I’ve been a little delayed in posting this; writing it in bits and pieces over the last month. (July 31)
I’m home now from a week in Paris. This was the first international trip post-pandemic, and it did not disappoint. It takes some time for it to all settle in….sometimes you can’t even appreciate places like Paris until you are on the edge of leaving. In that moment, it washes over you - the history, the lights, the sights, the smells, the tastes. Paris has the most incredible people watching of anywhere in the world. Beautiful people. Fashionable people. People from all over the world.
it’s going to be a challenge writing about this trip…where to start? We sucked the life out of that city - so much walking and oohing and aahing and eating and drinking. Each one of the five senses (and perhaps senses outside of the regular five) was engaged during our trip. Paris delights like no other city - and you leave wanting more and more and more. Every time I think about the life left in me (hopefully a lot - but who knows?) I think to myself - why would I return to a place I’ve already been? There are so many more places to see. And then I remember that to go deep beneath the surface you must experience a thing over and over again just like building a fine relationship. The surface is just the start - when you go deep beneath the surface, seeing all of the good and bad and the nuances of a person or a city - that’s where true love begins. So, I look forward to a return to Paris one day - I have already started a list of things I want to see and do that we didn’t have time for on this trip, or that I haven’t had time for on previous trips. Even seeing the same thing(s) again - there is a new view point, a new angle, a new light on the thing that buries itself deeper into your memory, your psyche, and your heart.
Paris is definitely a city of love. Love of yourself, of your partner, of beautiful random strangers on the street, of art, of music, of dance, of architecture, of writing, of books, of fashion, of light, of food, of drink. There is nothing like walking along the Seine after the sun has set, nothing like the lights of the Eiffel Tower twinkling just for you and few thousand other people, nothing like the lights in the windows of beautiful and humble apartments, nothing like the street lights shining on the dancers in front of the Opera house, the lights shining above a classic Parisian bar or brasserie, the light on Notre Dame as day turns to dusk. I want to return already and I haven’t even been home for 24 hours.
I want to remember it all, but my memory isn’t as good as it once was. I will try to capture some of the highlights, and more importantly, the feelings and sensations of this beautiful city. I picked up a copy of Hemingway’s “A moveable feast” at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore (I could write pages around how much I love this place) - a new edition that isn’t edited as heavily as earlier publications; representing the experience of his time in Paris. I’ve been reading it since I woke up this morning, and I want to share a few words from it here because I think it is so spot on and I could never attempt to capture it better with my words. “If you are lucky enough to live in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
This idea of a moveable feast is described further in the foreword as this - “a memory or even a state of being that had become a part of you, a thing that you could have always with you, no matter where you went or how you lived forever after, that you could never lose. An experience first fixed in time and space or a condition like happiness or love could be afterward moved or carried with you wherever you went in space and time.”
Ah - the essence of Paris. As you soak all of it in, (sometimes even after you leave it you are still soaking it in) it becomes a part of you that only you can see it and feel , but Paris is there, in your heart and memory -its images fluttering through your mind and warming your heart.
I think of the evening we walked home to our airBNB (we not so fondly referred to it as the death trap for its tiny winding staircase big enough for someone the size of Napoleon and its uneven floors causing you to repeatedly trip and even fall because they were so unexpected and not obvious to the eye - more on that later) - tired, with sore feet and a full belly from whichever feast we had that evening….and we happened upon music and dancing on the portico of the Opera building. This is something we certainly wouldn’t see at home, and it was one of the more lovely sights (and sounds) of our trip.
We watched, enchanted, as people of all ages dressed in all types of clothing pranced beautifully across the “stage” of sorts, twirling and spinning and perfectly stepping to the music. This was the most beautiful form of ballroom dancing (with only the “ballroom” of the outdoors surrounding them on this lovely warm Parisian summer night); each person focused upon their own feet, yet so perfectly coordinated with their partner….. I would love to dance like this! (put on the bucket list of things to learn following the French language itself!) It was just a magical moment, an unexpected happenstance - always the very best kind of experience. Serendipitous, and just the magical boost of energy we needed for the rest of the long walk back to the apartment. The apartment….how to describe this one??? We had a wonderful love/hate relationship with the place. Love because it was so very humbly Parisian. The owner lives there most of the time, so we were surrounded with his things which is simultaneously lovely and creepy. He is a flea market aficionado - and his place represents his love for old photos and art and Parisian paraphernalia. The large windows opened fully to the noisy street below - the bar restaurant “Poni” was lively and rambunctious at all hours and cars and motorcycles whizzed by late into the night. While we had chosen “air conditioning” as a requirement for our airBNB experience….I’d say they took liberty with this feature in that there was only air conditioning UPSTAIRS (up the teeny tiny windy “staircase to heaven” as the owner described). This was much appreciated at bedtime, but the rest of the time required open windows (challenging with the rain we experienced for the first few days) that forced mostly warm, humid air into the crowded yet wonderfully eclectic space. There were lamps and strange lightbulbs everywhere - providing a warm glow to the place. There was a fully stocked if small kitchen - used only by us for storing our water and for multiple espressos each morning. Paris may be the only city in which I prefer a hotel to an airbnb….because I will never cook there! There are far too many wonderful cafes and restaurants. We stayed in this place for three nights, and then in the lovely (more to come later) Brach hotel in the 16th. Our airBNB in the more bohemian 10th in Montmartre…always a favorite for the artists, the people watching, and one of my favorite beautiful sights, Sacre Coeur We had a tiny view of the top of Sacre Coeur from the windows in the apartment…glowing like a beacon atop the hill not far from our place. The light on Sacre Coeur is truly part of the beauty. Light will be a theme of this trip…the light on Paris at different times of night or day is truly magical.
I thought I might write a chronological tale of our trip, but instead I think I will write of all of the moments that touched me the most; the love is in the details is one of my favorite sayings, and the love of Paris is in the small wondrous nearly constant moments that move you to laughter or tears in the wake of their beauty.
I’m writing this in bits and pieces; we’ve been home now for four days and the memories are already starting to fade a bit. Thank goodness for my iphone photo documentation to remind me of all the wonderful experiences. Speaking of experiences, one of the things I love to do on a trip is an airbnb experience. Airbnb isn’t just for rentals anymore; the last time I was in Paris, I did my FIRST airbnb experience which was a wonderful, magical experience with a wonderful chef who led a cooking class on making a simple French meal. The beauty of the airbnb experience is you typically meet people from all over the world, the events are run by a LOCAL, so they know all the local secrets, and they are things you would NEVER be able to do on your own. This time we chose two, and honestly, they are always the best part of our trips. The first was a French wine tasting experience. I know a lot about CA wine, a little about Italian wine, but literally NOTHING about French wine. If I”m at a restaurant with only French wine on the list, I’m at a complete loss. After this awesome experience, I feel confident in choosing wines I will like based upon the region in which they are grown, which is primarily how the French categorize their wines. This experience was three couples and Erwan, our French winemaster. He was funny and personable and taught us so much! One other couple was from NY on their honeymoon and the other couple was a guy from Egypt and a woman from Syria (both living and working in Dubai). They were wonderful people, and it was a true joy to interact with people from other places. We’ve connected on Instagram and I wouldn’t be surprised if our paths cross again. I’ve stayed in touch with others I’ve met on previous experiences.
We sampled five wines from different regions, paired with some charcuterie, and it was a delightful way to spend our anniversary afternoon. It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed since we eloped in Jenner, CA last year! It feels so wonderful to be having our first international post-covid (well, mid-covid part two as it turns out….) trip as our anniversary/delayed honeymoon. We purchased a couple of bottles to share at home as a memory of this experience - perhaps on next year’s anniversary!
On to a delicious restaurant recommended by a vegetarian friend! We decided to walk the two miles or so to get there. I love all the walking in Paris - down windy little streets, through bustling cafes with people sitting outside drinking and eating and laughing. One thing I love about Paris cafes is that all of the seats are at small little tables facing outward toward the sidewalk/street to enable the cafe-goers to people watch with the utmost visibility! There is some amazing people watching in Paris. We were in the city at at time where there weren’t many Americans (tourism has JUST opened back up), but there is a richly diverse international bunch of people living or traveling here now. We watched the beautiful fashionably dressed women of all ages walk by - admiring their easeful yet elegant style - both women and men - impeccably dressed and superbly confident. The French are beautiful people. period. Then there are the people from, well, everywhere! There were many days (I think especially of the last day where we were hustling around all sorts of neighborhoods visiting thrift shops in an effort to find the perfect gifts for Zach….) that we grabbed a seat at a cafe for an espresso and/or a glass of wine (we drank wine like water on this trip - no surprise) and just watched the passersby with delight. We didn’t need to talk in these moments, but would often comment to each other on the sights and sounds of the neighborhood and the people in it.
I digress. Back to the restaurant we were walking to. Paris is known for its covered passages (Les Passages Couverts), and one of the things on our list was to seek these out. We didn’t have to as we just stumbled upon them on our walk to dinner. These were created at the end of the 18th century. Town planners created this labyrinth of commercial passages that have gorgeous stained glass ceilings, mosaic works, and iron latticeworks - which allows the light (there it is again!) to shine through to the pathway below. As you stroll through these passageways, they are like an indoor small business mecca - art dealers, antique shops, small cafes, ancient boutiques, and other random shops scattered throughout. I wish we had hours to peruse…but, alas, we had a dinner reservation! We make it to Maceo, a beautiful restaurant and wine shop. We are surrounded again by people from all over the world, the menu is small yet delightful and leaning vegetarian which I love. I loved that I could look at the wine list and know JUST what I might like after the wine tasting experience preceding this meal! We of course started with a glass of champagne, as you do, according to Erwan! (We took this recommendation to heart at every meal thereafter, and I’m confident we will continue this in every country from here on out! Who doesn’t love some bubbles?) The service was impeccable, the surroundings in this gorgeous place were so very French, and the food was simple and delicious. I can still taste the lovely chilled gazpacho which was my first course. It was a beautiful experience. We left feeling way too full, yet very happy, and decided to walk back as well. By this time, it was dusk and we headed toward the Seine. There is nothing like walking along the Seine at night! The lights reflecting on the water, the boats and dinner cruises gently moving back and forth, and allll the people out walking! In the distance we saw the glowing Eiffel Tower and the twinkling lights came on right about then. We walked awhile and suddenly felt pretty tired and our feet were aching, but we were determined to make it to the Eiffel Tower on this gorgeous night. (it had been raining on and off for most of our trip, and we were relishing the dry 70 degree evening!)
About this time, a pedicab (more of a bicycle cab) asked us if we wanted a ride - ahhh, yes! Respite for the weary feet and quicker arrival to the Eiffel tower - we were very tired after a long day of walking and wine drinking! The ride was short, the “driver” very engaging and talkative - asking us what our favorite music was - what we would like him to play and inquiring where we were from, etc. We asked where he was from - he hesitated and said Poland. As we neared the Eiffel tower, he pulled over to a dark spot about two blocks away and said the police wouldn’t let him get any closer (warning sign number one)…. then, he pulls out his phone and shows us a screen that says 215 euros is the price for the trip…ummm, it was a 7 minute ride at best. I laughed and said, “how much is it really”. He put on a stern face and said “no, my boss will kill me if I don’t collect this”….at that point Robb and I looked at each other like WTF is this? Our only negative experience in Paris and we literally weren’t sure what to do. Together, we had around this much in euros (who carries much cash? and we found ourselves mentally weighing the options, and in the end…just paid him. Our lives or wellbeing certainly weren’t worth fighting him over it. Afterwards we were frustrated and a bit angry, but realized it could have been worse - he could have held us up at gunpoint, he could have threatened us further, who knows? Note to self - never take one of those again. lol. All’s well that ends well I guess and we took a cab back to our hotel after seeing the twinkling Eiffel tower up close. We weren’t going to let this taint the rest of our trip. (I’d be lying if it didn’t cross my mind the rest of the trip however and we were on the lookout for scams of any sort moving forward….lessons learned!)
Ah. The hotel. What a lovely place to return to. The Brach Paris may be one of my favorite hotels of all time. It’s in the lovely 16th arrondissement. The facade is covered in greenery, it has a beautiful restaurant and bar and boasts a rooftop deck with views of the Eiffel Tower. This isn’t just any rooftop deck, though - it’s actually a garden with fruit trees and vegetables and chickens! There are little seating areas throughout where you can just sit, look at the views and smell the delightful herbs surrounding you.
The room - high ceilings, deep bathtub, and this delicious smell that is kind of indescribable ( I did buy a bottle of room spray so I could bring it home…my home office now has this aroma…takes me right back there). Every little touch in this hotel was perfect - beautiful music adjusted with the touch of a button, (check out the Brach Paris playlist on Spotify) , crisp perfect sheets, delicious chocolate at turn down….and the croissants!! A giant basket with coffee delivered to the room each morning. It was a delightful combination of modern and artistic. All of these little touches add up to the most wonderful luxurious experience. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude every time I walked into that room or woke up after a hard and wonderful sleep and pressed the button to raise the blinds to see the sun rising over this gorgeous city.
We had numerous stops in beautiful bars and little cafes for an afternoon coffee or glass of wine, sampled the beautiful colorful macarons at Laduree, and wandered through many neighborhoods on foot. We had one particularly delightful dinner at Frenchie, a small little restaurant recently Michelin starred. It’s an unassuming small spot on a side street. When you walk in, you immediately feel embraced. From the chef on their website -
“When I opened Frenchie, it was to create a place I would want to go to myself and, more importantly, one I would want to go back to again and again. It’s a micro-restaurant, an intimate place where you feel at home. The staff is like a little family. Here, the ingredient has carte blanche. The products we use are what determine the menu, which changes with the seasons. Our ceaselessly evolving cuisine is very instinctive, unstinting and authentic.”
— Greg Marchand
This is such an apt description. We were given the option of a small table or a seat at the bar/chef’s table - overlooking the prep of each dish. We chose the latter and so enjoyed watching the plates come together with fresh herbs, beautiful berries, and every delicious summer ingredient you could imagine. The creativity was brilliant! Each dish more delicious than the last, tasting like, well…France. Each served with a beautiful wine that perfectly complimented the dish. Bubbles and herbs and earth….we left feeling inspired, satisfied, and ready for the live music adventure that Robb had planned for us.
After perusing the shops nearby and purchasing a couple of beautiful reminders from this trip, we hopped in a cab and headed to a small music venue for some live jazz. After over a year of pandemic and no live music, here we were in the heart of Paris…and the experience did not disappoint. France is doing the whole covid safety thing right - they require proof of vaccination to enter any indoor public venue - so we felt safe in the midst of a small group of people and settled in to listen to some incredible music. After, we wandered the streets a bit and headed back to the hotel - the Eiffel tower shining in the distance and twinkling just as we drove by it.
There are so many small delights from this trip - the gorgeous and delicious chocolate croissants and coffee delivered to our room, the endless little side streets with cute shops and cafes, the surprise glass of champagne in the middle of the day, the sound of church bells as we climbed the stairs in Sacre Coeur to look out over the city, the arc-en-ciel (rainbow) that popped through the rainy day, the sudden downpour as we walked through the gorgeous Tuileries Garden by the Louvre - one minute taking photos by the statues, the next huddled under the umbrella of the cafe in the park escaping the rain.
Time has passed, the details are fuzzy in my memory, but that wonderful “moveable feast” will stay with me forever. I’m so grateful for this brief respite from our pandemic world, for the reminder that art, architecture, music, food, dance, culture, literature are all so very important to our well being as human beings. I look forward to our return one day; we barely skimmed the surface of this city, and I’m certain a visit to the French wine country is in our future. I feel re-energized in the best way - a reminder of just how important it is to travel.