into central Paris (rue St. Paul) in no time. Our driver called the apartment management office and we were dropped off there. Dropped the bags and were lectured about being back by 1:30 for our check in appointment. We were being checked in first and they had 20 appointments that day. We were told in the best school principal tone not to be late or we would be moved to the last appointment of the day. Sufficiently terrified, we left and headed to the Isle St Louis.

A stop at a nice corner café, some café crème and espresso and we were ready to explore the ‘hood the apartment was in. We had sunny beautiful weather and it was nice to come across the little bridge from Isle St. Louis and see Notre Dame. I never get tired of it. We saw a bride and groom having photographed in the park behind the church and that was kinda cool.

Cross the bridge with all the locks behind Notre Dame, go straight across the Quai and our apartment was on that street, half-way up the block between Blvd St Germain and Quai de la Tournelle.

Excited about the location, we turned left onto BSG and right into Dyptique for candles. Two years ago we got the best limited edition Holiday candles and were hoping they would have them again. Not so, but we chose a Cyprus one that had the evergreen scent and headed on to St Sulpice, all the while paying close attention to the time.

We dare not be late for that appointment. We love St Sulpice and always light a candle for a good friend and so it’s a tradition now. There was actually a funeral taking place at the time and a soloist singing Ava Maria. Sad but we felt fortunate to be there and stayed in the back until the funeral procession made its way out.

A little window shopping and we saw an orangutan made of chocolate (at Patrick Roger, I think it was). Never expected to see that anywhere, much less Paris. Very detailed and incredible!

Lunch? Chaz had hoped for Le Comptoir but since we had that appointment, so not today. We decided to head back to Isle St Louis for something over there. We stopped in at Café Med for gallettes and dessert crepes and it totally hit the spot. Nothing fancy but tasty and quick. And we were early for that check in appointment.

Back over the bridge and to the apartment. I hope the apartment is what we were expecting. Up the elevator and into the dingiest hallway ever. Stained carpet…OMG…not what I had in mind. But, into the apartment and it was really good and exactly what we were expecting. Thank God.

Unpack, clean up and out the door to dinner at Verjus (waterdog, we never would have made it to the 7th for drink before our dinner…next time). We exited the Metro and as usual, had no idea which way to go. It’s not a trip if we don’t get a little turned around. Now, it’s harder, as I need glasses and trying to read a map, in the dark even with my readers is pretty much impossible! We figured it out and arrived at about 6:30 at the Verjus wine bar (around the corner and downstairs from the restaurant). So charming, I thought as we walked in.

And, that was followed by the immediate feeling of being a math nerd hoping to get a seat at the cheerleaders table in the high school cafeteria. It was packed and no one was moving even an inch to make room for us. We just got the stare down that says "don't even try it"! We got some wine and essentially stood at the end of the bar and the bathroom entrance. Never mind. It was still a great space. At our reservation time, we made our way upstairs to get our table.

I have seen criticism of Verjus that it is not local and full of English speakers and it is true. Who cares? The food is excellent and that’s what I care about. The bartender was from MN, our waitress was from Romania and one of the chefs was from Boston. Not all the diners spoke English, but quite a few did. Again, the food was creative, fresh and unique. It is a set menu and it’s 60 euros. For the quality, it’s a steal. And there portions are pleasantly filling without being too much. Here was the menu that night:

sea scallop from Mont St Michel,
clementine, grapefruit, olive, heirloom radishes, sumac, herb salad
raviolos of roast pumpkin,
buffalo milk ricotta, nettle pesto, pine nuts,
pickled pumpkin, apple/chervil salad

clams from Galice,
roast sunchoke soup, garlic crouton,
harissa, celery root, thyme oil

skillet cooked duck,
smoked celery root, orange, rye,
red cabbage sauerkraut

wild boar confit
crimini mushrooms, turnips, herb salad, onion
warm egg yolk, horseradish

lime/mint sorbet, bourbon gel, candied mint leaves

Corsican clementine cake
Dark chocolate crumbs, chervil
Pansies and tonka bean ice cream

website: http://hkmenus.com/index.html

reservations: [email protected]

Restaurant: 52 rue de Richelieu* (75001)
in the passage Beaujolais
Bar à Vins*: 47 rue Montpensier (75001)

It was all great but the raviolo was easily my favorite. I also loved the clams with sunchoke soup…that harissa in the background was so good….just a little heat. I highly recommend Verjus! We had a bottle of Champagne but I don’t know what it was – I think Michael Brocard, but am not certain. We tried to get the Pascal Douquet Rose but they had sold the last bottle to a nearby table. We would likely have gone back (at least to the wine bar) but they were closing for the Christmas holidays that night.

We had a wonderful first day in Paris, made it back to the Metro without the map and headed home to bed.

Your apartment was a palace for Paris! Loved the kitchen. I am looking forward to the Strasbourg report and Musee Marmottan.

My 4-C's for Paris have always been: the culture, couture, cuisine & champagne...

Doubt you'll see this in time but just saw, on Facebook, that La Derniere Goutte in the 6th is having a champagne tasting til 8.

Denise----always enjoy your take on Paris and appreciate all the details. Also, you come up with such clever titles--love the 4C's.

Carry on------

Love it, aliced. Judy, back at home now, so it's a no go on the champagne tasting, but thanks anyway. Hi-TPAYT and thanks...honestly, I struggle to come up with titles (not really clever, at all ;-)

Just realized there are no photo links yet....Day one and Verjus are below.

http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/de...?sort=3&page=1

http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/de...?sort=4&page=1

Denise,
Keep it coming. Loved the photos. Next time for a drink in the 7th....

Loving your report Denise.

"Strangely enough there is an amazing pizza place at the Atlanta airport that made a good pre-flight meal before leaving Atlanta, so we started with pizza margarita...very French."

Hmmmm, ATL is our home airport, but cannot figure out what/where this amazing pizza place is. Please share!

Looking forward to more installments.

Great pictures! And while it may not have been fancy, that one crepe was very nicely "packaged."

We had the exact same experience at Verjus last May - from being crowded at the end of the bar before dinner, to the "who cares?" attitude about hearing English, to the wonderful food. And I agree, it is a steal.

OK, we just put a prime rib in the oven, opening some Champs that Florent and Michael introduced us to when they were stateside last year and pouring it into some flutes we bought in Paris.

Julie, Christmas in Paris really is wonderful. More so when you aren't in the Storm of teh Century.

I know Waterdog...it can be so hard to synchronize schedules, especially when you are not in close proximity.

Gajayhawk...sadly I live in the ATL airport and with all the new food area renovations, they put a Verrasano's in at the back of the center A concourse food court. There is a Verrasano's on Peachtree and the airport location is just as good....super thin crust, wood burning oven. They have walk up, table and bar service and a pianist that plays (although one of them is the second coming of the Bill Murray lounge singer skit). Great spot for pizza margarita and some wine. Since we connected inDetroit we flew out of T, so lunch in the A concourse was easy. I know most airport pizza is no bueno but Verrasano's is really the only pizza I will eat now--dangerous to have it in my second home.

I am no photographer! I want to be like jamikins on that frront but Yankygal, glad you also enjoyed Verjus.

Our apartment last October was on rue Montpensier. We could walk out the door and go up a block to the Verjus wine bar. We had dinner in the restaurant once but ate twice in the wine bar...both evenings we got there early to get a barstool. They were days we had our bigger meal at lunchtime and the small plates were just perfect!

Denise...the Verjus menu looks great to me, seems like my kinda place!

Your prime rib and Champs for tonight sounds like a great way to ring in the new year! Wishing you a very happy new year filled with fun travels! ;-)

I admire you for being able to stay awake for dinner at Verjus on arrival night :) Looking forward to more!

Great report and as another person who feels like they live in the ATL airport thanks for the pizza tip. I will try it next week :)

Day, 2 Saturday, December 21, 2013

Ordinarily, I crash hard the first night of a trip to Europe. Not this time, I was awake and so uncomfortable. My nose and throat were kinda burning…what is going on? It was a bit like sleeping inside a grill or smokehouse. Once we got up, we realized it was because of the fire place. We at least had doors we could close to keep that smell from reaching the bedroom for the rest of the trip. However, it did not make me want to hang around too much the living room in the apartment. No matter, as we try to be out and about and not hanging around our room/apartment too much anyway.

We all know that a major reason for the decline in civilization is the proliferation of Starbucks around the globe (think Number Two from the Austin Powers movies ). Sadly, this has happened in Paris and where they used to be few and far between, it took Mr. Starbucks no time to spot one near the apartment (ok, that happened on day one). He even got support from our driver the previous day on how great it is that you can take the coffee away. Another one bites the dust.

So, I had to beg for a minute to run by the boulangerie for the required pain au chocolat before making a beeline to ‘Bucks. But, I played this very well. I got in line with a plan to purchase 2 pain au chocolat. And then, I spotted them. I thought these were only figments of David Lebovitz’ imagination as I had heard about how tasty they are but had never laid eyes on them. Could it be? Chouquettes. I knew I could hook ‘Bucks Boy with these. I have spent years developing his sweet tooth and he HAS a sweet tooth now. Of course, I played it cool….”not sure you would want these, they’re so sweet”, “Ya know, I just picked’em up for me ‘cuz I didn’t think you would like them”. Oh, he wanted them and they were gone before we got to ‘Bucks. But, I “discovered” them and introduced them to him. Maybe there should be 5 Cs and Chouquettes should be included in the T/R title. Magic little choux pastry balls with pearl sugar on them. Not quite as good as our favorite fluffy, “dough” balls we had in Rome but they were fabulous. I should be able to parlay this find into an advantage or a favor or something, and we were on the way to Chanel.
Starbucks, a fresh squeezed OJ, a trip to the ATM and a trip to Monoprix for mascara (for me, not Monsieur Starbucks) and we were on our way to rue Cambon.

I am fascinated by Coco Chanel and her story. This woman came from nothing, made her way and created something that is recognized as the premier fashion house of all time. Love her or hate her, she was ahead of her time and built something big. I was thrilled on our last visit to be allowed to observe the famed mirrored staircase leading to her private apartment. Mademoiselle would watch her fashion shows from the staircase…iconic.

We arrived and to quote Sex and the City….”Chanello”! (OK, Bonjour! We wouldn’t actually say “Chanello” but I was thinking it.  )

I came to buy something this time. I have visited and always said “no, no, I don’t need anything”. But this time, I was on a mission for a little jewelry (bijoux, costume, not fine jewelry). It was Christmas, I have worked my “behind” off this year and I discovered the chouquettes. That makes me worthy of a little Chanel, right?

Well, the best laid plans…I found the dream item, tried it on, loved it, etc…It was all going so well and then they asked for a passport. Darn, I hate walking around with my passport as losing it is a painful problem and the copies I made were also back in the apartment. My selection was the last one they had. Would they “hold” it on the Saturday before Christmas? They promised to hold it and we could come back anytime that day. But, I wasn’t gonna chance it. Off to find a cab to fetch the passports and return to claim my “prize”.

First cab, not interested in having passengers and makes ya wonder why he was in the cab lineup. Next taxi, OK, he is free and we got in. And then the curse of my really awful French (with an American, Southern accent). I stated the address and he shook his head. Uh oh. What to do? I can say “ecrit” and he understood and he started searching for “un stylo”. Minutes passed and finally a pen. I wrote the address and he said it back to me, like that is not at all what I said to him. And then, the GPS couldn’t “find” the address. Really? My necklace, “the precious” is waiting and could be walking out with someone else. I am turning into Gollum in the taxi. Come on! I wrote the name of the Metro station close by and off we went, in bumper to bumper traffic along the Seine. Geez. (Boy, am I sick of my passport! I think it is trying to push me over the edge this trip). OK, we finally got the passport, got back to rue Cambon and obtained “The Precious”. It’s mine, it’s mine. “One Chanel necklace to rule them all”. It was wrapped beautifully and the staff at Chanel is very lovely and accommodating. We enjoyed our experience there.

Back on the street and I immediately feel that people are after “The Precious” and I start looking for ways to disguise it. Paris Pickpockets after my Precious…..and the woman who waited on us at the next store advised us to be careful. I guess a Chanel shopping bag is a bit of a target, especially with streets packed with Christmas shoppers.

More shopping on rue St. Honore and we happened on the very modern and cool Mandarin Oriental. Really pretty hotel with a great courtyard. A trip to Guerlain (for their wonderful bronzer), Maille for mustard and Maison de Famille. I have always wanted to find some champagne flutes in Paris and this time we found a fun set of 6 at Maison de Famille. Lots of people out, beautiful decorations and a carbohydrate crash. Time for lunch. Carrying those packages is hard work!

We stopped in at Les Trois Quartiers for something simple. A little red wine for Chaz and Sancerre for me. Croque Monsieur for him and an omelet for me. Both came with fries and a small green salad. Nothing fancy but solid and all we wanted. No dessert, but a diet coke for me and an espresso for Chaz before we headed back to the apartment to store our loot.
23 Boulevard Madeleine
75001 Paris

A little clean up time and we decided to head to rue Faubourg St Honore for a bit more window shopping, Christmas lights and decorations, and maybe a drink before our dinner at Les 110 Taillevent.

We got off the Metro and walked up rue Royale toward the Madeleine church and then onto Faubourg St Honore. It was busy and the street was traffic central. Even if you got a taxi, you couldn’t move but we didn’t care. The Hermes window was a stunning scene full of succulent plants. I could not even think of something like that. I also can’t imagine walking out of Hermes with 6-7 bags full of purchases but we also saw that. We visited Chanel there, where I then got obsessed with a collector’s edition scarf with a dragon motif, a beautiful Burberry boutique and a few other boutiques. Then we started looking for a place to stop in for a drink. We found “Bread and Roses” and spotted 2 seats at the bar.
http://www.breadandroses.fr

25, rue Boissy d’Anglas, Paris 75008

Chaz got some version of Guinness we don’t have in the US and I got….yep, Champagne. They brought some of the best green olives (fresh and it seemed packed in water rather than oil, really good), tapenade and some hot bread with olives in it to snack on. It was nice to hang out and chat.

And then we headed down the street to Les 110 Taillevent. And we walked, and walked and walked. Serious miscalculation in how far “down the street” the restaurant really was. Just when we thought we would never get there, we finally did and I was looking forward to plopping into a chair. For that reason, and because there was a table with small children right next to the bar, we decided to sit at a table rather than the bar. I hear the bar is great to sit at but I needed a regular chair and no “fussing or crying” during my dinner.

We anxiously ordered and awaited our Bruno Paillard Rose Champagne. We can’t get Bruno Paillard in our area and we have enjoyed it in Paris on previous visits, but never had the Rose before.

It did not disappoint. One great thing about Les 110 Taillevent is the huge selection of wines by the glass (I believe the 110 is for 110 wines by the glass) and they bring little stem “cards” that has the name of the wine on it.

This restaurant is very modern inside but still warm. I really like the décor and they have a few walls made of green glass wine bottles that are lit up that provide a nice glow.

The menu has plenty to choose from and we enjoyed our meal very much.

I started out with pumpkin soup topped with crispy prosciutto. Chaz had grilled squid over a green salad with chorizo. Both were excellent.

The main courses were entrecote with pomme puree for me. Grilled lamb chops for Chaz with zucchini, mint, almonds and chorizo. All good, no complaints.

Dessert was the “childhood memories” assortment consisting of small sized chocolate mousse, crème caramel, rice pudding with some sort of nut brittle on top and Ile flottante. Again, all good but the crème caramel was the best for both of us. The mousse was the least favorite…maybe a bit dry, but it was by no means bad.

http://taillevent.com/les-110-de-taillevent-brasserie/

You can reserve on line with email confirmation.

BRASSERIE LES 110 DE TAILLEVENT
195 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris

After the hike getting here, we got the server to get us cab back to the apartment. I don’t know this area that well and I am sure there is likely a close bus or Metro stop, but we weren’t up to searching for it. It is not too far from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee.

We listened to our favorite French music and a little Christmas music on the iPad while we were wrapping up our night back at the apartment (while remembering to close the door to the smoky fireplace)! Night, Paris.

Gollum and "My Precious" in a trip report about Paris. Wonderful stuff!! Keep it rolling and Happy New Year!

Such a nice way to spend New Years Eve! Your pictures are beautiful, thank you for the Prada pictures. I have a fetish for their shoes.

You should have post us a picture of “The Precious” would love to see it.

No worries about pickpockets if you're wearing the precious, doesn't it make you invisible?

And yes, pictures please.

Hi Denise!

Great report as usual! Nice to see you enjoyed chouquettes.we discovered chouquettes in Nice two years ago and were instant converts! So small and sweet.

Waiting for next installment.

=D>
Great photos of Notre dame with the bright blue sky. I also liked the bride & groom in the park with nobody around. We've seen many such scenes but because we usually go in Sept. the bride & groom are never alone in the photos.

The food details are always something I look forward to. This year we're going in June and I'm going to look for those chouquettes.

Waiting for your report on Marco Polo (MDH's favorite place in Paris.) Since we usually stay on Ile St. Louis I'd be interested in a comparison of the area you stayed in this time to your other visits.

Thanks everyone.

By popular demand, a link to a photo of the necklace:

http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/de...brary/Necklace