Lushheaven
05-14-2009, 01:54 PM
What started out as an idea on a whim (gotta love what comes out of happy hour :heart) turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences in another country.
There is a reason why Paris is one of the most popular places in the world to travel to – ‘magical’ doesn’t even begin to describe this city.
Paris truly defines elegance with a mix of old and new. The historic buildings, the little cobblestone streets, and the huge stunning plazas make this place a wonder. Even without visiting the major ‘sights,’ it is still so, so, so easy to fall in love with this city. It is absolutely beautiful.
There were some things we wanted to do but just didn’t get a chance to because we got caught up in something else. But that’s the beauty of traveling – especially to another country.. You never know where an experience will take you. Besides, it’s the things you don’t plan, the things that you don’t have on your itinerary that truly make a trip most memorable :heart
I attempted to make this review brief but this attempt always ceases to fail with me.. so here goes:
Friday – We arrived early (7:30 AM). We probably should have been jetlagged but our excitement superceded us so we were ready to go. Lucky for us, the weather was absolutely PERFECT. The sun was out and the breeze was perfectly comfortable. We started off our day with crepes, then picked up a few bottles of white wine and cheese at a local market, grabbed a sheet from our hotel, and made our way to the Eiffel Tower for a picnic on Champs de Mars – the lawn on which the Eiffel Tower overlooks. This was a perfect idea for the day..
After a sweet buzz from the wine we strolled by the Seine, the major river that flows through Central Paris. The view here is incredible. We then strolled through the Champs-Elysees and George V. Spent the rest of the day before dinner just enjoying our surroundings. Went out for dinner at L’Etoile, a beautiful restaurant/lounge that overlooked L’Arc de Triomphe . Dinner was nothing short of amazing
After dinner we made our way to the Plaza Athenee for drinks. Not only is the Plaza one of the most luxurious, old-school, classic, and beautiful hotels in Paris, but it is also the hotel in which Carrie stayed in Sex & the City’s show finale… so yet we found another reason lure us in :chuckle :heart. The hotel and bar were absolutely gorgeous. We stayed for a little and then took a trip to the Ritz Hotel to visit the classic Bar Hemingway. The Ritz is unreal. It faces the Place Vendome which is a square north of the Tuileries Gardens. This square resembles a huge plaza surrounded by historic and elegant buildings. The Ritz without surprise is drop-dead stunning. So much Parisian history took place in this hotel so it was truly amazing to step inside. There is a famous garden inside of the hotel in which the rooms overlook.. completely serene & beautiful.
Saturday we started our day off at the Louvre. Since it was quite crowded, we only spent a couple of hours inside and visited the major French masterpieces and of course the Mona Lisa. The museum is housed in the Palais du Louvre which is a beautiful fortress. The exterior is jaw-dropping. The interior of the Louvre including the ceiling murals are beyond a sight to see. We also stopped at a classic bistro right by the palace and enjoyed classic French specialties and people-watching. Walked down the Champs-Elysees again, stopped at a lounge with the purpose of only a few drinks, but there we found nutella crème brulee on the menu so of course we couldn’t help ourselves… :heart
We then made a trip to Montmartre, a beautiful, art-influenced village in Paris with beautiful gardens, steep streets, staircases and of course the classic white-domed Basilica of the Sacre Coeur. The view from the Sacre Coeur is insane – it overlooks all of Paris. Tons of locals just sit on the steps in front of the Sacre Coeur to admire the view of their city and to be an audience to many musicians who find inspriration to play on this magical spot. We then strolled around Montmartre and since we were craving foie-gras got the help of a local & found our way to a beautiful restaurant in a hidden, quiet, tourist-free area of the village. The inside and outside of this restaurant was so beautiful, so we split our time eating and drinking in and out of the venue. After dinner we headed to the well-known Le Cab, a beautiful club/restaurant right near the Palace of the Louvre. Had a table in the downstairs lounge. Club is beautiful, and the music was surprisingly great. This spot was a perfect blend of class & fun.
Sunday we made our way La Marais, the known ‘gay’ quarter of Paris. It is a beautiful area that is chic & eccentric – kind of, the ‘soho’ of Paris. Found another classic bistro, did some shopping, visited une patisserie, and then made our way to Cathedrale Notre Dame. I had been to Paris in 2005 and remember being in complete awe of this church. 4 years and several churches later, I still find the Notre Dame to be one of the most beautiful churches I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, both inside and out. Not intentionally we found our way there during Sunday Mass, which was really breathtaking. We even caught glimpses of toddlers lighting the prayer candles (I had to get a shot of this lol).
After exploring the inside and outside of the cathedral, we made our way to Farbourg St Honore. It is a chic area by Champs-Elysess that parallels New York’s 5th Avenue and houses all of the embassies. We strolled by President Sarkozy’s house and just admired this area of the city. Extremely historic & elegant.
Our last night.. we went to see Moulin Rouge. The actual venue of the show is INCREDIBLE. Although smaller than a broadway show theater, the interior blows any New York theater away. The show itself was a little corny for burlesque – half-naked men and women in sparkly outfits singing and dancing. But the bottles of champagne that came with each of our own tickets helped out :chuckle. After Moulin Rouge we made a quick stop to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night.. and went back to the hotel.
Woke up Monday morning with a nutella –themed breakfast (:chuckle) and said au revoir to Paris :licktear
Paris was definitely a short but extremely sweet escapade. We definitely could have spent a few more days exploring.. though I love the fact that we left wanting more. The city holds a very special place in our hearts. Paris, nous vous aimons :heart
There is a reason why Paris is one of the most popular places in the world to travel to – ‘magical’ doesn’t even begin to describe this city.
Paris truly defines elegance with a mix of old and new. The historic buildings, the little cobblestone streets, and the huge stunning plazas make this place a wonder. Even without visiting the major ‘sights,’ it is still so, so, so easy to fall in love with this city. It is absolutely beautiful.
There were some things we wanted to do but just didn’t get a chance to because we got caught up in something else. But that’s the beauty of traveling – especially to another country.. You never know where an experience will take you. Besides, it’s the things you don’t plan, the things that you don’t have on your itinerary that truly make a trip most memorable :heart
I attempted to make this review brief but this attempt always ceases to fail with me.. so here goes:
Friday – We arrived early (7:30 AM). We probably should have been jetlagged but our excitement superceded us so we were ready to go. Lucky for us, the weather was absolutely PERFECT. The sun was out and the breeze was perfectly comfortable. We started off our day with crepes, then picked up a few bottles of white wine and cheese at a local market, grabbed a sheet from our hotel, and made our way to the Eiffel Tower for a picnic on Champs de Mars – the lawn on which the Eiffel Tower overlooks. This was a perfect idea for the day..
After a sweet buzz from the wine we strolled by the Seine, the major river that flows through Central Paris. The view here is incredible. We then strolled through the Champs-Elysees and George V. Spent the rest of the day before dinner just enjoying our surroundings. Went out for dinner at L’Etoile, a beautiful restaurant/lounge that overlooked L’Arc de Triomphe . Dinner was nothing short of amazing
After dinner we made our way to the Plaza Athenee for drinks. Not only is the Plaza one of the most luxurious, old-school, classic, and beautiful hotels in Paris, but it is also the hotel in which Carrie stayed in Sex & the City’s show finale… so yet we found another reason lure us in :chuckle :heart. The hotel and bar were absolutely gorgeous. We stayed for a little and then took a trip to the Ritz Hotel to visit the classic Bar Hemingway. The Ritz is unreal. It faces the Place Vendome which is a square north of the Tuileries Gardens. This square resembles a huge plaza surrounded by historic and elegant buildings. The Ritz without surprise is drop-dead stunning. So much Parisian history took place in this hotel so it was truly amazing to step inside. There is a famous garden inside of the hotel in which the rooms overlook.. completely serene & beautiful.
Saturday we started our day off at the Louvre. Since it was quite crowded, we only spent a couple of hours inside and visited the major French masterpieces and of course the Mona Lisa. The museum is housed in the Palais du Louvre which is a beautiful fortress. The exterior is jaw-dropping. The interior of the Louvre including the ceiling murals are beyond a sight to see. We also stopped at a classic bistro right by the palace and enjoyed classic French specialties and people-watching. Walked down the Champs-Elysees again, stopped at a lounge with the purpose of only a few drinks, but there we found nutella crème brulee on the menu so of course we couldn’t help ourselves… :heart
We then made a trip to Montmartre, a beautiful, art-influenced village in Paris with beautiful gardens, steep streets, staircases and of course the classic white-domed Basilica of the Sacre Coeur. The view from the Sacre Coeur is insane – it overlooks all of Paris. Tons of locals just sit on the steps in front of the Sacre Coeur to admire the view of their city and to be an audience to many musicians who find inspriration to play on this magical spot. We then strolled around Montmartre and since we were craving foie-gras got the help of a local & found our way to a beautiful restaurant in a hidden, quiet, tourist-free area of the village. The inside and outside of this restaurant was so beautiful, so we split our time eating and drinking in and out of the venue. After dinner we headed to the well-known Le Cab, a beautiful club/restaurant right near the Palace of the Louvre. Had a table in the downstairs lounge. Club is beautiful, and the music was surprisingly great. This spot was a perfect blend of class & fun.
Sunday we made our way La Marais, the known ‘gay’ quarter of Paris. It is a beautiful area that is chic & eccentric – kind of, the ‘soho’ of Paris. Found another classic bistro, did some shopping, visited une patisserie, and then made our way to Cathedrale Notre Dame. I had been to Paris in 2005 and remember being in complete awe of this church. 4 years and several churches later, I still find the Notre Dame to be one of the most beautiful churches I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, both inside and out. Not intentionally we found our way there during Sunday Mass, which was really breathtaking. We even caught glimpses of toddlers lighting the prayer candles (I had to get a shot of this lol).
After exploring the inside and outside of the cathedral, we made our way to Farbourg St Honore. It is a chic area by Champs-Elysess that parallels New York’s 5th Avenue and houses all of the embassies. We strolled by President Sarkozy’s house and just admired this area of the city. Extremely historic & elegant.
Our last night.. we went to see Moulin Rouge. The actual venue of the show is INCREDIBLE. Although smaller than a broadway show theater, the interior blows any New York theater away. The show itself was a little corny for burlesque – half-naked men and women in sparkly outfits singing and dancing. But the bottles of champagne that came with each of our own tickets helped out :chuckle. After Moulin Rouge we made a quick stop to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night.. and went back to the hotel.
Woke up Monday morning with a nutella –themed breakfast (:chuckle) and said au revoir to Paris :licktear
Paris was definitely a short but extremely sweet escapade. We definitely could have spent a few more days exploring.. though I love the fact that we left wanting more. The city holds a very special place in our hearts. Paris, nous vous aimons :heart