A Magical Paris 40th Birthday Girls Trip
Oct 5th, 2017 | 06:22 AM
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A Magical Paris 40th Birthday Girls Trip
For my 40th birthday, I wanted to take a girl’s trip to Paris. My mom, sister, 5 wonderful friends and I, all in our mid- to late-30s (except for Mom, who is exceptionally young at heart) set off for a week in July to the City of Lights. Six of us had been before (a couple of us several times) and 2 were newbies. My personal goal for this trip (as I have been 3 other times) was really just to wander, immerse myself in everyday Parisian life, eat and drink amazing food/wine, have fun with my friends, and live/celebrate la Vie en Rose!
We found an apartment on VRBO that would actually accommodate all 8 of us, a near-impossible feat in Paris. It was on Rue Tournon and it was a true gem. It was actually 2 apartments and a “Studio” combined together, but it turned out to be perfect for our group! It was beautiful, spacious, had a wonderful terrace overlooking St. Sulpice and a partial view of the Eiffel Tower! Amazing! The only downside to this apartment was the long 5-7 flights of stairs that were narrow and spiral, with no elevator. Getting our 50-lb bags up and down was no small feat. But the owner did warn us in advance and said it might be better to pack two small suitcases! Of course we didn’t listen thinking, “eh…how bad can it be?!?”. Well, it was a (big) challenge, but we made it. Smooth sailing after that!
The apartment was located in the PERFECT area in the 6th arrondisement (Latin Quarter/Saint-Germain area). It was ½ block north of the Luxembourg Gardens…2 blocks north of the Luxembourg RER station.
Now for the day by day…
Saturday, July 22nd
4 of us landed around the same time, so we were able to meet up and we had a driver take us to our apartment. We checked in and stowed our luggage, as the cleaners were not done yet and met up with the next 2 who had already arrived as well. We strolled down to Boulevard St.-Germain and had lunch at a little Café, Mondrian. We enjoyed our first taste of Paris, with Croque Monseiurs/Madames and some rosé. Yum! We then strolled up to the river and down to Notre-Dame and took some pics, but the line to go in was too long, so we bailed. I have been in several times, didn’t feel the need to do it this time! We then met up with the 7th girl over by Shakespeare and Co. bookshop. At this point we were all exhausted, having not gotten much, or any sleep on those red-eyes from the States. So we went back to lay down for a little bit before dinner. The last girl showed up around 4…woo-hoo! Around 7 we left for dinner…we took the Metro over to the Arc de Triomph and then to the Pennisula hotel to the restaurant l’Oiseau Blanc. Let me tell you…if you want a splurge and a wonderful welcome to Paris…this is the place to go. Pricey, but absolutely delicious with THE BEST view of the Eiffel Tower. We did the prix fixe meal and it was beyond wonderful. Service was exceptional. It was the ideal way to spend our first evening in the most beautiful city! We wrapped our first night, dog-tired, but oh-so-happy!
Sunday, July 23rd
Let me continue by saying that we had all expected the weather to be very hot. Most of us packed almost all little cute sundresses. Well, the weather report changed pretty drastically since packing, and the weather the whole time probably did not reach above 72 with lows in the mid-50s and cloudy most of the time. Now, usually this weather would be pretty dreamy…and it was, we just didn’t pack properly. Didn’t need all those light sundresses!
On Sunday we all slept in and had a lazy morning, with coffee on the terrace. We then rallied and decided to spend the day walking around le Marais neighborhood. We walked over and found the café Les Philosophes. The owner was outside seating people and we told him we had 8. 8 people in Parisian cafes is a lot, but he was amazing and found us the primo table right out front. The people watching was great, and the food was excellent. I had a wonderful quiche Lorraine. And of course, more rosé! After lunch we strolled around le Marais, shopping and just enjoying the lively neighborhood! Half of us did more shopping and the other half wandered into Place des Vosges. It is a lovely square where it seemed all Parisians were hanging out on the grass, drinking, cuddling and laughing. Cool vibe. After hanging there for a while, we decided to head back to the apartment. On our way home while crossing the river, we heard music. Down under Pont Marie, we discovered hundreds of people hanging out, listening to music and many were dancing in a cool 20s swing. It was almost like a dancing club. It was super fun to watch and there were many tables and a bar where you could order drinks. We met the other part of our group there and indulged in many more bottles of rosé. We stumbled back home and changed for dinner and made our way around Blvd. St.-Germain to a tiny restaurant called Cezembre. From what I remember, it was delicious! Multi-course prix-fixe menu that was thoughtful and inventive but so delicious! Great day in Paris!
Monday, July 24th
“Beware of the Rosé!”
Oof…this morning, we struggled. Waaaaay too much rosé had us feeling…not so well! Some of us were worse for the wear than others. Those that rallied decided to go to lunch and then Musée d’Orangerie, to see the breathtaking Monet murals. We first hit Café Breizh for some delicious savory crepes and café. Then we started walking over to the Orangerie. Of course, as we were walking through the Palais du Louvre and into the Tuilleries, it started to POUR down rain. We had some umbrellas, but got pretty soaked. We got to the Orangerie and there was a large line to get in if you didn’t purchase tickets in advance, which we didn’t. The line moved fairly quickly and we got in and enjoyed the beautiful artwork by Monet and others. After that, some of us that weren’t feeling great decided to go back while the rest of the group wandered over to Rue Cler, near the Eiffel Tower and get some cheese and wine and some of the cute shops there. Then they hung out on the Champs de Mars and got some required selfies in front of the tower. The group that went back got some fresh air walking and a little nap. Then it was time for a snack so we went across the street from our apartment to Café Tournon. We had some delicious food that ended up being a little more than a snack. We also forced down a glass of wine with some difficulty. Our sweet waitress told us on the way out “beware of the rosé!”, which became our theme phrase for the rest of the trip. Haha. That evening, we decided to just hang out on our terrace with cheese and a ‘bit’ more wine and cash it in early, as we were doing a trip to Champagne in the morning and the driver was coming early!!
Tuesday, July 25th
We booked a private Champagne tour with the group Paris Champagne Tour, which is actually set up by the ministry of tourism in the interest of job creation for the region, not just profit generation. We were picked up at 7:20 by Mr. Trong Ngyuen, and he offered everyone coffee, tea and pastries for breakfast during our 1.5 hour drive to Champagne. On the way he gave us lots of interesting information on the region and champagne production. He is a very intelligent man, and extremely knowledgeable on the subject of champagne. Our one complaint was that he was pretty difficult to understand for us Americans. But as the day went on, it was easier to make out his accent. We stopped first in the grape vineyards outside of Reims in a town called Verzenay where much of the region’s grapes are grown. He told us about the production and care for the grapes and we got some beautiful photos. We then went in to the tiny town of Verzenay to a small producer called Mouzon.
http://www.champagne-jean-claude-mou.../index-en.html
We met Frédérique Lahémade, winemaker and granddaughter of Jean Claude Mouzon. She did not speak English well, so Trong translated. She took us through the very small winery and told us how they produce the champagne and then gave us a fabulous tasting of 4 champagnes. We all absolutely loved her champagne and bought many bottles! We said au revoir to Frédérique, feeling happy and a bit more knowledgeable. We then drove in to Reims, to a restaurant called au Petit Comptoir, which was included in our tour price. We received a lovely three-course meal and sweet Trong brought in a bottle of champagne for us to enjoy as a birthday present for me! We all enjoyed our meals, especially the chocolate lava cake at the end! Afterwards, we drove over to the Reims cathedral and Trong told us a little bit about it’s history and we walked around inside, marveling at the beautiful stained glass mosaics by Marc Chagall.
Then it was on to our second champagne house, Pommery…a steep contrast to Mouzon. Pommery is one of the largest producers of Champagne in the world and its grounds were huge and ostentatious, compared to Mouzon.
http://www.vrankenpommery.com/en/mar...mpagne-pommery
We were given a tour of their HUGE caves that Trong told us connected to many of the other house’s caves and you could walk under the whole town through them if you knew where you were going. After, we got a tasting of two of Pommery’s champagnes. In our opinion, it was good, but nothing special…we each preferred Mouzon’s champagne, but agreed we liked seeing the contrast of the two. It was time to go back to Paris and we all caught a couple of winks on the 1.5 hour ride home. Overall it was a great experience. I think we were probably expecting a few more tastings for a whole day’s trip. We have all been to Napa and I guess we were thinking it would be more like that, bouncing from vineyard to vineyard, so overall seemed like a very long day for only two estates. But we learned a great deal about Champagne and Trong was so nice and kind. It was a good day!
We were thinking we would be buzzed when we got home, but weren’t at all so we decided to motivate and take a boat ride on the Seine. It was a GORGEOUS evening so we wanted to go for it. We chose Vedettes du Pont Neuf, only because it was the closest to the apartment, at a 15 minute walk. The entrance is off the lovelock bridge and it was cool to see that and take some neat photos. There are many companies including Bateaux Mouches et Bateaux Parisiennes, but they all looked pretty similar and all we wanted was a beautiful ride down the river to see some lovely Paris sights. It was great…we shared a bottle of wine on the boat and just basked in the beauty. We went at 9:15 and the sun set about 9:40, so we got great views in the light and also saw the Eiffel turn on its lights. Upon return, we saw Paris and the tower lit up with a gorgeous crescent moon shining over the city. Wow. Can’t get any better. After we walked around a little bit and we really hungry so we grabbed some pizzas at Tabac Chatelet (we just settled on somewhere because it was late and we were hungry…but the pizzas were really good…crispy wood-fired thin crusts). It was another wonderful day.
Wednesday, July 26th
Today, we wanted to explore Montmartre. We took the metro up and found a great little café, Le Sancerre. The food was excellent and it was great people watching. After, we walked up the steps towards Sacre Coeur and wandered around the streets and looked at all the street artists’ paintings and I bought one to preserve my memory of Paris. We walked over to Sacre Coeur and took some photos and watched the people enjoying themselves on the steps around it. After, we found a great little bar called Le Progress and had some beer and wine there as we watched the hubbub around us. Love this area.
Then it was time for the cooking class we booked through Le Foodist. Please do this if you go to Paris. I cannot recommend it enough. We met our chef/guide, Fréderic, in front of la Grande Epicerie de Paris, one of Paris’ finest indoor grocery stores. It was amazing in there. I highly recommend just going in here and seeing the fabulous array of veggies, seafood, cheeses, specialty products, etc. they have. I could live in there! Fréderic walked us around, giving us some information on French products, etc. and we picked out a few things. We then all took le métro back to their kitchen studio in the Latin Quarter. It was a great space, a kitchen on top and bottom and we were on the bottom. From the beginning, we were in love with Fréderic…he had the best personality, a mix of funny, witty, sarcastic and intelligent. He was very knowledgeable about cooking, food and food science and had travelled and worked in many cities all over the world, including the USA. We made a soup, a deconstructed coq au vin and a wonderful fresh peach melba. He explained the different methods and put us all to work as he walked us through each step. We had some wonderful wine and cheese while we cooked. Each course was delicious and we just could not have had a better time. I HIGHLY recommend this for a perfect night in Paris.
www.lefoodist.com
Stuffed and happy, we walked home and slept soundly.
Thursday, July 27th
One friend left this morning…so we were now 7. Today we just decided to wander. We went up to Blvd St. Germain and we decided to go to Les Deux Magots. Yes, this is a place where probably everyone was a tourist, but we all had a great lunch and you kind of have to say you did this while in Paris. I have no regrets, lol. We then walked around St. Germain, bought some macarons and the lovely Pierre Hermé shop and did some more shopping. We went in to Saint Sulpice and it was a lovely church, however not the most stunning of the cathedrals, in my opinion. We then found Rue des Cannettes and Rue Guisarde, which are both really cute little streets with cafés and bars. The lady staying at our apartment the week before us, whom we ran into the first day, told us about a restaurant, Chez Fernand on Rue Guisarde that had the best boeuf bourgingnon that she has ever eaten, so we made a reservation there for that evening. After we did that, we grabbed some wine from our apartment and walked in to the Luxembourg Gardens. It is so beautiful and peaceful in there. We found a group of chairs and busted out the little collapsible wine glasses I brought everyone and had a bottle of the champagne we had bought from our tour and some red wine. The weather was perfect and we were soaking it all in! After, I dragged everyone across the street of Boulevard St. Michel to the Foreign Student’s Dorm I stayed in in 1999 when I spend the summer studying at the Sorbonne. It was a good memory and then we stopped at the crepe stand right there in front of the Luxembourg RER (across the street from the gardens), where we would eat every day when I was a student. It did not disappoint…best crèpe in Paris, in my humble opinion. Crèpe vegetarienne especial, and also the nutella and banana. Cannot beat it for 7 and 5 Euro. OMG. Visit my “crèpe-man”!! So good. Afterwards, we went back to the apartment and had a lovely afternoon on the terrace with…you guessed it…more wine! Dinner at Chez Fernand was awesome…really excellent boeuf bourgingnon, pesto escargot and two girls had the snapper which was light and delicious. Great spot!
Friday, July 28th
Last Day
And then there were 4, as three more left for home in the morning. The rest of us slept in and then walked up to Café Mabillion on Blvd St.-Germain. It was really great as well. I really didn’t have a bad meal the whole time! Haha. However I was kind of longing for some healthy home cooking…not used to all the rich food in Paris. It is definitely possible to eat healthy, but since I won’t be back for some time, I have to get all of it in! When we went to the Orangerie on Monday, we had bought the combo ticket for the Musée d’Orsay. We had all been before but we decided that since we had the ticket, we would go again, if the lines weren’t long (which I was kind of dreading). We got there around 1 and…what the heck…there was NO LINE! We walked RIGHT in and there weren’t even a ton of people inside. I was blown away. I’m not sure why (my sister’s Rick Steves book did say that Friday afternoons were less crowded and boy was he right). We did the whole museum in an hour and a half. It was great! We then strolled along to the Eiffel tower, since our group hadn’t been there yet. We found a nice little patch of grass on the Champs de Mars and watched people posing, jumping and making fools of themselves in front of the tower. Genius entrepreneurs were going around selling bottles of wine, for only 10 Euro, so we jumped on that, as we had brought our pop-up cups! After we were done, I decided you only live once, so I took one of those photos I was making fun of people for taking. And it was glorious!! We were tired from walking so much so we took the metro back, grabbed one last crèpe from my “crèpe-man” and started packing for our early flight the next day. Sad. We walked across Blvd. St. Germain to Rue Buci, which is a really fun little area. There were street performers and lots of cafés were people were a buzz on a Friday night. We found a place that had a table, Café Atlas and it was a great find. I had a Salade Niçoise because I could do no more bread or cheese! Haha. It was a great, chill night for the end of our trip. We went back to the place and sat on the terrace and watched the tower all lit up for the last time, and do the twinkling lights (every hour, on the hour from 10pm-2am). It was a magical trip and I couldn’t have asked for anything more than this perfect week. Can’t wait for my next trip, whenever that may be!
We found an apartment on VRBO that would actually accommodate all 8 of us, a near-impossible feat in Paris. It was on Rue Tournon and it was a true gem. It was actually 2 apartments and a “Studio” combined together, but it turned out to be perfect for our group! It was beautiful, spacious, had a wonderful terrace overlooking St. Sulpice and a partial view of the Eiffel Tower! Amazing! The only downside to this apartment was the long 5-7 flights of stairs that were narrow and spiral, with no elevator. Getting our 50-lb bags up and down was no small feat. But the owner did warn us in advance and said it might be better to pack two small suitcases! Of course we didn’t listen thinking, “eh…how bad can it be?!?”. Well, it was a (big) challenge, but we made it. Smooth sailing after that!
The apartment was located in the PERFECT area in the 6th arrondisement (Latin Quarter/Saint-Germain area). It was ½ block north of the Luxembourg Gardens…2 blocks north of the Luxembourg RER station.
Now for the day by day…
Saturday, July 22nd
4 of us landed around the same time, so we were able to meet up and we had a driver take us to our apartment. We checked in and stowed our luggage, as the cleaners were not done yet and met up with the next 2 who had already arrived as well. We strolled down to Boulevard St.-Germain and had lunch at a little Café, Mondrian. We enjoyed our first taste of Paris, with Croque Monseiurs/Madames and some rosé. Yum! We then strolled up to the river and down to Notre-Dame and took some pics, but the line to go in was too long, so we bailed. I have been in several times, didn’t feel the need to do it this time! We then met up with the 7th girl over by Shakespeare and Co. bookshop. At this point we were all exhausted, having not gotten much, or any sleep on those red-eyes from the States. So we went back to lay down for a little bit before dinner. The last girl showed up around 4…woo-hoo! Around 7 we left for dinner…we took the Metro over to the Arc de Triomph and then to the Pennisula hotel to the restaurant l’Oiseau Blanc. Let me tell you…if you want a splurge and a wonderful welcome to Paris…this is the place to go. Pricey, but absolutely delicious with THE BEST view of the Eiffel Tower. We did the prix fixe meal and it was beyond wonderful. Service was exceptional. It was the ideal way to spend our first evening in the most beautiful city! We wrapped our first night, dog-tired, but oh-so-happy!
Sunday, July 23rd
Let me continue by saying that we had all expected the weather to be very hot. Most of us packed almost all little cute sundresses. Well, the weather report changed pretty drastically since packing, and the weather the whole time probably did not reach above 72 with lows in the mid-50s and cloudy most of the time. Now, usually this weather would be pretty dreamy…and it was, we just didn’t pack properly. Didn’t need all those light sundresses!
On Sunday we all slept in and had a lazy morning, with coffee on the terrace. We then rallied and decided to spend the day walking around le Marais neighborhood. We walked over and found the café Les Philosophes. The owner was outside seating people and we told him we had 8. 8 people in Parisian cafes is a lot, but he was amazing and found us the primo table right out front. The people watching was great, and the food was excellent. I had a wonderful quiche Lorraine. And of course, more rosé! After lunch we strolled around le Marais, shopping and just enjoying the lively neighborhood! Half of us did more shopping and the other half wandered into Place des Vosges. It is a lovely square where it seemed all Parisians were hanging out on the grass, drinking, cuddling and laughing. Cool vibe. After hanging there for a while, we decided to head back to the apartment. On our way home while crossing the river, we heard music. Down under Pont Marie, we discovered hundreds of people hanging out, listening to music and many were dancing in a cool 20s swing. It was almost like a dancing club. It was super fun to watch and there were many tables and a bar where you could order drinks. We met the other part of our group there and indulged in many more bottles of rosé. We stumbled back home and changed for dinner and made our way around Blvd. St.-Germain to a tiny restaurant called Cezembre. From what I remember, it was delicious! Multi-course prix-fixe menu that was thoughtful and inventive but so delicious! Great day in Paris!
Monday, July 24th
“Beware of the Rosé!”
Oof…this morning, we struggled. Waaaaay too much rosé had us feeling…not so well! Some of us were worse for the wear than others. Those that rallied decided to go to lunch and then Musée d’Orangerie, to see the breathtaking Monet murals. We first hit Café Breizh for some delicious savory crepes and café. Then we started walking over to the Orangerie. Of course, as we were walking through the Palais du Louvre and into the Tuilleries, it started to POUR down rain. We had some umbrellas, but got pretty soaked. We got to the Orangerie and there was a large line to get in if you didn’t purchase tickets in advance, which we didn’t. The line moved fairly quickly and we got in and enjoyed the beautiful artwork by Monet and others. After that, some of us that weren’t feeling great decided to go back while the rest of the group wandered over to Rue Cler, near the Eiffel Tower and get some cheese and wine and some of the cute shops there. Then they hung out on the Champs de Mars and got some required selfies in front of the tower. The group that went back got some fresh air walking and a little nap. Then it was time for a snack so we went across the street from our apartment to Café Tournon. We had some delicious food that ended up being a little more than a snack. We also forced down a glass of wine with some difficulty. Our sweet waitress told us on the way out “beware of the rosé!”, which became our theme phrase for the rest of the trip. Haha. That evening, we decided to just hang out on our terrace with cheese and a ‘bit’ more wine and cash it in early, as we were doing a trip to Champagne in the morning and the driver was coming early!!
Tuesday, July 25th
We booked a private Champagne tour with the group Paris Champagne Tour, which is actually set up by the ministry of tourism in the interest of job creation for the region, not just profit generation. We were picked up at 7:20 by Mr. Trong Ngyuen, and he offered everyone coffee, tea and pastries for breakfast during our 1.5 hour drive to Champagne. On the way he gave us lots of interesting information on the region and champagne production. He is a very intelligent man, and extremely knowledgeable on the subject of champagne. Our one complaint was that he was pretty difficult to understand for us Americans. But as the day went on, it was easier to make out his accent. We stopped first in the grape vineyards outside of Reims in a town called Verzenay where much of the region’s grapes are grown. He told us about the production and care for the grapes and we got some beautiful photos. We then went in to the tiny town of Verzenay to a small producer called Mouzon.
http://www.champagne-jean-claude-mou.../index-en.html
We met Frédérique Lahémade, winemaker and granddaughter of Jean Claude Mouzon. She did not speak English well, so Trong translated. She took us through the very small winery and told us how they produce the champagne and then gave us a fabulous tasting of 4 champagnes. We all absolutely loved her champagne and bought many bottles! We said au revoir to Frédérique, feeling happy and a bit more knowledgeable. We then drove in to Reims, to a restaurant called au Petit Comptoir, which was included in our tour price. We received a lovely three-course meal and sweet Trong brought in a bottle of champagne for us to enjoy as a birthday present for me! We all enjoyed our meals, especially the chocolate lava cake at the end! Afterwards, we drove over to the Reims cathedral and Trong told us a little bit about it’s history and we walked around inside, marveling at the beautiful stained glass mosaics by Marc Chagall.
Then it was on to our second champagne house, Pommery…a steep contrast to Mouzon. Pommery is one of the largest producers of Champagne in the world and its grounds were huge and ostentatious, compared to Mouzon.
http://www.vrankenpommery.com/en/mar...mpagne-pommery
We were given a tour of their HUGE caves that Trong told us connected to many of the other house’s caves and you could walk under the whole town through them if you knew where you were going. After, we got a tasting of two of Pommery’s champagnes. In our opinion, it was good, but nothing special…we each preferred Mouzon’s champagne, but agreed we liked seeing the contrast of the two. It was time to go back to Paris and we all caught a couple of winks on the 1.5 hour ride home. Overall it was a great experience. I think we were probably expecting a few more tastings for a whole day’s trip. We have all been to Napa and I guess we were thinking it would be more like that, bouncing from vineyard to vineyard, so overall seemed like a very long day for only two estates. But we learned a great deal about Champagne and Trong was so nice and kind. It was a good day!
We were thinking we would be buzzed when we got home, but weren’t at all so we decided to motivate and take a boat ride on the Seine. It was a GORGEOUS evening so we wanted to go for it. We chose Vedettes du Pont Neuf, only because it was the closest to the apartment, at a 15 minute walk. The entrance is off the lovelock bridge and it was cool to see that and take some neat photos. There are many companies including Bateaux Mouches et Bateaux Parisiennes, but they all looked pretty similar and all we wanted was a beautiful ride down the river to see some lovely Paris sights. It was great…we shared a bottle of wine on the boat and just basked in the beauty. We went at 9:15 and the sun set about 9:40, so we got great views in the light and also saw the Eiffel turn on its lights. Upon return, we saw Paris and the tower lit up with a gorgeous crescent moon shining over the city. Wow. Can’t get any better. After we walked around a little bit and we really hungry so we grabbed some pizzas at Tabac Chatelet (we just settled on somewhere because it was late and we were hungry…but the pizzas were really good…crispy wood-fired thin crusts). It was another wonderful day.
Wednesday, July 26th
Today, we wanted to explore Montmartre. We took the metro up and found a great little café, Le Sancerre. The food was excellent and it was great people watching. After, we walked up the steps towards Sacre Coeur and wandered around the streets and looked at all the street artists’ paintings and I bought one to preserve my memory of Paris. We walked over to Sacre Coeur and took some photos and watched the people enjoying themselves on the steps around it. After, we found a great little bar called Le Progress and had some beer and wine there as we watched the hubbub around us. Love this area.
Then it was time for the cooking class we booked through Le Foodist. Please do this if you go to Paris. I cannot recommend it enough. We met our chef/guide, Fréderic, in front of la Grande Epicerie de Paris, one of Paris’ finest indoor grocery stores. It was amazing in there. I highly recommend just going in here and seeing the fabulous array of veggies, seafood, cheeses, specialty products, etc. they have. I could live in there! Fréderic walked us around, giving us some information on French products, etc. and we picked out a few things. We then all took le métro back to their kitchen studio in the Latin Quarter. It was a great space, a kitchen on top and bottom and we were on the bottom. From the beginning, we were in love with Fréderic…he had the best personality, a mix of funny, witty, sarcastic and intelligent. He was very knowledgeable about cooking, food and food science and had travelled and worked in many cities all over the world, including the USA. We made a soup, a deconstructed coq au vin and a wonderful fresh peach melba. He explained the different methods and put us all to work as he walked us through each step. We had some wonderful wine and cheese while we cooked. Each course was delicious and we just could not have had a better time. I HIGHLY recommend this for a perfect night in Paris.
www.lefoodist.com
Stuffed and happy, we walked home and slept soundly.
Thursday, July 27th
One friend left this morning…so we were now 7. Today we just decided to wander. We went up to Blvd St. Germain and we decided to go to Les Deux Magots. Yes, this is a place where probably everyone was a tourist, but we all had a great lunch and you kind of have to say you did this while in Paris. I have no regrets, lol. We then walked around St. Germain, bought some macarons and the lovely Pierre Hermé shop and did some more shopping. We went in to Saint Sulpice and it was a lovely church, however not the most stunning of the cathedrals, in my opinion. We then found Rue des Cannettes and Rue Guisarde, which are both really cute little streets with cafés and bars. The lady staying at our apartment the week before us, whom we ran into the first day, told us about a restaurant, Chez Fernand on Rue Guisarde that had the best boeuf bourgingnon that she has ever eaten, so we made a reservation there for that evening. After we did that, we grabbed some wine from our apartment and walked in to the Luxembourg Gardens. It is so beautiful and peaceful in there. We found a group of chairs and busted out the little collapsible wine glasses I brought everyone and had a bottle of the champagne we had bought from our tour and some red wine. The weather was perfect and we were soaking it all in! After, I dragged everyone across the street of Boulevard St. Michel to the Foreign Student’s Dorm I stayed in in 1999 when I spend the summer studying at the Sorbonne. It was a good memory and then we stopped at the crepe stand right there in front of the Luxembourg RER (across the street from the gardens), where we would eat every day when I was a student. It did not disappoint…best crèpe in Paris, in my humble opinion. Crèpe vegetarienne especial, and also the nutella and banana. Cannot beat it for 7 and 5 Euro. OMG. Visit my “crèpe-man”!! So good. Afterwards, we went back to the apartment and had a lovely afternoon on the terrace with…you guessed it…more wine! Dinner at Chez Fernand was awesome…really excellent boeuf bourgingnon, pesto escargot and two girls had the snapper which was light and delicious. Great spot!
Friday, July 28th
Last Day
And then there were 4, as three more left for home in the morning. The rest of us slept in and then walked up to Café Mabillion on Blvd St.-Germain. It was really great as well. I really didn’t have a bad meal the whole time! Haha. However I was kind of longing for some healthy home cooking…not used to all the rich food in Paris. It is definitely possible to eat healthy, but since I won’t be back for some time, I have to get all of it in! When we went to the Orangerie on Monday, we had bought the combo ticket for the Musée d’Orsay. We had all been before but we decided that since we had the ticket, we would go again, if the lines weren’t long (which I was kind of dreading). We got there around 1 and…what the heck…there was NO LINE! We walked RIGHT in and there weren’t even a ton of people inside. I was blown away. I’m not sure why (my sister’s Rick Steves book did say that Friday afternoons were less crowded and boy was he right). We did the whole museum in an hour and a half. It was great! We then strolled along to the Eiffel tower, since our group hadn’t been there yet. We found a nice little patch of grass on the Champs de Mars and watched people posing, jumping and making fools of themselves in front of the tower. Genius entrepreneurs were going around selling bottles of wine, for only 10 Euro, so we jumped on that, as we had brought our pop-up cups! After we were done, I decided you only live once, so I took one of those photos I was making fun of people for taking. And it was glorious!! We were tired from walking so much so we took the metro back, grabbed one last crèpe from my “crèpe-man” and started packing for our early flight the next day. Sad. We walked across Blvd. St. Germain to Rue Buci, which is a really fun little area. There were street performers and lots of cafés were people were a buzz on a Friday night. We found a place that had a table, Café Atlas and it was a great find. I had a Salade Niçoise because I could do no more bread or cheese! Haha. It was a great, chill night for the end of our trip. We went back to the place and sat on the terrace and watched the tower all lit up for the last time, and do the twinkling lights (every hour, on the hour from 10pm-2am). It was a magical trip and I couldn’t have asked for anything more than this perfect week. Can’t wait for my next trip, whenever that may be!
Oct 5th, 2017 | 03:25 PM
#3
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,478
Likes: 0
Such a fun trip with a large group of people! I've spent several afternoons and evenings at Cafe Mabillon. If I recall, they closed for renovation and must've reopened when you visited. If you wouldn't mind, please post a link to your vrbo apartments.
Glad you had a nice time.
Oct 5th, 2017 | 05:48 PM
#5
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 664
Likes: 0
Pleased to see your well detailed Paris birthday trip TR, my favorite city to visit and read about. This past May I stayed just off Rue de Buci and loved the feeling of being in the very heart of St. Germain with all the bustling restaurants and shops. My dinner at Little Breizh was on a cool rainy night, a perfect setting for comforting crepes and cider.
Sitting outside at Le Deux Magots for prime people watching between strolls, museums and shopping (to sip rose or an aperol spritz) is an absolute must each time I'm there. It's also where I traditionally go for a Croque Madam to ease the first day jet lag.
I've noted restaurants mentioned for future reference on my next Paris sojourn, thank you very much!
Sitting outside at Le Deux Magots for prime people watching between strolls, museums and shopping (to sip rose or an aperol spritz) is an absolute must each time I'm there. It's also where I traditionally go for a Croque Madam to ease the first day jet lag.
I've noted restaurants mentioned for future reference on my next Paris sojourn, thank you very much!
Oct 6th, 2017 | 05:37 AM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
@RobertaL here is the link. If you also google "VRBO Rue Tournon" you can find the 2 and 3 bedroom separate options for the same apartment group as well! It was a great place...
https://www.vrbo.com/441707
Glad you all enjoyed the report (and Paris!)!
https://www.vrbo.com/441707
Glad you all enjoyed the report (and Paris!)!
