After touching down in Paris, we found most of our luggage and made our way to the information center in Charles De Gaulle airport. Our home base for the week, the Artus Hotel, was a modern boutique hotel with 30 intimate rooms located just a few blocks south of the Seine River in a part of town known as Saint-Germain-des-Prés. On the fifth floor, we had a view of Rue de Buci, a lively street lined with small cafés, shops, and street performers. We loved being in a vibrant part of town, so if the late-night noise overpowered the cool-night breeze, the central air was a welcomed benefit.
Day 1
MORNING Our hotel reservation offered us complimentary breakfast every morning, and we quickly took advantage. We had a hard time choosing each morning between the eggs, sausage, fresh crêpes, french breads, and fruits. After making sure the international plans on our phones were working properly and that we had our money and passports secured, we set out to explore the city.
AFTERNOON Although everything around us let us know we weren’t in Nebraska anymore, standing in the gardens before the Eiffel Tower let us know we’d really arrived. Bypassing the long lines for the elevators was a smart idea for us, and we trekked the 300+ stairs to the first level of the tower. We spent our time circling the tower, taking pictures and soaking in our first real panoramic view of the city. From here, we marched to the Arc de Triomphe, picking up sandwiches in a local shop along the way.
EVENING We settled into a small café for dinner, appropriately named the Café de Paris. Our waiter was charming and very patient. After commenting how great our food was, he responded with a smile saying, “Of course, my love, you’re in Paris. Everything is fantastic.” He was spot on.
Day 3
MORNING We started the day sharing a raspberry, ham, egg, and cheese crêpe. It was a surreal experience enjoying the street food in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral. After breakfast, we waited in line to take the tour of Notre Dame. We appreciated the quiet of the church and took some time to light a few candles and say a few prayers.
AFTERNOON After an early lunch, we doubled back towards the left bank of the Seine, and walked the street vendors that sold a variety of art, trinkets, prints, and posters. We purchased some art from a man painting on the Pont des Arts, a famous bridge covered in locks placed by people in love. As a way of proclaiming everlasting love, couples etch their names on a lock, place it on the bridge, and throw the keys into the river. Of course, we took part in this ritual as well.
EVENING We stopped back at our hotel to change into more formal evening wear, and headed off for a night at the Crazy Horse cabaret (lecrazyhorseparis.com/en). The show was what the French consider a more modern, more risqué cabaret. Both of us raved about the show as we walked in near perfect weather back to our hotel.
Day 7
MORNING An early morning pastry at Paul (paul.fr), a metro ride to the train station, and a 25-minute train ride led us to the Palace of Versailles. The lines were long, but the Palace was beautiful. We went on a Sunday, which we quickly found was the busiest day to visit. Rick Steves, an authority on travel, provides excellent information for many major attractions, but we found his guide for Versailles especially helpful.
AFTERNOON We had yet to visit the Latin Quarter, so we took a quick detour to a local grocery store, bought some french bread, cheese, ham and wine and walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg. A massive fountain with small tables and chairs made a wonderfully romantic setting for an afternoon meal.
EVENING For our evening meal, we chose the famous café, Les Deux Magots (lesdeuxmagots.fr). It was here we had our best meal in Paris, and it was only a few blocks from our hotel. After the meal, we passed on dessert at the restaurant to walk back towards our hotel and eat some street-side gelato. A few cocktails and a setting sun meant our time in Paris was nearly over. With each sip we took a little longer as we tried to drink in as much of our surroundings as we could. Paris was everything we’d hoped for, and we cannot wait to return.
