"Paris is always a good idea." — Audrey Hepburn
LE jeudi 13 NOVEMBRE
In Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn affirmed, “Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook, for throwing open the windows and letting in la vie en rose." And that’s exactly what we did in this gorgeous, 18th century Paris Perfect Rose de Loire apartment. Take a tour here.
Rose de Loire photos courtesy of Paris Perfect
I have always loved Montmartre, but have never spent more than a day there each time I have visited Paris. Knowing that we were staying here, made Montmartre feel even more like a neighborhood.
After setting in, we strolled to the Place du Tertre and admired the art before toasting our first day in Paris with a glass of Champagne at La Mère Catherine.
We walked around the Sacré Cœur and enjoyed the Parc Marcel Bleustein Blanchet hidden behind the basilica before taking in the view from the top of the hill.
We wandered back to the Place Dalida before enjoying a delicious dinner of polpette and pavlova at La Maison Rose in our building.
We probably should have gone to bed after long day of travel. Instead, we chose to Uber to the Eiffel Tower to see it illuminated in blue, white, and red to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks on Paris. We didn’t anticipate the bumper-to-bumper traffic due to manifestations and commemorations.
LE VENDREDI 14 NOVEMBRE
We started our day with a croissant and coffee in the Place du Tertre.
Since the weather was still in the 60s, we decided to take a boat ride on the Seine.
After the bateau parisienne dropped us off at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, we strolled through the 7e arrondissement, past the iconic Lavirotte building on avenue Rapp, to the rue Cler where we had a nice lunch and shopped for fruit, cheese, flowers, bakery, and wine — as one does in Paris.
Friday evening, we enjoyed cocktails at Bar Hemingway in the Ritz and a late dinner at Le Soufflé.
LE SAMEDI 15 NOVEMBRE
A day of shopping and Christmas lights
We began our day at the Bon Marché, the world’s first modern department store. The iconic escalators were decorated as an Alpine village.
We stopped for a French 75 at Harry’s New York Bar where the cocktail originated.
Next, we shopped at Repetto before lunch on the Rue de la Paix.
After lunch, we braved the rain and the crowds to see the giant tree and holiday windows at the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann.
Perhaps the highlight of our trip was our Sunday evening 2CV tour of Paris. Clément picked us up in “Coco” and drove us to the Eiffel Tower, where we popped a bottle of Champagne. Despite reserving an hour-long tour, we were treated to nearly two hours as he drove us around the 7e and back to our apartment in Montmartre.
LE DIMANCHE 16 NOVEMBRE
Sunday is the ideal day to visit the Île de la Cité. The long line that kept us from visiting the newly-restored cathedral, but we marveled at the exterior of Notre Dame and browsed through the bouquinistes.
We sat on the terrace of Odette and enjoyed a chou while listening to the bells of Notre Dame chime at noon.
We browsed the stacks of my favorite bookstore, Shakespeare and Company and as usual, found great treasures to take home.
We had a great lunch at Restaurant Paul, a Paris Perfect recommendation. We enjoyed the company of Maurice the bear and watched the locals playing pétanque in the Place Dauphine.
Sunday afternoon, we visited the Samaritaine department store, strolled through the courtyard of the Louvre, and browsed in the Tuileries Christmas market. We ended the day in our lovely apartment with a living room picnic and Midnight in Paris.
LE LUNDI 17 NOVEMBRE
Since the weather turned colder on Monday, we decided to explore the covered passages of the Right Bank, staring with my favorite, the Galerie Vivienne with its lovely boutiques and wonderful used bookstore.
We strolled through the garden of the Palais Royal to the Place Valois which is very familiar to Emily in Paris fans. We lingered over lunch and continued to the Galerie Véro-Dodat.
Monday night, we went to the Moulin Rouge. I had never been there before and it was quite a show. Photos are prohibited.
After the show, we hired an Uber to drive around Paris to see the Christmas lights. The driver took us to the Champs-Élysées, avenue Montaigne, Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and the Place Vendôme and was kind enough to let us stop for pictures.
LE MARDI 18 NOVEMBRE
Our last day in Montmartre
We toured the Sacré Cœur, then slowly made our way down the hill.
Tuesday evening, we toured the Musée de Montmartre. in the former home and studio of Renoir next to the Montmartre vineyard (the view outside my bedroom windows).
We had a delicious final meal in Paris at Au Virage Lepic, a tiny restaurant recommended by our 2CV driver, Clément. We planned to go to the cabaret show at Le Lapin Agile, but they only accept cash and some of us intentionally spent the rest of our euros in the shops today.. Instead, we enjoyed one last bottle of Champagne in our beautiful apartment.
“It is late at night, and someone across the way is playing "La Vie en Rose”. It is the French way of saying, ‘I am looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses,’ and it says everything I feel.” — Audrey Heburn, Sabrina. I couldn’t agree more. À la prochain fois, Paris!
