Paris Getaway

We arrived mid-morning in Paris at our beautiful hotel Le Meurice. Although we were tired upon our arrival, we were full of adrenaline and excited to join our “skip the line” tour of the stunning Louvre museum (home of DaVinci’s Mona Lisa and many more treasures). Exhaustion began to set in, so we headed back to our room through the Tuileries Gardens, admiring the families launching little sailboats in the fountain. After a nap, we enjoyed the views from our balcony perched above the gardens, and a birds eye view of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower in the distance...sipping the champagne they welcomed us with and chocolate of course. Am i alive? Is this real!?

Dinner at Kong was fabulous! The cocktails, Asian Fusion food, and service were perfect! You will love dining on the rooftop beneath the glass dome. Great scene, do not miss. LOVED!!!

We wanted to take a tour of Paris, and we were hoping for a sustainable option. Our luxury electric tour with Golf Cart in Paris (formerly tuktuk in Paris, now Golf Cart in Paris, https://www.golfcartinparis.com/en/. Our incredibly knowledgeable (bilingual) Parisian driver and guide, Brice, knew where to go and patiently waited while we took in so many sites. Like the Sacré-Cœur in the beautiful hilltop area of Montmartre, Notre-Dame (still closed for post-fire reno’ but lovely to view from outside) and the Arc du Triumph.

Brice knew where to stop for on-the-go coffee, pastries, and the most delicious hot sandwich we’ve ever had. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we could never decide jacket on or off. Note, you could also take this cart in the rain with the clear, zip-up cover. It was easy to hop on and off for quick looks and visits—like the shrine to Princess Diana and the tomb of Jim Morrison in the most beautiful cemetery I've ever seen. I don’t think I’d take a long tour any other way..ask for Brice!! He was so kind, patient, passionate, and knowledgeable of Parisian history and culture.

Manko for dinner, upscale Peruvian cuisine. We were notified our reservation was canceled via text because we apparently had not called to confirm, although I did!! I left a message in English, so I guess someone had decided to disregard it. Could this be the attitude people warned we would experince in Paris? Perhaps, but we had the most wonderful encounters with Parisians! Our helpful concierge called Manko and figured it out. Our dinner experience was so-so, but our lounge experience after was a blast!!! We enjoyed the lounge and DJ, great cocktails, and better service in the bar. 

We spent Wednesday exploring the city on foot and were fine with the steady drizzle, as we were moving slowly. It just fit the day! Umbrella in hand, we started with Le Marais, known for its cool boutiques and perfumeries. I picked up a French copy of "Madeleine," my favorite children's book, and got lost in Librairie Galignani’s endless shelves. I’m glad we ventured down a quiet street, where I found a beautiful vase and visited Birdy, a bohemian jewelry boutique. I also discovered my new fragrance, Nice Bergamote, at Essential Perfumes. Every scent was stunning, and they even offered a sample pack of their entire line: https://www.essentialparfums.com/en/.

We spent the day at sidewalk cafes, enjoying champagne, bread, cheese, and coffee at a leisurely pace. We hoped to try the famous hot chocolate from Angelina near our hotel by late afternoon but found a long line. We didn't have time to wait due to our dinner reservations, but never fear, Francois came to our rescue! Twenty minutes later, two steaming hot chocolates were delivered to our room with a sweet note from Francois. Hot chocolate will never be the same until we return!

Dinner was at Girafe, a recommendation from my good friend Annie. We were disappointed the terrace with perfect views of the Eiffel Tower was closed due to rain earlier in the day, as the weather had improved so much! But the dining room was lovely, as was our server! Wish I could remember her cool “N” name. This restaurant is very upscale and posh in the best way. Gorgeous. Afterward, we focused on an early arrival to our skip-the-line tour of the Eiffel Tower, but we found no one at the meeting location. We never received communication about why no one was there, but they have processed our refund. Possibly, it’s because we didn’t confirm, but that's no excuse on their part. They could have messaged us. Take home lesson from Paris: confirm! *We still loved the base of the Eiffel, hung out and enjoyed the views from the garden below, took lots of pics, and admired the glittering tower from our walk along the Seine back to Le Meurice. 

We were planning on visiting Versailles on this day but hadn’t booked any sort of tour, thinking we might take the train and go it alone. Sometimes, I get “toured out” and would rather explore on my own. We decided to leave this for our next trip to France, so Versailles will have to wait. And the ride up the Eiffel Tower! Oh, well. After the delicious breakfast at our hotel, we skipped around town all day and did more shopping. We hit some of the designer shops versus the boutiques this day and loved shopping at Isabel Marant at 354 Rue St Honoré, 75001 Paris, FranceRue St Honoré, with the help of Justine! Strolling down the Champs-Élysées, we saw dignitaries from, we believe, Nigeria exiting from a long line of limousines. Today was just roaming, shopping and having fun. Thank goodness I stopped for mararons for my Jeannie, her favorite!!

Dinner was at our hotel, the Restaurant Le Dalí. We started in our hotel lounge, Bar 228, with above-and-beyond cocktails. The mood was stellar. As the music poured in, we decided to dine in the more casual (if you could ever call it that!) adjacent dining room, Le Dali, closer to the musicians, rather than at the Michelin-rated restaurant in the further dining room; the jazz duo in the Le Dalí was just too good to leave. Careless Whisper saxophone. Forget it!! It was a magical ending to our last night, and a trip I’ll never forget! 

Breakfast in our hotel...and a quick walk through Tuileries Gardens, discovering little areas I hadn't seen before. Le Meurice ensured our bags were down in time, and the car was waiting. Au revoir, Paris!