Our second trip to the 'City of Lights' was beautiful. Great weather, less crowded, and best of all it was during my favorite season: Fall.
There's something magical about autumn. Crisp air, vibrant leaves, and sweaters.
I adore everything about it.
Where better to be during my favorite season than in my favorite city?
First of all, I must justify my reasoning regarding Paris being my favorite city.
I am asked about this often!
People will argue the life out of me about the subject, as if I'll change my mind, but returning to Paris confirmed it.
I love it.
I can't describe it as anything other than magnetic.
Now believe it or not, I wasn't completely sold on Paris the first time around. I wanted to visit for it's historical value above anything else. But after leaving Paris the first time, I found myself wanting to return. And as weeks turned into months since my first visit, I felt the urge to return even more.
When you strongly feel the need to see someone again, it means you miss that person.
The same applies to cities.
This is how I know Paris is thee one.
So no, I didn't love Paris instantly. Definitely not love at first sight, but as time went on and I paid visits to other large (and small) cities within Europe, I knew I had found my favorite place.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
I firmly believe that the 'one time' visitors that hate this city didn't give it a chance from the get-go. When I hear someone tell me how much they loathe this place, what I really hear is "I decided not to read the book. I just looked at it's cover".
How sad for them.
Anyway, this time around we mostly visited places and landmarks that we didn't get the chance to see the first time around.
Knowing the flowers of autumn would be in bloom, I took advantage of gardens and outside attractions and landmarks.
We didn't wander much during our three day stay, but just enough to kill my feet.
I'll let the pictures show you around:
Montmarte:
For some strange reason, the area of Montmarte, where Sacre Coeur Basilica is located, was more crowded than the Eiffel Tower on this day.
We had plans to go inside of the basilica, but we changed them quickly...
Snapped a few pics in front of this beast of a church, and began walking down Rue de Steinkerque (what a funny name).
It was on the funny named street that I stumbled upon a shop that almost *almost* trumps Ladurée :
La Cure Gourmande.
You guys. Seriously, do not walk past this place without going inside.
La Cure Gourmande pretty much translates as The Gourmet Cure. Inside of this brightly colored shop is a paradise of sweets, treats, and beautiful tins.
Unlike Ladurée, you're not shuffled in and out within a single file line; you are free to roam and browse. You can touch and taste everything before you buy (although I must admit that we did get to pick out a few free cookies at Ladurée last year, but we couldn't try all flavors before buying).
At La Cure, sales folks happily walk around asking if you want to indulge in chocolate almonds, white chocolate fudge, or raspberry flavored biscuit cookies filled with vanilla cream. They encourage you to try anything before taking it up to the counter for purchase. I really appreciated that!
My favorite part about this cute little store is that you can buy pre-packaged tins full of goodies, or even better, you can grab an empty decorative tin (lots to choose from) and fill it at the little biscuit buffet yourself! The final price is based on weight, so go easy on the sweets.
I picked up a pre-packaged tin for €17 -ish (10% off that day) that contained strawberry flavor biscuits filled with dark chocolate. I only bought the pre-packaged tin because I loved that particular tin! I know, I know. They didn't have the same one available for DIY.
If you are in the market for some gourmet goodies from France that come in adorable packaging, hit up this place. They'd make perfect gifts for family back home if you are traveling or plan to send anything to relatives. You can't exactly send/bring back Ladurée macarons to friends and family (their shelf life is short at 3 days; 4 max), but La Cure goodies can keep for awhile!
Île de la Cité:
One of the Seine's small islands, which holds two of Paris's biggest attractions: Sainte- Chapelle Cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral. This island of Paris is considered the center of the city.
Yes, really.
In front of Notre Dame, there is a stone marker laid into the ground. It marks it's spot as "Kilometre Zero" and is the place where all French autoroutes are measured from; this being point zero.
Craziness.
I didn't manage to get a photo of it this visit, but I also didn't manage to get inside of the cathedral this time around, once again!
We came to Île de la Cité to see if the queue for either cathedral was tolerable, and go figure, they weren't.
I didn't want to wait in line wasting a sunny afternoon in Paris, so we walked around for a bit instead.
We had a wonderful time touring this city the second time around. I do wish I had stayed longer than three days, but someone's gotta pay the bills.
If anything, visiting cities in what I call "snippets" is good for the soul. Just long enough to keep you wanting more without that feeling of wanting to go home to your own bed. No overkill.
You'll find me in France again soon. Planning on a country tour in April, but we're not quite certain about the details just yet. Even if just one city in France, me thinks I would be satisfied.
**We did visit the Musee du Louvre, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Saint-Denis Basilica, and Chateau de Fontainebleau on this trip, too! All of which are found in posts of their own. Locate them in my archives. Fontainebleau is still pending publishing until the end of October.
There's something magical about autumn. Crisp air, vibrant leaves, and sweaters.
I adore everything about it.
Where better to be during my favorite season than in my favorite city?
First of all, I must justify my reasoning regarding Paris being my favorite city.
I am asked about this often!
People will argue the life out of me about the subject, as if I'll change my mind, but returning to Paris confirmed it.
I love it.
I can't describe it as anything other than magnetic.
Now believe it or not, I wasn't completely sold on Paris the first time around. I wanted to visit for it's historical value above anything else. But after leaving Paris the first time, I found myself wanting to return. And as weeks turned into months since my first visit, I felt the urge to return even more.
When you strongly feel the need to see someone again, it means you miss that person.
The same applies to cities.
This is how I know Paris is thee one.
So no, I didn't love Paris instantly. Definitely not love at first sight, but as time went on and I paid visits to other large (and small) cities within Europe, I knew I had found my favorite place.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
I firmly believe that the 'one time' visitors that hate this city didn't give it a chance from the get-go. When I hear someone tell me how much they loathe this place, what I really hear is "I decided not to read the book. I just looked at it's cover".
How sad for them.
Anyway, this time around we mostly visited places and landmarks that we didn't get the chance to see the first time around.
Knowing the flowers of autumn would be in bloom, I took advantage of gardens and outside attractions and landmarks.
We didn't wander much during our three day stay, but just enough to kill my feet.
I'll let the pictures show you around:
Montmarte:
For some strange reason, the area of Montmarte, where Sacre Coeur Basilica is located, was more crowded than the Eiffel Tower on this day.
We had plans to go inside of the basilica, but we changed them quickly...
Snapped a few pics in front of this beast of a church, and began walking down Rue de Steinkerque (what a funny name).
It was on the funny named street that I stumbled upon a shop that almost *almost* trumps Ladurée :
La Cure Gourmande.
You guys. Seriously, do not walk past this place without going inside.
La Cure Gourmande pretty much translates as The Gourmet Cure. Inside of this brightly colored shop is a paradise of sweets, treats, and beautiful tins.
Unlike Ladurée, you're not shuffled in and out within a single file line; you are free to roam and browse. You can touch and taste everything before you buy (although I must admit that we did get to pick out a few free cookies at Ladurée last year, but we couldn't try all flavors before buying).
At La Cure, sales folks happily walk around asking if you want to indulge in chocolate almonds, white chocolate fudge, or raspberry flavored biscuit cookies filled with vanilla cream. They encourage you to try anything before taking it up to the counter for purchase. I really appreciated that!
My favorite part about this cute little store is that you can buy pre-packaged tins full of goodies, or even better, you can grab an empty decorative tin (lots to choose from) and fill it at the little biscuit buffet yourself! The final price is based on weight, so go easy on the sweets.
I picked up a pre-packaged tin for €17 -ish (10% off that day) that contained strawberry flavor biscuits filled with dark chocolate. I only bought the pre-packaged tin because I loved that particular tin! I know, I know. They didn't have the same one available for DIY.
If you are in the market for some gourmet goodies from France that come in adorable packaging, hit up this place. They'd make perfect gifts for family back home if you are traveling or plan to send anything to relatives. You can't exactly send/bring back Ladurée macarons to friends and family (their shelf life is short at 3 days; 4 max), but La Cure goodies can keep for awhile!
 |
| The cookie biscuit inside of a pre-packaged tin are tightly sealed in a plastic box within. I didn't open them until I returned home because I wanted to enjoy them over time. The were fresh as heck, I promise. |
Île de la Cité:
One of the Seine's small islands, which holds two of Paris's biggest attractions: Sainte- Chapelle Cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral. This island of Paris is considered the center of the city.
Yes, really.
In front of Notre Dame, there is a stone marker laid into the ground. It marks it's spot as "Kilometre Zero" and is the place where all French autoroutes are measured from; this being point zero.
Craziness.
I didn't manage to get a photo of it this visit, but I also didn't manage to get inside of the cathedral this time around, once again!
We came to Île de la Cité to see if the queue for either cathedral was tolerable, and go figure, they weren't.
I didn't want to wait in line wasting a sunny afternoon in Paris, so we walked around for a bit instead.
 |
| Side of Sainte-Chapelle which is attached to Palais de Justice. |
 |
| Check out those flying buttresses! One of a kind, for sure. *East side of Notre Dame. |
In the spirit of fabulous weather, we also visited The Luxembourg Garden.
The garden sits behind Luxembourg Palace and is nothing short of a glorious park setting.
A large fountain harbors tiny sailboats, which kids and adults can rent to play with.
Chairs and benches are scattered throughout the area, inviting visitors to sit for a bit and rest their weary feet (which is what I did).
Also, one of Paris's most famous fountains is located in the garden: The Medici Fountain.
6th Arr:
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| The Medici Fountain |
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| The Pantheon seen in the distance. |
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| Rear of Palais de Luxembourg |
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| Oh hey. Yes, I cut my hair a few weeks ago. My face looks tired, but you should have seen my feet... |
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| Beautiful dinner plate dahlias everywhere! |
The following day we spent time at Chateau de Fontainebleau, however I'm working on a separate post about that... I've been a busy bee; balancing family stuff, French tutoring, photography, work, writing, among many other things.
Ahh! I'll post it by October's end.
Hopefully.
But after our chateau visit out of Paris, we came back to the city and somehow got sucked into places we had visited before.
I was okay with it, though.
 |
| We finally made the underground crawl to the Arc de Triomphe. Every evening, they hold a ceremony for the tomb of the unknown soldier. This is what was happening below. |
No visit to Paris feels complete without seeing the 'Iron Lady' at least once, so we managed to mosey on over, retracing our steps from last year.
It's really neat to see something again, but at a different season. With the leaves still clinging on to the trees this time around, the landscape was certainly a contrast from last year's winter visit.
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| Not a planned photo! If it were, my daughter wouldn't have my purse on, nor would my other daughter have her jacket tied around her waist. Just great timing is all. |
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| The Seine nearing sunset. I think I stood in this same spot before and captured almost the same photo before. |
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| We didn't get a gushy photo op at Eiffel last time, but it happened this time! |
With the night quickly falling, we walked to the carousel nearest the base of Eiffel and let the kiddies take a whirl.
They enjoyed it just as much as the first time they rode it, last year.
Grabbed some dinner around the corner afterward, and headed back to Eiffel.
I have never had the opportunity to see it up close while it sparkled (bad timing before; the Eiffel only glitters at the top of the hour, in the evening hours), so I thought "Why not?" since we were in the vicinity this time around.
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| Midnight snack in le apartment. Champagne from Champagne, France. Fresh French blue cheese and a warm crusty baguette to pair it with. YUM! |
The best part about a great mini get-away is always ending it on a good note. When we woke up the morning of our departure, the sunrise was beautiful. I couldn't help but snap some pics.
We had a wonderful time touring this city the second time around. I do wish I had stayed longer than three days, but someone's gotta pay the bills.
If anything, visiting cities in what I call "snippets" is good for the soul. Just long enough to keep you wanting more without that feeling of wanting to go home to your own bed. No overkill.
You'll find me in France again soon. Planning on a country tour in April, but we're not quite certain about the details just yet. Even if just one city in France, me thinks I would be satisfied.
**We did visit the Musee du Louvre, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Saint-Denis Basilica, and Chateau de Fontainebleau on this trip, too! All of which are found in posts of their own. Locate them in my archives. Fontainebleau is still pending publishing until the end of October.
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