We flew Air France from Bordeaux to Paris and took a Uber to our budget hotel, Grand Hotel Noveau Paris. We walked in and immediately thought of the movie Four Hotel Rooms. The lobby was dark and dingy and the front desk manager was MIA but after a few minutes the old man emerged from the elevator with a massive garbage bin. We checked in smoothly and took the teeny tiny elevator up to the third floor. Our front door molding was so close to the elevator it touched the elevator molding. Our room had a double bed, two tiny bedside tables and a tiny desk all touching each other. The bathroom was smaller than mine was in my studio apartment in NYC, and Nick and I could barely fit in the shower separately. Our window view was of another window, but we had pretty detail on our ceiling. All in all very Parisian and typical for a cheap expensive city hotel.
After checking in we walked through l’isle Saint Louis to Notre Dame, then back north and stopped at Le Petit Bistro for happy hour and a cheese plate (Camembert, goat at blue.) We learned that if you arrive during happy hour you’ll continue to get the deal until you depart- wish the US had this. After sunset we continued our journey and ended up wandering up Rue St Denis and the surrounding area. Restaurant, after bar, after restaurant, after bar. One pedestrian street after another. A very cool area, albeit a bit too touristy. We landed inside Le Relais du Vin for beers (a quieter bar;) their happy hour goes until 11pm. Then stopped in La Fee Verte a block from our hotel on the way home.
In the morning we made the trek up to Sacré Cœur. On the way we tried to eat at Du Pain et Des Idées, apparently one of the best bakeries in Paris, but it was closed. Much hotter than expected we sweated our way to the church but it was well worth it for the views alone.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city. We stumbled into a cute alleyway flea market- Passages des Panoramas, and upon Rue Montorgueil, a pedestrian street full of outdoor cafes. Escargot Montorgueil especially stood out with it’s giant gold snail.
We grabbed a shwarma at Al Moustan falafel bar and bought me new teal New Balances at Foot Locker. My cowboy boots had been murdering my feet for days, and I still don’t understand the fuss.
We had fantastic oysters at Huîtres Regis. It’s one of the pricier meals of our trip but the spot was highly recommended and well worth the cost. They oysters were the largest and meatiest we’ve ever had- nothing like oysters back home. My favorite was the spéciales perles noires Cadoret. We paired them with a lovely white wine, the champagne would have been too much of a splurge on our budget.
Right nearby we bought macaroons at Pierre Herme, another pricey but recommended spot. Passion fruit and chocolate were recommended but unavailable, so instead we tried pea mint, coffee, salted caramel. We ate them in the church park across the street.
Next stop was Les Antiquaires for cocktails and a meat cheese plate, one of our less liked spots. Then we continued our walk west to the Eiffel Tower. We joined the mass crowd sitting on the grass adjacent to the tower, bought brut from one of the men selling liquor to the crowd, and watched the sunset. It’s the first time I saw the lights flicker on the tower as the sun went down.
Nick knocked over a money tray from a Living Statuesm on our way out. We had beers at Royal Beaubourg and chatted with a French and Swiss family about Trump. One of them was a huge fan. We then bolted and ended up at California Avenue bar off Rue St Denis.
The next morning we walked to Dim Sum Cantine Montmarte, a dumplings and fish tartar spot. Didn’t end up eating here but would love to next time. Instead we had sushi at Okaka Sushi on Rue Montmarte, cheap lunch specials but not great quality.
Today was all about the Louvre. Unfortunately the Van Gogh/Monet rooms were temporarily closed, something I didn’t know was possible. We made it through over half of the museum before needing to leave for fear of passing out.
A Nutella crepe and an egg/cheese crepe doused in Tabasco put us back on our feet. We stopped at a Carrefour market and walked to Jardin Luxembourg. We plopped down exhausted on the grass amongst the locals.Our last dinner in Paris was at Le Servan. A restaurant that was highly recommended and has great reviews, and happens to be right near our hotel. It was supposedly a seafood spot according to every post but when we got there we found out that it was mostly meats. Unfortunately by the time of our reservation everything we craved on the menu was sold out. We ended up getting the raw squid salad, the beef tataki salad and the white asparagus. The food was okay and the cost is pricey. We’d be willing to try it again for the clams that people rave about, and maybe the octopus that was sold out.
The next morning we headed to Strasbourg on the TGV leaving from Gare l’Est. I bought a baguette sandwich from Les Petits Caprices, a gourmet deli across from the train station. Nick bought food from the street vendor across the street. A panini for lunch and an egg/cheese/chorizo crepe for us for breakfast. The chorizo had an African curry sauce that was fantastic.
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Next time stay near the canal, near Ten Belles. Artsy hipster neighborhood. Great boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops.
Eat at Des Pains et Des Idees (bakery), Septime, Clamato, Breizh Cafe (savory crepes), Crabe Royale.
Apple Store in Paris on our 9 month anniversary.
MICHAEL FAMILY 