We landed at roughly 10am Paris time after a 7hr flight that made going across the Atlantic look like a walk through Central Park. Super easy. We were seats 1E and 1F. As in, the very front of the plane! I couldn’t believe it but they were honestly the most roomy seats on the entire aircraft. Craig told me not to get used to it :) There’s a time and a place for everything! We landed and took a cab to the Intercontinental where we checked in to a traditional Parisian room with sweeping drapes covering an iron balcony. I’m in love. It’s cozy and French and totally perfect! After showering, we headed to the concierge and confirmed our tix to the ballet across the street at L’Opera Garnier before venturing down to lunch near the Garden Tulierres. We were told to go to Angelina’s but walked all the way to the Louvre and then realized the line would take us all day so we just popped in to a neighborhood bistro. It wasn’t worth writing home about. After lunch, we stopped in a well-known bookstore that blew both of our minds. I mean, thank goodness for Amazon or we’d have to be toting some heavy paper home! The next stop was Jay Ahr, an up-and-coming French designer that creates swoon-worthy cocktail frocks. When I mean swoon-worthy, I mean all the French starlets head here before their premiers. We then headed down Rue St. Honore while following the Paris Luxe Guidebook. Now this is when we finally start cooking with gas. We window-shopped until we dropped. With quaint streets and impressive shopping, Rue Honore hit it out of the ballpark. And our Luxe Guidebook certainly kept us well-informed as to when we needed to pull over to check out a boutique here and there, or just keep on cruising. By this time, it was getting dark and we decided to grab a bottle of Bordeaux, fromage, and a baguette to bring back to the room. We have a wonderful balcony and there was absolutely no reason not to celebrate this with wine and cheese. We passed through Place Vendome just as the Christmas lights were turning on and it was simply beautiful. There really is no “ugly” part of this city, as far as I’ve seen. I’ll skip to dinner since my travel partner is getting sleepy-eyed.
Le Relais de L’Entrecote: No menu. Extensive wine list. Steak Frittes the way you want them. It was the stereotypical French brasserie except the food was unbelievable and the place was hip. No frumpy fanny-packed tourist here. No, this is where the locals head to when they want a hearty meal. This was definitely one of the best meals on our entire trip! We waited in line for roughly 30 minutes after visiting Pershing Hall, an ultra trendy bar serving outrageously priced pre-dinner drinks. Needless to say, our dinner tab was almost as much as our drink tab, and we only had two martini’s vs the steak dinners, bottle of wine and Evian, as well as dessert at Le Relais de L’Entrecote. I’m going back.
We then walked up to the Champs Elyse and I instantly became giddy at the sight of the tree-lined street! I’m with my love in the most romantic city in the world, walking down the Champs Elyse with a view of the Arc de Triomphe. It was magical! The way they decorated the pear trees lining the street gave the illusion that the street was lined with shooting stars. I had a huge grin on my face and hugged onto him even tighter. Needless to say, it was a truly unforgettable experience!
I took hundreds of pics and am still editing but here are just a few!
