After the two day trip to Stockholm (and all the crazy adventures of it), Frederick and I were on a plane to PARIS! I was so excited to finally be able to go to the city of my dreams!! Out of all the places I have been, I can honestly say that Paris is my favorite. It just has so much charm– cute little shops, BAKERIES, cafés, breathtaking architecture… I suddenly wished that I could live here… speak French, get espressos, and chat away my day wearing nothing but black.
DAY 1: Flew into Paris, took the metro to Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th arrondissement) and checked into Hotel Belloy Saint-Germain only to find out that we made reservations starting the day after (all the airport mishap and the lack of sleep got our days mixed up). However, a super nice front desk guy let us add a day and we were on our merry way upstairs to our little but oh, so cozy room. Naps are so great after not being able to sleep for more than 24 hours!
Later that day, Frederick and I explored St. Germain– espressos and eclairs at Maison Pradier (bakery)– so good! Little did I know that St. Germain is a few minutes walk to Notre Dame. OMG! Notre Dame was so beautiful! Also, we saw a guy feeding little birds off the hand so when I came closer he gave me a little piece of bread and told me to hold still… within a second, little birds were sitting on my hand and swirling around nibbling on bread! Such a beautiful moment.
I think it is a norm that it pretty much always rains where ever I go, so Paris was no different– it was rainy! However, it gave a sense of home to me. It was so relaxing to sit down and watch people pass by, talk… it almost gave me a feel that I could understand everything they were chatting about, yet I didn’t.
DAY 2: I woke up with an idea- I WANT SHORT HAIR! So, Frederick looked up a few best in Paris hair salons and off we were on an adventure to get my hair done + explore/eat pastries. We found a salon called DADZIBAO. I walked in and said that I wanted my hair cut showing a photo on my phone of Anne Hathaway’s pixie cut– only I wanted the back to be longer for easier management when it grows out. Fifteen minutes later– I had a semi-pixie cut… The Parisian stylist told me that it was a very French haircut! It made my day! People in Paris are so nice!
After the hair cut adventure, we sat down at the nearest café to relax– I got an amazing fresh mint tea! We continued to our next exploration spot– the Louvre. It was so amazing to see the intricate architecture of the old museum with the modern shape of glass pyramid next to it.
Windows in Paris are so pretty! So romantic.
DAY 3: It began with looking for comfy shoes. Haha… of all of the things we could be doing in the early morning in Paris. After that was over, we were on our way to the Eiffel Tower (of course had to make a stop at the bakery and get our coffee/pastry fix). Also, something funny– we figured what “PAIN” meant- bread in French.
BREATHTAKING! I was finally here at the Eiffel Tower and notice– it was a sunny day! I also felt like that I was wearing something cute rather than having my NorthFace jacket on…what was I thinking when I was packing?
Tip: Comfort does not matter (except shoes)… I would say bring anything black or with a fun print not the oh so comfy NorthFace jacket… it does not match with anything.
After the Eiffel Tower, Frederick and I went to this super cute place called “Le Petit Cler“. We got some drinks and duck liver pate (foie gras de canard). This is how we ate for the whole time we were in Paris– baguettes, cheese, pate, pastries, espressos… And guess what? I have never felt better! YUM!
Before our trip to Paris, we got a chance to see an episode of Anthony Bourdain in Paris. He recommended this bakery “Du Pain Et Des Idees” and we found it! It was delicious!
Canal Saint Martin, Place de la République
The final destination as recommended by Anthony Bourdain was the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Hands down the best bookstore I have ever been to. It has so many little nooks with chairs, pianos, couches… it is filled with notes from people all over the world… a perfect spot to read, write, think about life, or like this gal is doing here- take a nap! It is a writer’s heaven… it sure felt like this for me!
Paris has definitely left a warm feeling in my heart. It is like a dream that is so pleasant that makes you smile every time you think of it. To this day, I find myself listening to music in French (one of my favorites Cœur de Pirate), dreaming of learning French, and getting baguette with cheese once in a while… okay more than once in a while…
Paris, je t’aime!!
O