No Reservations...our laidback Paris Christmas
Dec 30th, 2016, 03:19 AM
#21
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OK - a link to some of the first day photos. These are mostly the Ice Lounge and other decorations at George V hotel.
https://goo.gl/photos/zg9F7sMbP4gskR6r9
https://goo.gl/photos/zg9F7sMbP4gskR6r9
Dec 30th, 2016, 03:31 AM
#22
lovely pics, denise - better than the ones on the Georges V's own website!
as for when the ice-bar closes, the website says that it's open until Marh, but whether that is the beginning or end of March it doesn't say; perhaps that depends soon how cold the weather is.
as for when the ice-bar closes, the website says that it's open until Marh, but whether that is the beginning or end of March it doesn't say; perhaps that depends soon how cold the weather is.
Dec 30th, 2016, 04:05 AM
#23
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I've never used a mifi device, so maybe I'm missing something, but I don't know what could be easier than using the wifi hotspot on your phone, unless maybe renting the device online is easier than buying a SIM card.
You can connect as many devices as you like, but using all of them simultaneously would degrade the service, in both cases.
I have a fairly expensive tablet, but I saved €100 on it by getting the wifi-only model, and connecting it to my phone's wifi hotspot when necessary. (It also saves the monthly cost of a different data plan for the the tablet.)
You can connect as many devices as you like, but using all of them simultaneously would degrade the service, in both cases.
I have a fairly expensive tablet, but I saved €100 on it by getting the wifi-only model, and connecting it to my phone's wifi hotspot when necessary. (It also saves the monthly cost of a different data plan for the the tablet.)
Dec 30th, 2016, 04:20 AM
#25
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Thanks, annhig. Not sure where I got early January!!! It's good that it is open for several months, as it is well done, so it might as well be open for a while.
Yes, TPAYT--they have a huge kettle of mulled wine at the entrance of the Ice Lounge. They also serve hot chocolate (think it comes from the bar). In afternoon, the make crepes and the night we were there they were also serving a cheese fondue with baby potatoes that was tasty.
Yes, TPAYT--they have a huge kettle of mulled wine at the entrance of the Ice Lounge. They also serve hot chocolate (think it comes from the bar). In afternoon, the make crepes and the night we were there they were also serving a cheese fondue with baby potatoes that was tasty.
Dec 30th, 2016, 07:35 AM
#28
Dec 30th, 2016, 07:39 AM
#29
<i>TPAYT - the Ice Lounge closes up in early January, I think.</i>
There has been a permanent ice bar in Paris for at least 5 years, if anybody is looking for such a thing.
http://www.kubehotel-paris.com/en/pa...ube-bar.6.html
You are provided with more than enough vodka during a 25 minute session for 26 euros.
There has been a permanent ice bar in Paris for at least 5 years, if anybody is looking for such a thing.
http://www.kubehotel-paris.com/en/pa...ube-bar.6.html
You are provided with more than enough vodka during a 25 minute session for 26 euros.
Dec 30th, 2016, 08:28 AM
#31
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hey Weekender, have considered that hotel in the past, so interested in your impression of that hotel when you go. We have walked past it 100 times.
annhig..the tote I got is a version of the Le Pliage tote. Nylon with a zip top and leather handles (I think it is leather). The handles are usually brown but I got a variation with a more substantial zipper and black leather handles. If you are not using it, it folds up quite small...good to take along when you think you might need more room later. A link below to the traditional tote. Will try to remember to snap a photo of the one I got and post it at some point.
http://us.longchamp.com/pliage/product/3007
annhig..the tote I got is a version of the Le Pliage tote. Nylon with a zip top and leather handles (I think it is leather). The handles are usually brown but I got a variation with a more substantial zipper and black leather handles. If you are not using it, it folds up quite small...good to take along when you think you might need more room later. A link below to the traditional tote. Will try to remember to snap a photo of the one I got and post it at some point.
http://us.longchamp.com/pliage/product/3007
Dec 30th, 2016, 08:34 AM
#32
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Posted too soon, annhig... here is the link to the tote I got:
http://us.longchamp.com/pliage/product/3022
http://us.longchamp.com/pliage/product/3022
Dec 30th, 2016, 09:25 AM
#33
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Thursday, December 22, 2016 – Day 2
Uh, we slept until 10:30am. Well, correction…I did. Chaz finally told me what time it was and I was shocked! I really wanted my familiar petit dejeuner at Le Bonaparte. We got moving pretty quickly and headed over. While our favorite waiter from last trip was no longer there, we took our favorite table and ordered our favorite breakfast. Mine: a buttered tartine, croissant and yogurt (love the yogurt in Europe) with a cafe creme and fresh squeezed OJ. His: the English breakfast (ham, two eggs over easy and a little buckwheat pancake and a lot of espresso).
{Here is a question…they never gave me a full size napkin with the above-described meal. Only little cocktail napkins that came on the plate with the food on top of it. Chaz always got a big napkin with his silverware. Also, when we got a pain au chocolat, no full size napkin, just a cocktail napkin with the pastry sitting on top of it. I want to put a napkin in my lap when I eat (or risk getting in trouble with my mother)! Anyone know why you only get a full size napkin with a “knife and fork” meal? Sorry for the digression and back to day 2, already in progress.}
Next, the ATM. I always hold my breath at the ATM...not sure why but I have an irrational fear of not being able to get any cash while out of the country. No problem and then to the Metro station to buy a carnet of tickets and off to Les Halles. It was like standing in a wind tunnel to buy the tickets but the kiosks are easy to use. Throughout the trip, we got so lucky that as we would walk onto the platform, the train would appear about 80% of the time. We hardly waited at all, which is nice. As we got on the train, there was a man with a trumpet playing Adagio in G minor. I couldn’t believe it, A few years ago there was a group of men in the Concorde station playing it and it was so beautiful and slightly haunting to hear that in a Metro station. It kinda seemed like a sign of a good day in Paris!
One place we had not been previously was St-Eustache. We decided to combine it with a few laps through Dehillerin. We first walked through the neighborhood market and I always enjoy how gorgeous the food is in the Paris markets. I wish we had more markets like this at home. Gosh, even the lettuce bunches are beautiful!
St. Eustache had some scaffolding up and the entrance is easy to miss. The church itself is lovely. Dehillerin, the cookware mecca is kind of amazing and kind of intimidating...but they do have everything. There was a huge food mill that I was a little obsessed with but did not buy because no home cook needs a gigantic food mill! We walked past Au Pied du Cochon and then the stock exchange building and back to the Metro station in the mall. I have to laugh that a mall that is now located where Les Halles market used to be and is sadly like any American mall complete with a pretzel place, movie theater, and a Chipotle. I thought McDonald's going up all over were bad but now Chipotle has invaded Paris, as well. Glad we were not there for the mall and off we went to rue Cambon and a visit to Chanel.
I was asked to open my purse upon entry and gladly obliged. I love the original boutique and was looking for earrings this trip. As always, the staff at Chanel is wonderful. I shared the counter with another woman on the hunt for earrings and we seemed to like the same ones but it was fun. I love what I got as they well go with some of the items I purchased on previous trips. I know I will wear these a lot. We took a look at all the other things in the boutique and walked over to see the famous mirrored staircase that leads up to Coco’s legendary apartment. They are always kind to let us look and take pictures but we never get a look at the apartment!
Our next destination was down rue Saint Honore and on to the new Baccarat store. We looked for champagne coupes on our last trip but they were sold out of what we wanted. This is a great shopping street! We took a look at Place Vendome, as well, but nothing was lit up during the day. We resisted the temptation to take a peek in The Ritz. We had reservations on Christmas day and decided to wait.
Once we got to Faubourg St Honore, we noticed that the streets were decorated with Baccarat chandeliers hanging over the street. Only in Paris! The windows are really festive and the shopping is high end!! We finally made it to the new Baccarat store. The one we had always visited across from the Madeleine church closed to make way for a hotel. The new one is nice but much smaller. This year they are showcasing a beautiful midnight blue and the displays of clear and blue crystal look so gorgeous. We asked to see the two coupe styles we were interested in. We ended up choosing a pattern, unlike the one we were originally interested in. (Maybe it is good that it was sold out when we were last here). Well, at Chanel they accepted a copy of our passport for the tax refund. Here…no…they insisted that it had to be scanned in a reader. They did tell us we could return and they would just credit and then complete a new sale with the passport. (I have bad luck with this but I do not like being out and about with my passport). Whatever. We were happy with our new coupes and decided to head to rue Royale, then across the river to Café Varenne for a late lunch.
Having the personal wi-fi made getting to Café Varenne a snap with walking directions by phone. This is another spot that we really love and I love the area. I also had an ulterior motive other than the warm goat cheese salad. We got a table and some Rose wine and I got my salad…so good with a fresh vinaigrette, goat cheese wrapped in phyllo, tomatoes, and haricot vert. Chaz got a rumsteak special with roasted potatoes. Both were really good and we left happy and were about to get even happier.
One of the things I had to do on this trip was visiting Chocolat Chapon. Somehow I heard about this place and they actually have a chocolate mousse bar. And even better, they sell the mousse in little paper cones. And that was my ulterior motive…chocolate mousse for desert. We chose the version with chocolate from Equador and it was to die for. Somehow, even with my love for dessert and chocolate, I had never had chocolate mousse in Paris. This was a great way to right that wrong. Both of us were wishing we had gotten a larger size! Light, creamy, not too bitter…a bit of heaven in a paper cone. I love Paris.
We worked our way back to clean up and rest a little bit.
We had been told to try out Freddy’s Wine bar on our trip (thanks, weekender) and so we walked over. We weren’t sure if we would just have a glass of wine and go somewhere else for dinner. We would just see how we liked it. This place is right next to Semilla and is very warm and inviting. We got a Champagne rec from one of the ladies at the bar. The kitchen is right in the center and we could watch 2 men cooking in the kitchen…a great spot to watch the action. After a few glasses of Champs with olives, we ordered some coppa that was served with cornichons and pickled onions. Really great! The staff is super friendly and we enjoyed chatting with them. One asked if we are English - which is hysterical to me! Chaz just has a typical American accent but I am Southern and can't hide that. No one has ever thought I am English.
We also decided to try the fish, no chips dish. It was light (even though fried) and served with a black mayonnaise. We also tried a Chenin Blanc and a Bordeaux. This place really filled up and was buzzing when we left. The staff is helpful and fun. We made plans to go back when one of the servers told us they would re-open the day after Christmas.
We were not ready to turn in and hit Amorino for some gelato. There’s another item off the list of things we had not gotten to in Paris on previous trips. It was very good. I am not sure that I think it is better than Berthillon ice cream but you would be splitting hairs to find fault with either. I had salted caramel and banana gelato. Chaz got Amarena, caramel, chocolate, hazelnut and stracciatella. I do love the way they shape the gelato into a flower…even with 5 different flavors.
We had a fabulous day and we ate a lot of great food which is really our primary goal! So happy to have found Freddy’s and we earned all that great food with 18,257 steps across Paris!
Photos from Day 2:
https://goo.gl/photos/7giWLbskCRUUfiGa8
Uh, we slept until 10:30am. Well, correction…I did. Chaz finally told me what time it was and I was shocked! I really wanted my familiar petit dejeuner at Le Bonaparte. We got moving pretty quickly and headed over. While our favorite waiter from last trip was no longer there, we took our favorite table and ordered our favorite breakfast. Mine: a buttered tartine, croissant and yogurt (love the yogurt in Europe) with a cafe creme and fresh squeezed OJ. His: the English breakfast (ham, two eggs over easy and a little buckwheat pancake and a lot of espresso).
{Here is a question…they never gave me a full size napkin with the above-described meal. Only little cocktail napkins that came on the plate with the food on top of it. Chaz always got a big napkin with his silverware. Also, when we got a pain au chocolat, no full size napkin, just a cocktail napkin with the pastry sitting on top of it. I want to put a napkin in my lap when I eat (or risk getting in trouble with my mother)! Anyone know why you only get a full size napkin with a “knife and fork” meal? Sorry for the digression and back to day 2, already in progress.}
Next, the ATM. I always hold my breath at the ATM...not sure why but I have an irrational fear of not being able to get any cash while out of the country. No problem and then to the Metro station to buy a carnet of tickets and off to Les Halles. It was like standing in a wind tunnel to buy the tickets but the kiosks are easy to use. Throughout the trip, we got so lucky that as we would walk onto the platform, the train would appear about 80% of the time. We hardly waited at all, which is nice. As we got on the train, there was a man with a trumpet playing Adagio in G minor. I couldn’t believe it, A few years ago there was a group of men in the Concorde station playing it and it was so beautiful and slightly haunting to hear that in a Metro station. It kinda seemed like a sign of a good day in Paris!
One place we had not been previously was St-Eustache. We decided to combine it with a few laps through Dehillerin. We first walked through the neighborhood market and I always enjoy how gorgeous the food is in the Paris markets. I wish we had more markets like this at home. Gosh, even the lettuce bunches are beautiful!
St. Eustache had some scaffolding up and the entrance is easy to miss. The church itself is lovely. Dehillerin, the cookware mecca is kind of amazing and kind of intimidating...but they do have everything. There was a huge food mill that I was a little obsessed with but did not buy because no home cook needs a gigantic food mill! We walked past Au Pied du Cochon and then the stock exchange building and back to the Metro station in the mall. I have to laugh that a mall that is now located where Les Halles market used to be and is sadly like any American mall complete with a pretzel place, movie theater, and a Chipotle. I thought McDonald's going up all over were bad but now Chipotle has invaded Paris, as well. Glad we were not there for the mall and off we went to rue Cambon and a visit to Chanel.
I was asked to open my purse upon entry and gladly obliged. I love the original boutique and was looking for earrings this trip. As always, the staff at Chanel is wonderful. I shared the counter with another woman on the hunt for earrings and we seemed to like the same ones but it was fun. I love what I got as they well go with some of the items I purchased on previous trips. I know I will wear these a lot. We took a look at all the other things in the boutique and walked over to see the famous mirrored staircase that leads up to Coco’s legendary apartment. They are always kind to let us look and take pictures but we never get a look at the apartment!
Our next destination was down rue Saint Honore and on to the new Baccarat store. We looked for champagne coupes on our last trip but they were sold out of what we wanted. This is a great shopping street! We took a look at Place Vendome, as well, but nothing was lit up during the day. We resisted the temptation to take a peek in The Ritz. We had reservations on Christmas day and decided to wait.
Once we got to Faubourg St Honore, we noticed that the streets were decorated with Baccarat chandeliers hanging over the street. Only in Paris! The windows are really festive and the shopping is high end!! We finally made it to the new Baccarat store. The one we had always visited across from the Madeleine church closed to make way for a hotel. The new one is nice but much smaller. This year they are showcasing a beautiful midnight blue and the displays of clear and blue crystal look so gorgeous. We asked to see the two coupe styles we were interested in. We ended up choosing a pattern, unlike the one we were originally interested in. (Maybe it is good that it was sold out when we were last here). Well, at Chanel they accepted a copy of our passport for the tax refund. Here…no…they insisted that it had to be scanned in a reader. They did tell us we could return and they would just credit and then complete a new sale with the passport. (I have bad luck with this but I do not like being out and about with my passport). Whatever. We were happy with our new coupes and decided to head to rue Royale, then across the river to Café Varenne for a late lunch.
Having the personal wi-fi made getting to Café Varenne a snap with walking directions by phone. This is another spot that we really love and I love the area. I also had an ulterior motive other than the warm goat cheese salad. We got a table and some Rose wine and I got my salad…so good with a fresh vinaigrette, goat cheese wrapped in phyllo, tomatoes, and haricot vert. Chaz got a rumsteak special with roasted potatoes. Both were really good and we left happy and were about to get even happier.
One of the things I had to do on this trip was visiting Chocolat Chapon. Somehow I heard about this place and they actually have a chocolate mousse bar. And even better, they sell the mousse in little paper cones. And that was my ulterior motive…chocolate mousse for desert. We chose the version with chocolate from Equador and it was to die for. Somehow, even with my love for dessert and chocolate, I had never had chocolate mousse in Paris. This was a great way to right that wrong. Both of us were wishing we had gotten a larger size! Light, creamy, not too bitter…a bit of heaven in a paper cone. I love Paris.
We worked our way back to clean up and rest a little bit.
We had been told to try out Freddy’s Wine bar on our trip (thanks, weekender) and so we walked over. We weren’t sure if we would just have a glass of wine and go somewhere else for dinner. We would just see how we liked it. This place is right next to Semilla and is very warm and inviting. We got a Champagne rec from one of the ladies at the bar. The kitchen is right in the center and we could watch 2 men cooking in the kitchen…a great spot to watch the action. After a few glasses of Champs with olives, we ordered some coppa that was served with cornichons and pickled onions. Really great! The staff is super friendly and we enjoyed chatting with them. One asked if we are English - which is hysterical to me! Chaz just has a typical American accent but I am Southern and can't hide that. No one has ever thought I am English.
We also decided to try the fish, no chips dish. It was light (even though fried) and served with a black mayonnaise. We also tried a Chenin Blanc and a Bordeaux. This place really filled up and was buzzing when we left. The staff is helpful and fun. We made plans to go back when one of the servers told us they would re-open the day after Christmas. We were not ready to turn in and hit Amorino for some gelato. There’s another item off the list of things we had not gotten to in Paris on previous trips. It was very good. I am not sure that I think it is better than Berthillon ice cream but you would be splitting hairs to find fault with either. I had salted caramel and banana gelato. Chaz got Amarena, caramel, chocolate, hazelnut and stracciatella. I do love the way they shape the gelato into a flower…even with 5 different flavors.
We had a fabulous day and we ate a lot of great food which is really our primary goal! So happy to have found Freddy’s and we earned all that great food with 18,257 steps across Paris!
Photos from Day 2:
https://goo.gl/photos/7giWLbskCRUUfiGa8
Dec 30th, 2016, 01:45 PM
#37
Sounds like another wonderful day. Adagio in G minor is one of my favorites...by anyone, even on the Metro. In Sept. we heard it played by a Mozart Orchestra in Vienna, outstanding for sure.
All that shopping, eating, & wine sounds like my kind of day. I definitely will put Chocolate Chapon on my list for next time.
All that shopping, eating, & wine sounds like my kind of day. I definitely will put Chocolate Chapon on my list for next time.
Dec 30th, 2016, 03:43 PM
#39
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Denise - What a wonderful trip the two of you had. Thanks for sharing the trip report and pictures.
BTW, do you still have the Pineider coin purse that you purchased in Rome in 2012? We were in Rome at the same time as you and I really enjoyed shopping at Pineider!
BTW, do you still have the Pineider coin purse that you purchased in Rome in 2012? We were in Rome at the same time as you and I really enjoyed shopping at Pineider!
Dec 30th, 2016, 05:02 PM
#40
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Loving the report and the pics!
After 1 or 2 mishaps with ATMs in the past, I totally get the sigh of relief. Whenever I'm in Paris with my sis, we almost high five each other like we won money from a slot machine.
After 1 or 2 mishaps with ATMs in the past, I totally get the sigh of relief. Whenever I'm in Paris with my sis, we almost high five each other like we won money from a slot machine.
