Paris, Day 4: Exploring the 1st Arrond.
There are some places that everybody needs to do in Paris. A daytrip guide to the 1st Arrondissement:
Paris, 1st Arrond. itinerary:
- Chez Jean: €1.90 breakfast--Cheaper than buying water. A croissant and a cup of coffee. Technically, it's not in the 1st arrond, but it was close to my hotel and on the way to the metro station. So there.
- Louvre: Mona Lisa, Venus, etc etc. A must-go.
- L'ecume on St. Honore: Amazing seafood. Once you get beyond the tackiness of a ceiling with seagulls painted on it and a continual loop of seagull squawking, you'll realize your love for French oysters and seafood.
- Comptoir Change: Near the old Opera House. Exchanging money can be a hassle since most currency exchange places give you a raw deal. Comptoir has one of the best rates in town.
- Anish Kapoor @ the Grand Palais. Simply amazing. You have to go.
- A la Biche au Bois: Great rustic French food. The portions are hearty, and the atmosphere is very casual. I had the coq au vin, it was devine.
- Louvre at Night: A second look under the lune is breathtaking
- Hotel Costes: It's been around for years, but it's still one cool and swanky lounge.
Paris, Day 3: Le Marais, a space of cream puffs and galaries
On our third day of Paris, my Kelly said to me let's go visit the 3rd arrond to check out some galleries:
Cream Puffs, Galleries, and Space Invaders
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (districts) starting from the heart of the city and coiling out in a clockwise direction. Since we stayed at the Hotel Gabriel right next to the 3rd and 11th arrond, we decided to start the day in Le Marais and head toward the Left Bank to check out the Musee D'Orsay:
- Musee Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Industry)
- Contemporary Art Galleries
- Cream Puffs at
- Musee D'Orsay
- Jardin aux Tuileries
- Musee D'Orsay
- Cartier Foundation
- Indiana café
- Le Severo for dinner: a meat lovers paradise. (the owner used to be a butcher)
Paris, Day 2: A Boat Ride to the Eiffel Tower
We got a late start on Tuesday due to jetlag, but hey, its my honeymoon.
Sight seeing over Paris with a little duck face.
Things that we did:
- Basilique du Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart Cathedral) - Headed there and stopped by a local boulangerie for bread and picked up some jambon. Lunch on the steps of Sacred Coer with a little duckfacing.
- Montmatre
- Run-in with a pick pocket
- St. Germaine
- Université Paris-Sorbonne
- Le Bateau Mouche
- Trocadero
- Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower)
Paris, Day 1: Getting to know the City of Lights
Arrived in Paris at 9:30AM. Here is a collage of day one, more details to come.
Key things to do on arrival:
- Took RER into Paris
- Purchased a Carnet of tickets
- Staying at the Hotel Gabriel in the 11th ARrondissements
- Browsed and had lunch at Cafe Musees
- Walked to the Centre Pompidou (to check out Renzo Piano's work)
- Notre Dame
- Champs-Elysées
- Dinner at Drouant
- Cozy up in bed after being up for about two days.
Les Chinois a Paris
Tomorrow morning I will be going to Paris for a honeymoon. While K and I were married back in 2009, she had just finished her Master's and I was about to start mine. Now that we're both done with schooling, it's time to enjoy the time and spend some time together.
Paris has a special place in my heart. 
My parents had met while in Paris. The city of lights is where they spent their formative twenties. My father was an artist, while my mother went to study French. I visited them the other day to get some tips and pointers for Paris. Instead my pop showed me "Les Chinois A Paris" . It was filmed while he was in Paris. With glee, he pointed out people he recognized in the film.
The basics of the plot:
One day, Parisians wake up one day to find that their city has been peacefully invaded by the Chinese. The red army sets up shop not at any governmental building, but at the Galeries Lafayette, a department store that would put any store here in the US to shame. In the end, the Chinese withdraw because the French influence leads them down a path of gluttony.
Watching the entire movie is like trying to watch Mikey Rooney play Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast of Tiffany's on continual loop. The caricature distracts from enjoying the underlying message of the film. I hope we've come a long way since then.
We'll be spending 7 days total in France, with a short 1.5 days in the Loire valley. We will eat, drink, and enjoy the cultural wonder that France has to offer.