"Il n’y a que deux endroits au monde où l’on puisse vivre heureux: chez soi et à Paris."
(There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.)
Another quote I like is from the movie Sabrina, "Paris is always a good idea."
Ahh, Paris. Its called the City of Love and the City of Lights. Its also the most visited city in the world. Alex and I knew Brian and Meghan had to see this magical place while they were on their first European voyage so, lucky for all of us, we just had to hop in the car.
Since Alex and I had both been to Paris while in college, we knew a little of what to expect on our trip. We decided to rent an apartment for the weekend in the cute neighborhood of Montmarte, in the 18th arrondissement, near the Sacre Coeur. (We found the apartment on Airbnb and I highly recommend it!)
Here's are some of the things we did and saw...
First, we visited the Sacre Coeur, which means Sacred Heart in French, and the surrounding area of Montmarte.
The Sacre Coeur
The view from the top!
It was here that Brian and Meghan caught their very first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower :)
That evening, we had dinner at Le Grand Colbert, from Something's Gotta Give, starring Jack Nicholson. Friends recommended this restaurant to us and it was delicious!
Le Grand Colbert
One of our favorite finds of the weekend was a precious neighborhood restaurant in Montmarte called Coquelicot (coquelicot means "poppy" in French). We stumbled upon it and the cute bakery / breakfast spot caught our eye. There were no tourists in the entire place, which was a good sign, and the pastries in the front counter drew us in. In addition to the pastries, Coquelicot served fresh bread, homemade jam and amazing coffee in big bowls. We proceeded to go back two more times in two more days :) They even packaged us up a jar of of their delicious jam for us to take with us. Love.
The coffee bowls :)
Yummy!
We are full and happy and sure to return to Coquelicot
Notre Dame cathedral was next on the itinerary. We visited the inside and also climbed the 400 steep steps to the top to get a special photo.
If you've ever been to my house, you know that I love old black and white photos. Alex and I have this black and white photo print from the 1950's hanging in our living room...
Alex had the great idea to find this location in Paris and copy the photo with us in it, eventually hanging the pictures side by side. The problem was, we initially didn't know where in Paris the photo was taken. Even our Parisian friend, Bertrand, didn't know exactly where this lovely shot was staged. To our surprise, when we arrived in Paris, we saw a postcard of the photo with "Notre Dame" written on the back. So, the hour and a half line and 400 steep steps were worth the effort to get this special shot...
With a little photoshop to erase the protective "cage" around us, this photo will hopefully look a lot like a modern day version of the original above. So excited!!
Pause for a sunscreen application for the pale one. Thanks, sweet, Alex...
After all that climbing, a snack was absolutely neccessary so the four of us made our way to the Ile St. Louis. This small island is beside the Isle de la Cite, where the Notre Dame is located, and is known for its gelato and ice cream shops. Rick Steve's travel book mentions this one...Amorino.
Rick Steves was right.
In order for us to see the most of Paris, I chose a restaurant in the neighborhood of Marias (4th arrondissement) for our last dinner. Les Bonnes Soeurs, which means "the good sisters" in French was delightful. We were seated literally in the window, which was totally open on the lovely evening. Our waiter was fabulous and the food lived up to every expectation we had.
Les Bonnes Soeurs
We saved the best for last and saw the Eiffel Tower on the last day. Nothing says Paris quite like the Eiffel Tower. It will always be romantic, no matter how many times you see it. I'm happy to have finally experienced this landmark and the city of love with my husband :)
Love until next time...Melanie
Loves it! Lets do it again ;-)
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