Planning for Paris....Returning To The City Of Light In 2016

It's been 5 years since I went to Paris for the first time.  Having never gone before and since I was going to be solo, I went with a tour group. Traveling with 40 other people was great for a first time destination.  I got to see all the major sights.  It would have been hard to plan all that on my own.  Traveling with a tour is pretty much stress free.  You just pretty much show up at the airport and just sit back and enjoy!

This time however I am really going to live out my dream.  I finally made my decision to go this year after meeting a women from France that now lives in Kentucky at a Holiday Market the week before Thanksgiving.  Talking to her just got me so excited about going back that I decided I'm done TALKING about going back and actually doing it!! This  time I am going to do all the planning on my own. This makes me a little nervous. Mostly because of the language barrier.  I do know basic phrases though and hope to learn more.   I will not be going solo, I will be going with my cousins wife. I am so excited that she is going with me. I will be doing most of the research and we will be getting together to discuss details.  I want to make this a great trip for her and want to make sure she gets to check off her list of things she would like to see while there.

So far I've been checking out airfares (wow! Expensive) and since I am leaning towards renting an apartment vs going the hotel route, I've been checking out various apartment rental agencies.  I have traveled before using VRBO and AirBNB for rentals and have been very satisfied with the process.  Anyway, there are so many choices out there it's overwhelming.  I am thinking I'd like to stay in the 5th or 6th arrondissement so we are pretty central to all the main things. Being this is the first time doing this on our own I have about a million concerns such as, what kind of transportation should we take to get from CDG airport to to the city, train, taxi, or hire a service?  I guess it's mostly the fear of the unknown.

So now that the holidays are over, it is time to start the planning process. First thing to figure out is a date, then a place to stay, then the rest will come later.  A million decisions to be made.  I'm open to any and all advice.  I'd love to hear any Paris experiences or suggestions. I'm going to be documenting the planning process all the way through.  My goal is to help make it easier on those that really have dreamed about going to Paris, but are afraid to plan a trip on their own.

Oh and by the way, Thank you to my new French friend for giving me the push to finally make this happen!! Merci!

Nighttime View From The Very Top Of The Eiffel Tower

One of my favorite pictures from Paris.....

The view from the very top of La Tour Eiffel at night is breathtaking.  I am so looking forward to going back and seeing this again!!

After 4 Years, Paris Keeps Calling Me Back.

Today marks the 4th anniversary since I got on a plane and landed in Paris for the first time.  I will never forget how I tried to contain my emotions as I saw La Tour Eiffel for the first time.  I worried I might get more than a few funny looks from my fellow travelers if I was openly sobbing.  I  couldn't help it, finally I was living my dream of always wanting to see Paris.  That 5 days became the beginning of some fabulous friendships that I have maintained through today.  It also turned me into a certified Francophile and I still cannot get enough of all things Paris.  I read virtually every book that has Paris as it's subject matter,  mastered making macarons, and have tried (unsuccessfully) to learn French.  The latter I am still working on!  My house is filled with Parisian themed decor and I even picked a French name (Zoe) for my dog when we adopted her.

So my obsession is not going to fade anytime soon.  I plan on returning to Paris next year. I want to see all the things I missed the first time, but more importantly, I just want to sit in a cafe and take it all in without being in a hurry. So until then, I will enjoy the memories of that trip 4 years ago and dream of the day that I will see La Tour Eiffel again!

Tuesday Travel Snapshot-Monet's Gardens

Monet's Gardens, Giverny
I can still smell all the beautiful flowers.  April is a perfect time to go to Paris and even better to take a day trip to Giverny to visit Monet's home and gardens

Reliving My Paris Vacation

It's been awhile since I've posted anything.  The long dark days of winter usually mean lots of time spent hibernating at home with just short trips out.  As a result, I haven't had much to write about lately, basically just trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained during the holidays and spending my Saturdays driving an eager teenager to her beginning gymnastics classes 50 miles away. Yup, pretty uneventful, but as spring is right around the corner things are looking up. In April I have a fun overnighter planned with a very good friend to see Garbage in Madison. Absolutely LOVE seeing live music!  In June I turn the big 5-0!  I'm still trying to decide what to do to celebrate this milestone!

So as the anniversary of my Paris trip comes up, I am longing to relive those days spent in my kinda paradise.  Today I pulled out my pictures, map, and Rick Steves Paris guidebook and went back to that wonderful trip.  This was one of my favorite things from that trip.

It was day three which was a free day for everyone in our tour group.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do....go shopping of course.  My goal was to buy an authentic Longchamp handbag in Paris.  I wanted to go to a Monoprix for some french cosmetics and a few clothing items and I wanted to go to Bon Marche and  La Grande Epicerie, the gourmet grocer next door.  So armed with my trusty guidebook and my Michelin Paris map off I went in the morning after breakfast.  I was pretty confident I would have no trouble finding my way.  I love to read maps and I had studied where I was gonna go.  Since our hotel was by the Eiffel Tower I found my way to Boulevard de Grenelle and set off on foot toward La Bon Marche.  I found a nice sized Monoprix on this street right across from a Mc Donald's.  I spent lots of time here
 scanning the aisles of cosmetics and skin care items.  This was heaven to me.  So much to chose from it was making me dizzy.  I ended up buying some Boujous mineral makeup and lip-gloss and a tube of Bioderma matte primer.  I couln't leave without some cute funky jewery and some inexpensive tops. I also loaded up on some chocolates to take home. I went to check out and had a little trouble using my credit card, of course the clerk was speaking rapid fire french to me that I could not understand.  I just pulled out another card and thank goodness this one worked!!

So off I was back on Boulevard de Grenelle, then to Boulevard Garibaldi and finally Rue de Sevres to my destination.  I arrived first at La Grande Epicerie.  This grocery was unlike anything I have ever seen before.  I mainly wandered around looking at the aisles of sweet treats.  This place is a food lovers paradise! I ended up purchasing more chocolate (a surprise I know!) and some souvenirs.  By this time I had worked up an appetite and went to the pastry counter and decided a pain au chocolate would be the perfect snack.  Next stop La Bon Marche.  Here I was on a mission.  It was afternoon by this time and I wanted to get back to the hotel in time to rest a little before dinner. I easily found the Longchamp department right on the first floor.  Oh how I wished I could explore every floor of this iconic department store!  In the end I came out of there with not one but two Longchamp handbags.  Oh what a happy girl I was.  I did exactly what I set out to do that day.

Back to the hotel I went.  Wait, I had one more thing to do!  There was a pain au chocolate calling my name in one of my bags.  I found a bench on a tree lined street and sat and enjoyed that yummy pastry.  Absolute heaven,  My shopping day was complete!

My 5 Favorite Paris Books

I have debated for some time now just what are my favorite books about Paris and/or France.  There are an abundance of books both fiction and non-fiction about my favorite city.  I have read MANY of them, which is why I have been so indecisive about which are my favorites.  For the sake of keeping my post short, I have come up with 5 that have been a joy to read.  These ended up all being non-fiction, I suppose because I cannot get enough of the Parisian way of life.  I am always hoping some of that will rub off on me.  All of these books I look back at from time to time.  Guess it is part of the attempt to relive visiting Paris.  I have hard copies of all these as a result.

These are in no special order and each has its own purpose.

In preparing for my trip in 2011 I was obsessed with knowing as much about Paris as I could.  I bought Rick Steves Paris 2011.  I didn't realize what a help that book would be to me.  I carried it everywhere.  Even though I was with a tour, I wanted to know what I wanted to see on my free time. Note how I still have all those post it tabs to mark interesting things!  Also it was a god send to have after my trip when I was preparing to make my photo book and fill in my travel journal. It made it easier to recall monuments and other things that I thought I would remember but didn't

Being the committed Francophile that I am these next two taught me much about French culture.  French Or Foe by Polly Pratt explains what makes the French so different from us. From the working culture to family life, this book is a must read for anyone interested in traveling or moving to France.  Say what you want about the French, but their lifestyle makes for some interesting reading!  Along with that,  French Toast by Harriet Welty Rochefort is a wonderful memoir by a woman who grew up in Iowa but had an attraction to France.  I always admire people who can take a leap of faith and follow their dreams.  Even if those dreams take them half way across the world.  She tries to make sense of the Paris lifestyle. Not so easy for someone from Iowa!

To me the king of American expats living on Paris is David Lebovitz.  If you have never read his blog you have to take a look.  His book The Sweet Life In Paris is full of recipes done the French way and funny insights into the city of light.  As a lover of all the food Paris has to offer (especially of the sweet kind!), this book is a perfect match for me.

My last favorite book is Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange.  This book is a step by step guide to create that unique Parisian style. It is full of colorful  illustrations.  Not everyone in Paris shops at Hermes or Louis Vuitton.  There is style to be found at (gasp) your nearest Monoprix.  Buy the best you can afford for the classic pieces and have fun with the rest.

So that does it for my list.  Like I said there are lots of others that I loved (saved for another blog post perhaps).  I am always looking for books about Paris and the French.  You may have some suggestions for me.  Please let me know!