Saul and Chelsia: Over the Moon and Back: In Love in/with Paris

We finally fell in love with Paris!

Don’t get me wrong. We had always been impressed with the city. It had just never struck us as one of our absolute favorites. I never had that taken aback moment in the city until now. The feeling like you’re seeing something you had no idea existed for the first time.

The first time I went I was too young to really appreciate it. The second time (and first for Chelsia) we were only there for a short stay, which felt even shorter since we were at the end of a long tour of Europe. Last time we were there, we were under a lot of pressure to see all of the sites in a short period of time (standard pressures of a bus tour). We were able to hit a lot of the sites and museums last time we were there. Those are time-consuming activities, and on a short stay time consuming activities can limit your experience. Visiting a museum, going to the Louvre Museum to see the Mona Lisa for example, is an all day affair. Too many all day affairs in a short span doesn’t leave time to see the little things that make cities like Paris such wonderful places.

This time, there wasn’t any pressure to see all of the sites and Museums since we had covered a lot last time. Places like The Louvre are must see sights, and if you are going to Paris I suggest that you do visit the major museums and historical monuments. I’m just saying without the pressure to do so (if you are returning or have a longer stay), take some time to explore some of the less famous aspects of the city.

We still did a few touristy activities. We took a walking tour of the Montmartre district on our first night in Paris and a bike tour of the major sights of the city.

The Montmartre district is the area in the hills in the North of Paris where all of the famous artists used to live. We saw where Picasso and Van Gough lived during their time in Paris, and some of the bars and cabarets they used to frequent. We also saw a beautiful basilica commonly known as the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, which sits at the very top of the hill overlooking Paris. At the end of the tour, we took another stroll around the neighborhood and ate at an amazing local restaurant called Ou Pied du Sacre Coeur. It was a small place with a romantic ambience, and everyone in the restaurant was speaking French. They also had some great food!

On the bike tour, we visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, outside of The Louvre, Napoleon’s Tomb, and Love Lock Bridge. We took a break and had a nice lunch at the Rue Cler Market, and took a ride down the bank of the River Seine. The bike tour was a great way to get ourselves oriented with the city on our first morning there, and left us the entire afternoon and night to explore on our own. That night we took a stroll down Champs-Elysees to the seasonal Christmas Market. It seemed like a great place to go Christmas shopping and enjoy some good food and drinks. I had myself some hot-spiced wine and Chelsia had a gofre (waffle) with Nutella and cream. After the market we went to dinner at another local spot and had another fabulous meal.

On our final full day, we checked out of our hotel early, left our bags, and explored the city by foot and metro. We made a stop at Love Lock Bridge near the Notre Dame Cathedral to place our lock on the bridge and throw the key into the river. We also took a walk through Luxembourg Gardens and had another stop at the Eiffel Tower to marvel at it one last time. On the way back to the hotel to pick up our bags, we made a stop at the Arc de Triomphe to see it up close and take a rest on its foundation.

The highlight of the day was our food(ing). We had crepes from two different places for brunch, crème puffs, pastries from a bakery near the Eiffel Tower, and before leaving the city to go to our hotel for the night we grabbed some falafel in the Jewish/LGBT district at the most famous falafel house in Paris (Lenny Kravitz had eaten there, so it must be good… right?). Then we grabbed some macaroons at Pierre Herme and headed to our hotel.

I wouldn’t usually say anything about an airport hotel, but if you have to stay at an airport hotel and a CitizenM hotel is an option, I highly recommend it. It feels like a hotel of the future. Everything is automated, there are tablets in the room to control everything (the windows, TV, lighting, alarm, etc.), and all of their movies are free.

Overall, it was a great weekend trip. We had some amazing food. We did a lot of walking and got to know the metro system intimately. Best of all, we finally discovered a love for what we now know is an amazing city. It finally clicked. We got the feeling of being overwhelmed by the beauty of a place you are seeing in a different light. The sinking feeling you get when you realize the scope of something. It’s a rare feeling, and now we can associate it with what we now consider one of our favorite cities.

-S

Day 1