Parents in Paris: Day 3

We must have been more tired than we thought because we woke up at 10:15 the next morning! Not exactly the early start we had planned. We revised our days itinerary and headed out to do some shopping. I introduced my mom to the Repetto store: we both love their shoe displays!  

 

Luckily for us, there was a jewelry and fashion expo for small designers and artists to sell their products. There were so many unique and beautiful handcrafted wares to look at. Parisian Steve picked up a scarf and my mom chose a beautiful bracelet as her Mother’s day gift. We decided to walk along the Seine to a specialty souvenir shop near the Musee Orsay.

Continuing the day’s theme of pretty things, I led the way to the Opera Garnier. The Opera Garnier is one of the most opulent and beautiful buildings I have seen. The ornateness of its interior rivals Versailles. My dad and I couldn’t help but hum the music from The Phantom of the Opera which was set at the Opera Garnier as we toured along. 

 

Despite our late wake up, we were all feeling a bit “walked out” at this point. There is a very cool market near our B&B that has food from all over the world. We strolled around the market deliberating over what to eat; there were certainly plenty of options! The enticing smells and brightly colored tables of a Morrocan food stand eventually won us over (after we picked up a bottle of white wine of course!). Now that we chose the style of cuisine we had to make the very difficult choice of what to order. We each ordered a different type of “tajine”: a Morrocan specialty that uses a clay to bake ingredients. It was so delicious and a nice change from the heavier French fare. 

We weren’t sure if that meal qualified as a late lunch or an early dinner but we decided to go back to the hotel to relax. Parisian Steve headed out to a park to do some reading. Relaxing turned into a quick nap for my mom and I. When my dad got back we all decided to watch “Saving Private Ryan” in order to prepare for our trip to Normandy the next day. 

 

Parents in Paris: Day 2

Despite jet lag we awoke on time to start our day. Our morning began with croissants, coffee, and jam provided by our B&B owner, Jean Luc. He informed us that the croissants were ranked second best in Paris as of last year…they were certainly delicious.

Ever since I visited the Musee Marmottan Monet in March with my art history class, I had been looking forward to returning with my parents. The museum is located in the 16^th arrondisement: a very chic and quietly residential area of Paris. After the hustle bustle of city life in the neighborhoods we visited yesterday, it felt like a quiet retreat and authentically Parisian neighborhood. The walk to the museum took us through a beautiful park, allowing us to enjoy the bright sunshine.

Musee Marmottan Monet is housed in beautiful mansion which used to be privately owned. It feels as if you are at a friends house with an exquisite art collection. The rooms are never overcrowded, the scale of the museum allows you to appreciate each piece and take it at your own pace, and the interior of the house is just as exquisite as the pieces themselves. While the Musee d’ Orsay is spectacular and boasts a larger collection, at the Musee Marmottan Monet one can view Manet, Morisot, Caillebotte, Renoir, and of course…Monet in a far more intimate setting. It is one of my favorite Paris discoveries and I was glad my parents enjoyed it as well. 

 

 

After our museum visit, it was time to introduce my parents to one of my other favorite Parisian discoveries: Tartines. I first visited Cuisine de Bar when Grace visited; it was such a hit that we went twice! I knew it would be the perfect lunch spot. We took advantage of their excellent “Formule Midi” which includes a salad, tartine, glass of wine, and coffee. There are so many delicious options it took us awhile to decide what to get! I am happy to report that each person enjoyed their tartine (and bites of each other’s). 

Sunshine has been a rare commodity this spring so we decided to take full advantage! We headed to the Monoprix (a grocery store chain) to pick up some bottles of wine to drink in the Luxembourg Gardens. We had a lovely walk along the Seine past the Notre Dame, through the St. Michel and St.Germaine de Pres areas, finally reaching the park. The gardens were full of people walking about and enjoying the sunshine. We managed to snag a bench in the sun to sit down and enjoy our wine. One of my dad’s favorite places in Paris is the Medici Fountain. 

 

 The Luxembourg Palace was built by the queen of France, Catherine de Medici, who wanted to create a palace that reminded her of her home in Florence. This explains the Italian influence on the architecture and sculptures throughout the gardens. After saying “Oh, how beautiful” or “oh wow, look at that!” upwards of 1,000 times, we came to the conclusion that the entire city is like a postcard. 

 

Following our garden walk, we headed over to the Saint Sulpice. We found the hotel that Grace and my mom stayed at on their mother daughter trip 13 years ago.  

Continuing our walk down hotel memory lane, we found the hotel my parents stayed in during their trip to Paris 20 years ago: 

 

It looked as cute as ever! My mom was determined to have another Pierre Herme macaron. Thankfully, there was a store located just around the corner! I am never one to say no to Pierre Herme so we each picked up a macaron to enjoy after dinner.

Speaking of dinner, it was time that we start making our way over to the restaurant, located about 40 minutes away. Getting there was an adventure to say the least! I had visited the restaurant only once before and had taken the metro to get there. It is located on a teeny tiny street in the second arrondisement. Anyone who knows me well knows that my sense of direction is virtually non-existent to we got a tad turned around. After an hour of walking we FINALLY made it to Chez Janou. Despite being late for our reservation, they managed to squeeze us in (after I did some pleading in French). It was worth it! Our meal was delicious and indulgent so the walk probably did us some good.

We made our way back to our bed and breakfast (without getting lost). All of us were rather tired from a full day of walking and sight-seeing so we settled into bed.

 

 

 

Parents in Paris: Day 1

It seems like forever ago that my parents planned their trip but it is finally here! Friday morning I packed up my belongings from my apartment, hopped in a cab, and headed over to the bed and breakfast, Bonne Nuit Paris, to meet them.

After waiting about a half hour at the B&B I finally heard my parents making their way down the street. I ran out the door to greet them. After settling in and a quick refresher we were off on a tour of the Marais, my school neighborhood and the area we were staying in.

My tour started with a visit to my CEA building. I am officially a CEA Paris alumni! We walked up and down familiar neighborhood streets popping in and out of my favorite shops. My mom had read a review about Rose Bakery, a bakery in the area, and I had been waiting for their visit to check it out. It was a cute spot but the food was just alright—still shared with great company so that’s what counts!

After lunch we headed to the neighborhood of my apartment. I gave them the grand tour which includes a visit to the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, and the Rodin Garden.

 

Here is my Dad and I in front of my apartment building:

 The Rodin:

 The cute couple in front of the Louvre:

They were holding up surprisingly well despite jet lag but were happy to hear that we had early dinner reservations. After a happy hour drink (or two) we headed to Le Garde Robe for a light dinner. We enjoyed a delicious charcuterie and fromage plate with some fresh vegetables…and more wine of course!

Steve looking like a local after a few short hours (and a few glasses of wine):

 

After a wonderful first day we were already to get to bed! Our sleep was somewhat disturbed by the bar across the street. From the drunken singing I could hear and translate it was apparently “Pierre’s” birthday…

I’m back!

After taking a bit of a blogging break due to excitement over my parents arrival, very spotty internet in rural France, arriving back in the states, and starting my job here are some descriptions and photos of our recent adventures. Sorry to keep you waiting!

Parents in Paris!

More details to follow but for now we are off to explore the city! 

Rain or shine…

Unfortunately we woke up to a slightly overcast Sunday morning. Hope and I decided to hike down to the beach from our hostel. We made it to the beach minutes before it started to pour. We popped into a restaurant for some lunch. There are tons of Italian restaurants in Nice due to its proximity to Italy. Hope and I agreed that pizza would be pretty perfect comfort food to enjoy after our hike and while we waited for the rain to subside. It was excellent; the ingredients were so fresh, the ratio of cheese to crust to sauce was perfect, and it was cooked in a brick oven which I always love.

Once the rain calmed down we made our way back to the hostel. That afternoon we did some shopping before dinner but no purchases were made. We kept things simply by getting some salads at the hostel and hanging out at the hostel bar.

Hostels are a great way to get to know all sorts of different people. Everyone tends to be really friendly and the many different backgrounds make for some really interesting conversations. There were a lot of Australians and New Zealanders staying in Nice. Many live in the hostel for several months while working on the yachts in neighboring areas. Many explained that they take this break after going to University and before pursuing careers. I really love their love of travel and laid-back approach to finding a job. They explained that the unemployment rate in Australia is really low so there is less pressure to get a job immediately out of university. Its always interesting to learn about the different experiences that people my age have. While I am so excited to start my internship in Chicago this summer, I would be lying if I said that staying in Nice and working on a yacht for a summer didn’t sound appealing…

Thankfully, Sunday’s rain was replaced by clear skies and sunshine on Monday. We woke up early in order to make the most of our day. By 9:30 we were reclining in our rented beach chairs and soaking up the sun. Our day was spent basking in the sun except for when Hope and I took a quick dip in the Meditteranean Sea!

Hope and I have spent many hours laying out together whether it be at the beaches back home or at North Shore Country Club. It felt so familiar but then we realize we were laying out thousand of miles away from home in one of the most legendary beach locations in the world…is this real life?

Hope and I started our abroad adventure on the ill-fated Aer Lingus flight and we spent our last vacation weekend together. Its been so great to meet so many interesting new people but it also makes me really appreciate the friends and family I have at home. SO SO EXCITED for my parents to arrive on Friday

 

The Fabulous Life Of…

Saturday we took a train to visit Monaco. While the ride was only 15 minutes it felt like worlds apart. Monte Carlo literally feels as if it is a movie set. I cannot imagine people actually living there. Actually, I can. And I would like to be one of them. 

Our first stop was naturally the famous harbor to see all the yachts. It is my goal in life to get on one. I don’t know how or when it is going to happen but I am going to give it my best shot. Crew members were scrubbing away on deck, although I don’t know why….I was practically blinded by the sun glinting off the pristine hardware. 

 

Oh and this was parked oh so casually at the port; one must reach the yacht somehow! 

 

Our most anticipated sight was the famous casino. Hope and I are both big fans of the James Bond Movie Casino Royale. We skipped out on gambling; we were already feeling pretty lucky to be experiencing the Cote d’Azur so we didn’t want to push it. 

 

After drooling over the windows at Prada, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Chanel we made our way down to the beach. Train ticket to Monaco: 3.70. Necklace at Van Cleef and Arpel: 16,500. Realizing that ocean views are always spectacular (and free) no matter where you are…priceless. 

After a day exploring the lives of the rich and famous we made our way back to Nice. We enjoyed a traditional Nicoise dinner consisting of salad and pasta in daube sauce (it is a stewed beef sauce…yum). Seeing as it was a Saturday night, we decided to check out a local bar, Wayne’s, that had been recommended to us by friends. I always love live music but they had an especially good setlist including The Beatles, The Strokes, Mumford and Sons, The Ramones, and The White Stripes. It was definitely crowded, at one point the bar made us stand on the tables in order to create more room…I wasn’t complaining. It may not have been as glitzy as a party on a yacht but we still had an amazing time.