Today’s post covers Day Three of our trip to Paris in 2019. I had scheduled this recap weeks before the recent attack. I don’t know what to say/do in light of the current tragedy. Why do such acts of senseless violence keep happening (rhetorical question)?
This is the horrific reality of a world at war with itself. I was fortunate to visit this beautiful city in a time of relative safety and I long for the day when all nationalities and faiths can respect the invaluable gift of human life.
By this point we were nearly halfway through our time in Paris; thankfully, the weather continued to cooperate spectacularly.
Sunday morning started bright and early with a trip to Musee D’Orsay. While lesser-known than the Louvre, this is a world-class art gallery and we wanted to be some of the first people in line! It was a gorgeous day and we spent a few minutes soaking in the quiet calm of the overall “lazy” morning vibe while en route to the museum. We saw a few people jogging, but public squares were empty and the Seine was smooth and calm.
We made time to admire the locks on one of the bridges. These locks get cut off regularly by city workers since they add so much weight to the overall structure, but it’s a cute notion to semi-permanently put an engraved lock (usually to commemorate a visit with someone you love) on the bridge railing. I’m sure the city doesn’t love the extra maintenance, though.
When the museum opened, we made a beeline for the Van Gogh’s, though two of our favourites (including Starry Night) were currently on loan to other museums. It was fascinating to see a particular Renoir painting – the day before, on our tour of Montmartre, we stood at the exact location where he painted it! Degas’ Petite Danseuse de 14 Ans – 1865-1881 was fascinating, complete with a real fabric tutu; apparently, this is exactly 1/3 the size of the real teen he used as a model.
It was a beautiful museum, filled with Impressionist works, and much less overwhelming than the Louvre. We purchased some Van Gogh coasters from the gift shop (which have been in regular use in our living room ever since) and then headed to Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookstore in Paris that lets aspiring authors sleep in recessed beds hidden among shelves of books in exchange for working around the shop. 30,000+ people have slept in this shop over the years! I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside, but it was a book lover’s dream.
We were close to the Latin Quarter, so skipped over for a delicious Parisian-style crepe for lunch (delicious).
On our way back to the hotel to regroup, we visited a Lego store (there were some VERY elaborate displays) and spent about half an hour creating custom mini-figures to represent each member of our wee family – complete with a surfboard for John, book for me, shaggy blond hair for L and a chef coat for A. We also happened upon a Flying Tiger – a Danish dollar store – that we had enjoyed visiting in Copenhagen. I got a great iPhone charger there [still using it daily in 2023], of all things, and some Danish items for the kids! Twice we tried to visit a Portuguese bakery and both were closed. Too bad – we wanted to get a pastéis de nata in Paris.
After lunch, we bought tickets for an inexpensive boat cruise of the River Seine. It was very interesting but incredibly hot!! 33 degrees Celsius and the boat wasn’t going fast enough to create any wind! It was fun to see everything from a different perspective – the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame – and I’d love to do an evening river cruise the next time I’m in Paris.
We opted to take the metro to get to the Eiffel Tower (it is a LONG walk). We went to Trocadero, a hill that overlooks the famous monument. It was stunning – the highlight of the trip for me and, without a doubt, one of the most memorable and wonderful evenings of my entire life.
We just sat back and relaxed for at least an hour, watching the sun set, the French flag blowing on the tower, and the spectacular light show. The lawn was full of people picnicking and relaxing; someone had a portable boombox so there was music playing. It was pure magic.
Of course I wore the Eiffel Tower earrings A had secretly purchased for me before our trip. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received!
As night fell, we meandered back toward our hotel, intending to get to a specific French restaurant. Unfortunately, when we arrived it wasn’t accepting more patrons for the night…so we ended up hungry enough to go to a French McDonalds, which was the only disappointing culinary experience of our trip.
Your turn. Do you have a (happy) Most Memorable Moment from a vacation? Would you like to sleep in a bookstore? Do you have a go-to McDonald’s order?
J
J’adore Paris, as you know…your pictures are stunning (both the ones of you, and the ones you took). They took me right back to Paris. I took a Seine tour also, the inexpensive hop-on/hop-off one, and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t as crowded as the more formal ones that have food and wine and so on. I’d totally do that again, and ours dropped us off at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Your picnic looks so picture perfect.
Elisabeth
I think a trip to Paris with you would be so much fun (and Lisa, too! – she also LOVES Paris). What’s not to love about this city?
It really was one of the most perfect, magical evenings of my entire life and I think of it often. The weather was PERFECT (warm, but not hot), almost no wind, sitting beside the love of my life IN PARIS. *Happy sigh*
Jenny
Yes I would like to sleep in a bookstore!!! Your whole trip sounds amazing, and what luck to have such perfect weather. I found the Louvre to be too overwhelming and enjoyed the Musee D’Orsay much more. I love those Lego figures!!! And as always… your photos are beautiful.
Elisabeth
Yup, if I had to pick, I’d chose d’Orsay (though if it was my first time in Paris and I’d never been to either, I think you just HAVE to go to the Louvre because it’s…THE LOUVRE!
NGS
I would not like to sleep in a bookstore. LOL. I like my creature comforts. But I would love to visit all the bookstores. I recently read a book set in the neighborhood of Tokyo known as Book Town with over 200 bookstores and have dreaming about spending days wandering around there!
What beautiful photos! I love it when a vacation to a glorious place aligns with gorgeous weather and skies!
Elisabeth
200 bookstores = dreamy!
And yes, the weather was perfect. Like so, so perfect. Many times we’ve discussed if it had rained how our experience would have been different. Great, I’m sure, but not nearly as fun. Clear skies make a big difference on vacation (especially in a city where there is so much walking involved).
Grateful Kae
I love coasters as a souvenir… they are useful and also perfect to just set around. I picked up one in Barcelona that I look at/use frequently, and my mom bought me one as a Christmas present when we went to Acadia National Park. Actually, this would be a really fun collection! I guess too late now to go back and get one from everywhere we’ve been, lol! But they are easy to store in a little coaster holder and they are nice conversation pieces, too!
Gorgeous photos, as usual!
Elisabeth
I like getting things we can actually use/need. Reusable bags are another hit. I have a really cool Arc d. T bag from Paris that I love seeing and using (and one from Shakespeare and Company).
Michelle
I love seeing your pictures from Paris! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip!
Do you have a (happy) Most Memorable Moment from a vacation?
We went on a seaplane tour in Seattle – a tiny airplane for two passengers, just me and my husband. It was so much fun!
Would you like to sleep in a bookstore?
I love bookstores but would not want to sleep in one.
Do you have a go-to McDonald’s order?
Always a cheeseburger with ketchup and a hot fudge sundae. Yum! Even so, you probably don’t go to Paris to eat at McDonald’s! 😂
Elisabeth
It was such a wonderful trip.
A seaplane tour sounds incredible. Birds-eye views!
Lisa's Yarns
I didn’t see the Louvre until my 3rd trip to Paris! I much prefer d’Orsay. It’s a stunning building and it’s so much more digestible than the massive Louvre. I loved having the Paris museum pass so I could dip in and out of museums. Another one I loved was L’Orangerie!
I don’t think I would want to sleep in a bookstore! I am not very flexible about sleeping arrangements, especially as I get older. But it’s an awesome thing for a starving artist!!
Elisabeth
We didn’t get a Paris pass, but I think I might the next time!
Melissa
Beautiful photos again, this recap is bringing back some good memories from our trip. My daughter and I had a tour guide for the Louvre and that made it feel heaps more manageable. He would go into a room to a cabinet and pick one or two of the many items to tell us about and often a little bit about how it related to the objects around. I especially loved the ANE rooms. Seeing the statues and artifacts from there helps to make sense of some of the imagery in the OT. I also spent a lovely morning by myself at the Musee d’Orsay. Hubby and my daughter went to brunch and did the laundry.
Elisabeth
Wow – a tour in the Louvre would be such a good idea – we didn’t have a lot of time and did a “tour” I found online that took you to about a dozen of the most “important” pieces and of course we saw lots of other cool things along the way. But it’s overwhelming and obviously you miss the majority of the museum. A tour guide could help fill in a lot of information gaps.
San
Ah, what a wonderful recap of your day! I love the picture where you’re looking out of the window of the “Shakespeare and Company” Bookstore! Frame-worthy. As is the one with your headshot! <3
Elisabeth
It was SUCH A great day. Not just the evening, either. The whole thing was just practically perfect. It’s such a treat to have a day go so smoothly AND enjoyably.
Anne
What lovely pictures, and what a wonderful, memory-making trip. Isn’t it amazing how the least “exciting” things we do on paper are always those that stick the most? Your evening near the tour Eiffel was clearly a highlight. <3
Elisabeth
Yes! That evening stands out as one of the highlights of my LIFE! Paris, especially in the late evening, is magical <3