I wanted to get these 2019 trip recaps finished before the end of 2023…which brings us to our final day in Paris.
*Sob*
I was not ready for this fairytale to end, but we had places to be and things to see; enough pouting. And the day started with an early morning walk to the Arc de Triomphe. We were the 3rd and 4th people to the top, so we had great views!
It was spectacular, but a lot of stairs again (about 300).
Then we walked along the Champs Élysées- probably the most famous (and expensive) street in Paris. That was also the day we tried more sweet items – eclairs, macaroons from the most famous macaroon shop in Paris, and I topped it off with a French hot chocolate (it is VERY thick – like a chocolate bar melted and then they give you hot milk to add to get it to the desired thickness).
Later we went to Musée de l’Orangerie (we got a combo ticket when we went to D’Orsay; this museum houses famous pictures from Monet that are giant murals – absolutely beautiful, but also Renoir and other painters). That evening we sat by the Seine, and generally took it easy.
Between the weather and the food and the art and the romance of the city and getting to experience it with my best friend – this 2019 trip was truly the experience of a lifetime!
Lisa's Yarns
I’ve been to all of these places! Was the hot chocolate from Angelina’s? I always tell people they have to go there even though it is very touristy. The hot cocoa is SO thick but so yummy with the whipped cream mixed in (they serve it with homemade whipped cream at Angelina’s). The macarons in Paris are so good! I tried macarons from different places every day when I was there in 2013. I love that they are so small so you nearly always have room for one!
What a lovely trip! I would love to go back to Paris with Phil someday. But we are more likely to go with the kids than just us 2. My dream is to go for like 4-6 weeks when we are retired. But I would like to go before then. I have to admit that yesterday I gave up on learning French on Duo Lingo. It was just SO FREAKING HARD, especially compared to Spanish. I would do some listening exercises and have no idea what they were saying. Like one time I thought they were saying Paul and they were saying orange! So I’m back to learning Spanish which will probably come in more useful than French anyways, even though neither child is in a Spanish immersion program anymore. 2 of Will’s teachers are Latina so I will talk to them a bit in Spanish and I’m hoping they maybe talk to Taco in Spanish so he doesn’t lose his language comprehension.
Elisabeth
I don’t think it was Angelina’s, but wherever it was…it was SO good!! I’ve never had hot cocoa like Parisian hot cocoa.
I wish I knew French better. I really should, considering so many people in Canada are bilingual. Sigh.
I’d love to go back to Paris again; I suspect we’ll take the kids at some point (we loosely promised A we’d get her there before her 16th birthday). We’ll see how Barcelona goes before we tackle another major European city. I hope you get there with Phil! I know how much you love that city and it really is just like a fairytale being there <3 (Well, as long as the weather is good. We had such incredible weather and I know it made a big difference.)
J
Your pictures are stunning. I love Paris so so much, and the Musee de l’Orangerie is SO beautiful. We went for the Monets, of course, but I was pleasantly surprised by the other art there as well. Your early morning trip to the Arc is so perfect. It was very crowded there when we arrived in mid-afternoon. We happened to be there the one Sunday a month when the road is closed to automobiles, which was pretty cool.
Elisabeth
Oh, I didn’t know it was closed to cars one day of the month. That would be such a neat experience.
And yes, the l’Orangerie was an unplanned stop for us, but ended up being one of my highlights from the trip. I loved the minimalism of the galleries that really let the Monet’s take centre stage (and the rest of the artwork there was phenomenal, too!).
Jenny
I can’t get over how beautiful your photos are! It’s like a professional photographer was there. I love the one of the hot chocolate (and your description of it.). I was in Paris in the 1990, so a while ago- it’s fun to read your trip recaps and remember it all
Elisabeth
Again, most of the credit goes to John who is my photographer extraordinaire. Also, it’s just SO photogenic over there. *Happy sigh*
Ernie
The photos are stunning. Your trip seems very organized and it looks like you hit all the boxes. I think planning a trip like this would be overwhelming because I would want to get it all done at once, fearing that I would not be able to afford to get back again.
Elisabeth
I think it was helped by going solo without the kids. We packed A LOT into the days and had great weather. I planned Paris the same way I planned Rome – sketch everything out on a Google Map and then plan each day around an area of the city to cut down on criss-crossing back and forth. Now I need to do the same thing for planning Barcelona!
Suzanne
Beautiful photos! You really had extraordinary weather. I love Paris so much and your post makes me ache to go back! Maybe someday.
Elisabeth
It really was the best of weather; I can’t imagine things going more smoothly on any other trip so I look at this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Anne
Such wonderful pictures and memories. )
San
The pictures are amazing. I really want to go back to Paris. I’ve been there with Jon once (in 2002) before iPhone photography and don’t have very many (good) pictures… I want to capture the city again. What a great trip!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
It looks so exciting and you both so happy. you can tell by the pictures it is a happy memory.