Paris Escar'got Me. Part 2.

Day 3

Paris was still sleeping and I was awake getting ready in my tea cup sized apartment for a photoshoot. I decided to go with an all white outfit, a warm brown/cream paisley scarf I had bought in Rome the year previous and my trusty tan trench coat. 7am on the M9 through Paris was so quiet and peaceful as I raced to meet the charming photographer, Giuseppe at Trocadero platform. I had booked him to take some shots to memorialize my trip to Paris.

I was instantly mesmerized by the sight of brides and grooms being photographed with the ethereal Eiffel Tower in the background. Again, I think of how many people would have been photographed here since it was finished in 1889 and there I was dressed all in white also, as if I was like Carrie Bradshaw marrying myself. The sky was just barely clear with glimmers of sun & blue sky peering through, the perfect Parisian morning.

Giuseppe came to greet me based on a loose description of what I was wearing and the tiny AirBNB photo he would have seen on my profile. The biggest, brightest smile, effortlessly perfect curls atop his head and dressed simple yet smart for the weather that morning (you know, the type that just pulls off mixing brown leather and suede without looking like a cowboy?)... he couldn't have been more friendly. We were both slightly confused when this dark haired 20-something women started coming towards us dressed as if she was going to a tea party. AirBNB Experiences had managed to have a glitch in their booking and booked her for the exact same time. Giuseppe apologized profusely to the both of us for the mistake but because we were both so laid back about it, we both just laughed and agreed to do this photoshoot session together. Her name was Katharine and she was a pilot from New York but was living/working in Europe, she turned out to be hilarious and helped make me comfortable in posing (we also may have done some pretend engagement style photos haha).

I immediately told Giuseppe my insecurities that I didn't want captured in photos and he was incredibly sweet as he gladly took my notes into consideration. I'm sure he's heard it all but I was so grateful for his approach and never made me feel anything other than special... that's a skill!

After an hour of shooting and having just so much fun with it, it was time for me to zoom back on the metro for my next experience I had booked: Maison Fleuret! I was going to be an artisanal french baker for the morning. Macarons!

My instructor Sara was from Ireland, living in Paris and teaching travellers. She was really sweet, funny and very helpful with my very limited skills (really, no skill at all) as a baker. As always, part of the fun of being involved in group activities when travelling is talking to others; The two girls on University break from Toronto, the couple on a romantic getaway from Georgia, USA and next to me was a fabulous Southern-Californian grandmother dressed impeccably and adorned with Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry as she was visiting her grandson who is studying abroad... she and I hit it off and tried to really help each other make our Macarons look as perfect as can be.

I managed to make pretty okay pink macarons with mango filling and to my shock they were actually edible! Regardless of the taste, it felt like the perfect Parisian activity.

I sauntered back to my AirBNB to get some rest as it was a very early morning and my jetlag was still kicking my ass but of course I needed to take in the sights along the way. After a quick nap, I decided to venture around for the day and explore the Montemartre area. It was one of those rainy-now not rainy-now rainy-now hot and sunny kind of days so it was a perfect day to just bop around aimlessly.

That evening I decided to try out this new-to-me website my friend Davina told me about; she has done far more travel than I have and is always finding cool ways to travel. Eat With gives people unforgettable, immersive culinary experiences. "From home or abroad, join intimate culinary experiences led by passionate hosts and chefs that will take your breath away." I ended up booking a very appropriate dinner for me (I always love true Italian food!) "Italian Dinner with Artists in Montemartre". Lello & Nes were wonderful hosts: Lello was the culinary master for the evening and Nes was the wonderfully eccentric host with the most! Looking over the artististic driven streets of Montemartre was their Van Gogh era apartment. A large bright orange-red bespoke replica of Michelangelo's David stood in the corner of their dining room (Nes had been gifted after doing work for a Fendi fashion show) and a Baroque chandelier hung over the table that was dressed with beautiful china, candelabras, etc. Joining was a great husband and wife couple from Charlotte, North Carolina who were just the epitome of southern charm. The dinner was just one incredible dish after another and so much great conversation. I loved this experience.

Day 4

It was time to figure out exactly what I was doing with my current situation in Paris. I couldn't take much more of the AirBNB... I had to find alternate lodging especially because I had officially decided to scrap the next lag of my trip which was Milan. I jumped onto booking.com and searched for a hotel nearby because I loved the area I was in.

Le Relais du Marais! They even allowed me to check in early and in fact encouraged it when I was messaging with them while booking. I packed up my stuff and left the tiny-less-than-ideal AirBNB and walked around the corner to the hotel. Upon check-in I had asked the front desk agent if she knew of a great salon as I desperately wanted a haircut and she helped me get an appointment booked for later that day. She told me once I get settled in my room that I should get my stuff together for the day and go explore... (She was actually pretty clear with me that one of the massive protests was going to be happening that day just outside the hotel and to get out of the area). It was pretty evident that something was going to happen as when I left the hotel the streets were lined with police vehicles and police everywhere.

I headed over to Franck Provost and got my hair cut... what a glorious feeling it was to have my hair properly washed after a few days. I'm a pretty high maintenance hair client (surprise, surprise) in the way that I usually get a touch up from my barber every week to stay fresh and well kept. The stylist did a perfect job even though we weren't able to fluidly communicate, she did great.

Leaving the hair appointment I came across a tattoo place and they had a sign welcoming walk-in appointments so I decided to go in. I ended up getting a cute minimalist line tattoo of two cats for my two cats at home that my incredible friend Kathryn was taking care of: Harry Winston Donnelly & Sally Field Donnelly (get it, when Harry met Sally?). The tattoo artist did a perfect job, exactly what I wanted and she was done in 20 minutes.. it was perfect.

I spent the rest of the day just eating my way through beautiful patisseries, incredible restaurants and shopping for little souvenirs. I made my way towards this fun little Canadian pub that my client Becky had told me about from years before when she traveled to Paris. I was on a bit of a booze cleanse at the time I arrived in Europe so I sat and had a non-alcoholic Heineken while watching passers-by (of course while taking a selfie to send to Becky haha).

A very good friend of mine, Rebecca, who is essentially the modern day Carmen Sandiego was going to be flying in that evening from London for a quick less-than-24-hour trip to see me in Paris. Knowing it would be a late night I went back to my hotel to take a nap. In my travels back to my hotel I noticed this massive statue from 1883 at Republique had been defaced during the protests that day with "MACRON DEMISSION!". Paris had been faced with a lot of protests/riots at this time... but as the locals said... when are they not!? Turns out, I had great timing... I had missed the protest, which was great because I definitely needed a nap.

After a few flight delays and a frustrated Becca, she finally arrived in Paris at about 11pm haha. I raced on the metro down to her hotel and sat in the funky Roy Lichtenstein-esque inspired lobby and gave her the biggest hug as she came in. The man behind the bar down in the hotel lobby said as long as we wanted he would keep open for us... so we stayed up chatting until 3am and he even made us a pizza haha.

Day 5

The line-up at Cafe de Flore is always long but Rebecca and I decided to at the least give it a try and within two minutes a server grabbed us out of the line and took us right in because they had a two-top available. Simple white china adorned with 'Cafe de Flore" and rich espressos, we perused the menu while surrounded by haunting history within the walls of the historic cafe. After the First World War crowds flocked to the neighbouring cafe, Les Deux Magots, to glimpse celebrities while the more leftest literary types like Ernest Hemingway, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Paul Sartre *(amongst many others) would spend entire days treating the landmark as their "office".

After fueling ourselves with a rich french brunch to combat our late night and then early rise (Rebecca being much more used to that as a mother of three kids), we were off to explore Paris together. We set our sites at the Rodin Museum.

Originally the Hotel Biron, the Rodin Museum houses the beautiful works of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). It is an incredibly ornate museum and every room more luxurious than the next. We spent a couple hours going through the galleries and enjoying the elaborate grounds. The museum and grounds are maintained with nothing but the highest integrity.

Once we finished at the museum, we wandered the streets of the 7th arrondisement until we worked our way eventually to the Champ de Mars where it was swarmed with people enjoying the Eiffel Tower and all the life happening around it. We hopped on a tuk-tuk and headed up to Trocadero so that we would be at a convenient Uber location for my dear friend to catch an Uber. We grabbed Aperol Spritz' (mine was non-alcoholic) and charcuterie at Cafe du Trocadero, a perfect spot to people watch and talk.

After Rebecca zoomed back to the airport I went back to my hotel for a nap. When I woke up I texted my friend Evelyn to see if she wanted to grab dinner and we set up a plan to meet up to find a restaurant. We are both the same in the way we like to keep it affordable but definitely authentic. We started in the Marais and strolled along reading every restaurant menu along the way until we eventually reached the Latin Quarter.

La Cochonnaille was just a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant tucked into an alleyway in the 5th arrondissement just past Pont Saint-Michel. The waiter/owner was a tall very older gentleman and he let us look over the outside menu until we finally decided to stay for dinner. When I took the walking tour of Paris a few days before the tour guide, Johann, told our group that it is actually proper to put your elbows on the table to show you were engaged in conversation with your dinner guest; this wasn't difficult as Evelyn was a very engaging person. This unassuming restaurant was probably one of the better meals I had in Paris. Delicious breads, scrumptious escargot, mouthwatering steak and of course a traditional creme brule paired with rich espresso. Having dinner in the streets of Paris just feels rich with traditional customs.

From there we went to a famous jazz club located in a perfectly dim basement of a historic building: Caveau de la Huchette. I'm not overly a jazz enthusiast but it just felt like the place to be. The band was incredible and we noticed something right away that we loved... Everyone danced, old dancing with young, traditional swing dancing, smiles galore, passion and fun. It was charming and perfect. A fantastic night in Paris.

Day 5

A simple breakfast at my hotel while booking my tickets for Musee D'Orsay as per recommendation from my dear client, Susan. She told me when she visited Paris it was her favourite museum so I knew I had to go.

Van Gogh, Manet, Redon, Renoir, Degas, Tissot and the reason I was there, Monet and his famed painting of water lilies. ""Nymphaea" is the botanical name for a water lily. Monet grew white water lilies in the water garden he had installed in his property at Giverny in 1893. From the 1910s until he died in 1926, the garden and its pond in particular, became the artist's sole source of inspiration. He said: "I have come back to things that are impossible to do: water with weeds waving in the depths. Apart from painting and gardening, I am good for nothing. My greatest masterpiece is my garden."
Eliminating the horizon and the sky, Monet focused on a small area of the pond, seen as a piece of nature, almost a close-up. No details stand out and the overall impression is one of a shapeless surface. The square format reinforces the neutrality of the composition. The lack of a frame of reference gives the fragment an infinite, limitless feeling.
Never was the artist's brushstroke so free, so detached from the description of forms. A close-up view of the canvas gives a feeling of total abstraction, because the brushstrokes are stronger than the identification of the plants or their reflections. The viewer has to make a constant visual and mental effort to piece together the landscape suggested in the painting. The unfinished borders accentuate this insistence on painting as a surface covered with paint, which was not lost on artists after the Second World War, particularly American painters exploring "abstract landscapes" and "lyrical abstraction."" - Musee D’Orsay

I felt so peaceful leaving Musee D'Orsay. Have you ever felt like you were floating? I had no plans, no destination in mind, just open and peaceful. I walked and walked, taking in some of my final beauty moments of a sunny spring day in Paris. I walked and I walked. Peaceful. Well, it was peaceful until I walked right into Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in the 9th arr. I was just window shopping and taking in the luxurious fashions until I stumbled into Dolce & Gabbana. The knock-your-socks-off stunning man working immediately had my attention and somehow talked me into, making a purchase... god, he was beautiful haha.

Remember Johann? The phenomenal tour guide I had at the beginning of the week? He got ahold of me to tell me that he was doing a tour of Montmartre that evening so I booked in.

It was a much smaller group this time around: just me and a couple visiting from New Zealand. I lit a candle at Sacre-Coeur, had incredible Macarons from Carette, saw the birthplace of the word "bistro", listened to a musician who had a handsome tuxedo cat sitting on his accordion while he played (who looked so much like my Harry boy back home!), pretended I was Emily in Paris out front of the made-mainstream-famous La Maison Rose and stood outside the residence where Van Gogh lived when he was in Paris. It was a heart warming tour of the artsy district of the city. I loved it.

For the first five minutes on the hour after dusk, the Eiffel Tower does a sparkling light show and I decided this would be the perfect evening to take it in. I knew this ride well on the metro now, so well that I didn't even have to map it out. I made it to the Trocadero platform just before 10pm and there on the platform out in the open air with crowds galore was a man with a keyboard playing and singing beautifully a cover of the song "Until I Found You" by Stephen Sanchez, in a humble way it brought me to quiet tears. I chose to experience the light show specifically on this day because it was the anniversary of my grandfather's passing and something special to connect with him in some cosmic way.

Afterwards I took a long walk back to my hotel so that I could experience the sights of the "city of light" at night. I grabbed a very late dinner at a restaurant I had visited a couple times just across from my hotel which was aptly named "La Favorite". Delicious truffle pasta and an ice cold 0.0% beer... It was exactly what I needed after an emotional experience.

Day 6

The last day was a perfect day to spend some time in the Marais area. Shops that stood the test of time, tea shopping at Mariage Freres, sipping espresso in cafes and a delicious lunch at Les Philosophes. Fragrant chicken curry that still has my mouth watering.

Then it was off to pick up a few little souvenirs and shop for glasses at the adorable and stylish "Le Petit Lunetiere" before heading back to my hotel and packing while it poured rain outside.


Every time I travel, I always say how a place has changed me but it's true. Every experience in life changes us. Seeing the life, love and passion of Paris and truly allowing myself to be present within the glorious city... It changed me. I already can't wait to go back.

"Breathe in Paris, it nourishes the soul" - Victor Hugo