Day two of our 10 day trip was a very special day, Harli's 21st birthday!
We took the Thalys train from Amsterdam Centraal to Paris-Nord at 1:30 and arrived about 3hrs later. The Thalys high-speed train is a modern bullet train which runs in 4 European countries (France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands), connecting 17 cities. This was a nice quick ride considering the distance. Paris-Nord station was much busier than the other stations we traveled through, and is considered the biggest train station in France. Be very conscious of your surroundings at all times. You will see warning signs to be cautious of pick-pockets everywhere.
Upon arrival we hailed a cab to The Rose Bourbon Hotel, home for the next three nights. I chose this quaint corner hotel as it was located in the 15th Arrondissement and a central location for most of the things I had planned for Paris. If you did not already know, Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements or municipal districts. The numbering begins in the heart of Paris and continues in the spiraling shape of a snail shell, ending to the far east. So for example, the Eiffel Tower is a 7 minute walk from Hotel Rose Bourbon, even though the Eiffel Tower is in the 7th Arr. and Rose Bourbon is in the 15th. The HRB is a small, yet beautiful hotel hosting only 39 rooms and located in a typical Parisian square that offers shopping, bakeries, bars and more. Please take note of the room you choose to reserve, some are very tiny but you truly can't beat the cost of this hotel. "The decor is happy union between the spirit of Art Deco and elements of contemporary design created and customized by a talented interior architect named Élodie Lenoir, from EL’LE interior stories". The lobby is sure to host an insta worthy photo while enjoying an aperitif or a nightcap in the reception lounge!
After we got settled into this cozy little hotel we got dressed for our first night out in the city of love! As always, dinner reservations were made in advance. Tonight we were at 20 Eiffel, a 2022 Michelin recommended restaurant featured in Best of Guides: Paris, Where to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower. The interior is bright and elegant and the patio seating is to die for! Located on a quiet closed off street, 200 meters and a picture perfect view away of the Eiffel Tower itself. 20 Eiffel offers a classic french homemade menu. We started with a bottle of Chardonnay for the table, I enjoy the fish of the day, while Harli had the Duck Confit. Dessert was on the house for the birthday girl and she opted for the Violet Mousse and Meringue. Dinner was completed with an accordion playing street performer. The perfect place to celebrate Harli's 21st!
The next item on the agenda, the Eiffel Tower! We walked towards the Eiffel Tower to find the perfect spot to wait for the tower to start sparkling, or as Harli would say "sprinkle".
Everywhere was packed, we snapped a couple pics and decided to cross the bridge and view from the other side of the Seine River. Best idea ever! Found the perfect spot, ironically named Port de Billy, that was not too crowded at all where waited for dusk and the tower to light up. The tower did not disappoint! We enjoyed the view for awhile then made our way back towards the hotel but not without a couple of pit stops. First being Castle Cafe that has street view of the Eiffel Tower so we got to catch the next round of it sparkling. The next spot we stopped at was about 4 blocks from our hotel called Plan B. A bit more of a dive bar, but fun nonetheless. They even gave us a shot of Mangoe Passion Citron (vodka and fermented mangoes) or possibly gasoline, I'm not sure. From there it was time to get a great night of sleep and prepare for another jam packed day.
Day three started off early with some pastries from the corner bakery and wandering the neighborhood a little before we took an Uber to the 14th arr. We had purchased tickets for The Catacombs at 1pm and arrived a little early so we killed time at the Indian Cafe across the street. I finally tried an Aperol Spritz. Not my favorite but also didn't hate it. We then got in line and were allowed to enter at our exact ticket time. It's hard to believe that this is something you can tour and that you are walking through stacks of human remains. This tour may not be for everyone, the largest ossuary in the world and houses the remains of several million Parisians. The remains span over nearly 2000 acres, while the tour area is a very small portion, 131 steps down to get in, 1,500 meters long and another 112 steps up to get out. I am just in awe by the history of the catacombs.
Next up, an Uber over to the 8th arr. to see the Arc de Triumph.... but we were in for a surprise as much of it was blocked off due to the Tour de France in full action. Another amazing event to see! From there we did a little shopping, stopped for charcuterie at Le Monte Carlo and a nice glass of white wine. We made our way back count by seeing some other interesting sites such as the American Cathedral and the Flame of Liberty. This was especially neat to see. It is a full sized, gold leaf replica of the statue of Liberty's flame. It was offered to the people of France by donors from around the world and symbolizes the Franco-American friendship. It is also the unofficial memorial for Princess Diana after her untimely death under the Pont de l'Alma. You will see the flame heavily decorated with memorabilia and commemorative material honoring Princess Diana. From there, on to the Palais de Chaillot and over to the Trocadéro area. There was a lot under construction so we grabbed an ice cream cone, walked out the stairs for a few pics then headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner.
I was excited for our dinner cruise on the Seine River. I chose a later reservation so we could, you guessed it, watch the Eiffel Tower sprinkle again. The dinner cruise offered two true Parisian options and lasted a couple hours. It took us down the Seine River where we could get a good glimpse of several landmarks including Norte Dame, the Statue of Liberty(a quarter sized replica given to France by the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution) & The Louvre. The food was not bad at all, but the experience was more about the sites. After dinner, it was time to call it a night, back to the hotel we went.
Third day in Paris, fourth day of the trip, was another jam-packed day of events. We started the day doing a little shopping near the hotel. Picked up some macarons at Pierre Marcolini. Then grabbed a lite lunch at a cozy French-Brasserie called A La Tour Eiffel before heading back to the room to get freshened up. Ordered an Uber then off to the Louvre we went! Purchasing tickets in-advance is always recommended. I selected a 3:30pm tour time, get to the museum early as the line is long! You can skip the main line and enter by the carrousel to save some time but still expect a wait. The Louvre closes at 6pm each day besides Friday and is closed on Tuesday's so be sure to keep that in mind when selecting your entrance time. Get skip the line tickets here! We grabbed a paper map upon entrance and made a game plan on our must see exhibits to make the most of our time. Each of us had a few "must-sees" in mind so we determined our time would be spent in the Sully Wing & the Denon Wing. The Sully Wing houses most of the Greek, Italian and Egyptian Antiquities. Some notable exhibits in the Sully Wing would be the sculptures of Venus de Milo, thought to by Aphrodite- artist unknown, The Dying and Rebellious Slaves – Michelangelo(I failed to get a picture) and Winged Victory of Samothrace. Billy was excited to see Zeus. There were so many absolutely breathtaking sculptures! On to the Italian paintings, we spent a bit of waiting in line for the Mona Lisa, but she was worth the wait! Lastly, my absolute must see, The Napoleon Apartments. Located in the Richelieu Wing. The Louvre was a palace before it became a museum. Kings, emperors, ministers and courtiers wandered its maze of hallways long before the first museum visitors arrived and the palace’s dazzling past is best reflected in the Napoleon III Apartments. Each room is loaded with intricate details and exuded splendor and opulence! Two and a half hours at the Louvre wasn't nearly enough, we certainly could have spent all day there!
We attempted to make our way back to the hotel on foot, we wanted to see the Pont des Arts, better known as the Love Locks Bridge. Unbeknownst to us the locks have been removed in 2015 as the bridge gave in and unfortunately collapsed as it was not structurally sound enough to bear the weight of over 700,000 locks. It is now illegal to place locks on the bridge. I did get to purchase a piece of Parisian street art by the bridge though, and that would be my favorite purchase in Paris.
Time for our last dinner in Paris. I made reservations at La Plage Parisienne. Located on the Seine river with beautiful views. I chose patio seating, unfortunately the weather was a little wet so we had to sit under the awning on the patio. The restaurant was beautiful, "In a colorful Roaring Twenties decor designed by Martin Brudnizki, waterside cuisine can be enjoyed in an atmosphere infused with good musical vibes". As always, we started with an app to share. Opting for the tarama à la truffe maison du caviar and gambas black tiger à la plancha. I am still dreaming of these plates today! The food was amazing and the service was excellent. The menu is priced accordingly, so you can expect to dish out a premium for your dinner here and rightfully so.
After dinner we did the usual and made our way back to the hotel. We watched the Eiffel Tower lite up one more time stopped for a glass of Chardonnay at Castel Cafe and finished with another glass at Fleur.
Paris was not originally on my bucket list but I am so thankful for my time here. Next stop, Edinburgh, Scotland.
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