The One Where I See Paris At Last

This past weekend I set off for a mere forty-eight hour trip to Paris. Such a short visit, you might think. I had a very good reason: two of my best friends, Vanessa & Andrew, are on a six week trip through Europe (I know, right? So jealous!) and asked me to join them for a couple of days (or maybe I invited myself; I can't remember). Tobi graciously offered to work from home for two days so I could go. He even learned how to use the dishwasher for the occasion!

It's not a brasserie without those lamps and palms, ya know.

Since it was primarily Vanessa and Andrew's trip, I decided to hang on for the ride and do whatever they had planned. After a four hour train ride from Zurich to Paris (which was really lovely, by the way), I got to their sweet, tiny flat on the Île Saint-Louis in time for wine and cheese & paté. After that, we took a walk through the city, past the Louvre to dinner at Le Grand Colbert. It looked exactly like a French brasserie should look in my mind's eye, and the food was delicious. Many hours later, we stumbled walked home for bed. Or sofa cushions on the floor in the living room. Whatever.

Dearest friends, Andrew & Vanessa

Foie gras, escargot, and onion soup - nothing wrong with that

Slippery little suckers

Vanessa on the Pont Neuf, waiting for that tower to twinkle

Twinkling!

On Friday we decided to walk around the city and see the sights. After enjoying a chocolate croissant and coffee along the river Seine, we toured Notre Dame and the St. Germaine area of the city. We went to the famous Shakespeare & Co. and I bought too many books by Hemingway.

Notre Dame Cathedral

So beautiful inside

Over the archway to one of the doors. Amazing details.

Could have spent all day there.

We took the Metro from St. Germaine to the Eiffel Tower. As Andrew pointed out, how did I not know that the tower is brown? Hmmmm. We ended up taking a tour bus around the city after our feet gave out (thanks for that tip, Penny!) and we may have salivated over the merchandise at Louis Vuitton on the Champs Élysées. We sat for a while in the Tuileries gardens and then made our way to the mammoth Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. I think we were all underwhelmed by Madame Mona but it was fun to watch all the people taking pictures of it.

Andrew knew his way around the Metro like a boss.

If I knew it was brown, I wouldn't have worn black.

We will triumph!

The Louvre

"Thanks for the smirk, stupid!"

After walking at least 10 miles over the course of the day, we decided to walk back to our little island and have . . . Italian food. Yeah, ya know, Paris has great food but sometimes a girl (or guy) just wants a little simple pasta. We ate at a great (read: cheap) little Italian spot a block away from the apartment. We decided to let Paris win us over again with dessert and had Nutella crepes and ice cream at Berthillion (I got the salted buttered caramel - thanks for that tip, Annalisa!).

This happened on a bridge in Paris. On a random Friday morning.

Vanessa and Andrew had to leave Saturday morning to catch a plane to Prague (again, aren't you jealous??) so I had about 6 hours to do my own thing before my train left. I started out by doing a boat cruise along the Seine. That is a great way to see all the monuments without walking! Then I decided to do my guidebook's Hemingway tour. I started at his first apartment and walked my way around the Latin Quarter to 3 of his apartments, 2 cafes and a bookshop (obsessed much, you ask?). I went to the address of the original Shakespeare & Co. and there is the tiniest of plaques commemorating the place where its owner, Sylvia Beach, published James Joyce's Ulysses. Now there is a high-end boutique residing in its place. I stood there like an idiot taking pictures as people are walking by with Armani Exchange packages. Ugh. When they invent time travel, I want to go to Paris in 1923.

The sign's wrong. He lived there for 1 year. I checked.

The sign at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, the first apartment he lived with Hadley, his first wife: From January 1922 to August 1923 lived on the third floor of this building, with Hadley, his wife, the American writer, Ernest Hemingway 1899 - 1961. The neighorhood, he loved above all else, was the true birthplace of his work and spare style it characterizes. This American in Paris was friendly with his neighbors, including the owner of the music hall next door. "This was the Paris of our youth, back when we were very poor and very happy." Ernest Hemingway (Paris is a feast)*

The sign at 12 rue L'Odeon

Sign on the same building as the Ulyssses plaque honoring Thomas Paine: Thomas Paine 1737-1809, English-born, Adopted by the U.S., French by decree. Lived in this building from 1797 to 1802. He put his passion for freedom in the service of the French Revolution, was a member of the Convention and wrote The Rights of Man. "When opinions are free, the power of truth always prevails."

Hemingway wrote, "There is never any ending to Paris . . ." Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to see it again and again.

Cheers!

Tiffany

All the photos from my trip will be on my Facebook page.

*Translation help from Wikipedia & Google translate. Fete can also mean party, but I went with feast.