Day Four: How Could I Go To Paris And Not Check Out The Shopping?

Number of Pictures Taken: 162

What I Wore: A burnt orange tulle skirt and a white tank top

Meals Eaten: Two

Something I Learned: The line at the Eiffel Tower doubles in size between the beginning and end of sunset

            Today started out with a bit of Paris’ literary history. Breakfast took place at Café Deux Magots on Place Saint-Germain-des-prés. As I learned from the guidebooks, the café is named after the two statues of Confucian wise men that hang high on its walls (in fact, they look a little funny in the otherwise classically French-looking room). Once haunted by greats such as Sartre and Hemingway, I think that everyone there could feel a sense of history and weight in the air as they sipped their coffees and ate their omelets. Speaking of coffee and omelets, my breakfast consisted of a cheese omelet, a café crème (basically coffee with whipped milk in it), and a chocolate macaroon from Pierre Hermé.

Café Deux Magots

My "Macaron Chocolat"

            After breakfast I embarked on a trip to the Galeries Lafayette on Rue Haussman. Galeries Lafayette is a major department store in Paris and actually has 63 locations world-wide. Started in 1895 by Theophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, it began as a small store on rue La Fayette and expanded to multiple locations as the 20^th century began. The current five-story women’s department store with its glass-domed ceiling is located on Haussman and is where I spent my time. The ceiling is a work of art in itself: 33 meters high with 10 painted windows. Starting off on the cosmetics and jewelry store, I walked through a flurry of perfume counters before standing at the center looking up at the only unobstructed view of the beautiful dome and the balconies on each floor.

Galeries Lafayette

            Continuing my tour around the store, I found it to have the same kind of feel as Bloomingdale’s in New York City, but with a size more in keeping with a shopping mall. Each balcony held a different designer’s clothing (everything from The Kooples to Diane von Furstenberg). Upon landing on the Zara section, I ended up buying a pair of black pleated flowy pants. Completely out of character, I was inspired by the long skirts and bohemian style of many of the women I’ve seen in Paris thus far.

            As if the Galeries Lafayette weren’t cool enough already, I did some post-shopping research and found that Edith Piaf (one of my favorite singers since I bought a huge collection of her music in the eighth grade) sang there in 1950 as a marketing strategy of the shopping center.

            Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré was the next stop of the day as it houses many of the major fashion brands’ stores and headquarters (But not Chanel! That was still to come!). It’s a beautiful street that ultimately led me to the Hotel Bristol, which is where Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams stay in Midnight in Paris. It’s in a very quiet section of the city, but it’s very beautiful and was worth seeing because I’m such a huge movie buff.

            After that I decided to walk to Chanel. Not realizing where it was until I had wandered through more streets of Paris, I ended up walking from the Hotel Bristol to the Champs-Elysee, back toward the Jardin des Tuileries. Heading in that direction, I went to the left side of the gardens on Rue Rivoli and eventually turned left onto Rue Cambon. A few blocks later I arrived at number 31.

Chanel at 31 rue Cambon

            Chanel began in 1910 as “Chanel Modes,” a hat shop run by Gabrielle Chanel. It was located at 21 Rue Cambon. The hats sold gained great popularity and ten years later, Chanel purchased the entirety of number 31 and began to sell her first perfume (Chanel Number 5) along with garments. The building contained everything from shopping to private quarters to a studio. Today, Karl Lagerfeld (head designer of Chanel) works in that third floor studio. Oh how I long to run into him while idly walking down that street some day.

            It was closed when I arrived, but that did not stop me from swooning over the iconic façade and peering in dark windows for a glimpse of the iconic staircase that you may have seen in movies about Coco Chanel (Gabrielle Chanel) or in the Chanel ad campaign starring Blake Lively. It was definitely an inspiring precursor to the start of my fashion program here.

            Tired of hearing about clothes? Have no fear! My next stop was the Eiffel Tower. This time I approached it from the massive lawns in front of it. I had seen this area in movies like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Passport to Paris and from people’s pictures on Facebook. Somehow it had always seemed bigger and grander than it did in real life, but it was still worth seeing. I sat on the grass as the sun set and people took pictures and had picnics around me. It was an incredible photography opportunity as the lights came on at ten minutes to 10 (or 22, as Paris apparently uses military time). While I did not stand in line to go up into the Eiffel Tower, I marveled in its grandeur as the Paris air swirled in a gentle breeze through the trees.

That Classic Jumping In Front of a Famous Landmark Picture

Eiffel Tower at Dusk

            Being very late, I returned to Creperie Saint Germain for dinner. This time I had a Toscane crepe, which is on a kind of whole-wheat thin pancake with cheese and bacon for dinner. Dessert was a homemade dark chocolate sauce crepe with vanilla ice cream. And that was a delicious way to end the night. 

Lovelocks

            So after seeing the locks on bridges in other people's pictures from abroad and then encountering them in real life, I decided to look up what they are. The origin of love padlocks (or "lovelocks" as they are sometimes called) has long been debated (some say they started appearing in the early 2000s, others say they showed up before World War II even began). They're most famously seen on the Pont des Arts, Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor and the Pont de l'Archeveché in Paris and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. 

            Legend has it that writing the name of you and your lover on the lock and then putting the lock on the bridge protects the relationship and the love between the two individuals. The ones that I saw on Day Two of my travels were on the Pont des Arts that leads to the central courtyard of the Palais du Louvre. 

Day Three: A City Full of Wonders

Number of Pictures Taken: 272

Outfit: Jeggings and a Dayglo-orange t-shirt

Meals Eaten: Two

Something I learned: Street performances seem to be much more varied and impressive in Paris than in New York

            Somehow I feel as if I’m not starting my tour of Paris in the way that most people would. Day three was also filled with exploring the city on foot. And it started out with breakfast at Starbucks. Yes, I have somehow managed to find an American chain that I still love going to even though it isn’t authentically French. It’s just off of Rue Danton on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Two stories with cinnamon rolls and pain au chocolat and great people-watching (as almost everyone who goes there is actually French). I found a quiet little nook with a chair with a view of great architecture from across the street.

            What’s better for after-breakfast entertainment than a trip to Notre Dame? Not much. I finally went in and was greeted by breathtaking vaulted ceilings and weighty atmosphere…great photo opportunities to say the least (not to mention the fact that I was taking in a historic and religious landmark as well as the setting of one of my favorite Disney movies).

Inside Notre Dame

Notre Dame from the side

            Post-Notre Dame,  I went on an on-foot adventure toward le Marais. What I originally thought might be what I was looking for turned out to be Ile Saint-Louis, a small island (similar in size to Ile de la Cité where Notre Dame is located) located in the middle of Paris. Things were hip and happenin’ there to say the last, and who knew that people in Paris were so obsessed with gelato?? Similar to how you can find multiple Starbucks locations on the same block in New York City, there were sometimes three or four gelato shops per block on Ile Saint-Louis. It looked delicious, but I didn’t partake. The lines for each were huge and some wound around street corners.

            Aside from gelato, Ile Saint-Louis is filled with a variety of quirky shops, many cafés and restaurants, and thin streets without much car traffic. I spent most of my time there looking in windows and taking pictures. One of my favorite finds was a shop with a picture of Marilyn Monroe and Arther Miller eating dinner on Ile Saint-Louis in its windows. It felt like fate that I should be there with one of my obsessions (acting) intersecting with one of my new favorite places. Paris never ceases to feel magical.

Rue Saint-Louis En L'Ile - Ile Saint-Louis

            If you cross yet another bridge, off of Ile Saint-Louis and into the 4^th arrondisement, you will find yourself in le Marais. I would characterize it as Paris’s SoHo. It is full of boutiques (some French-based along with high-end stores you would find in the U.S. or in London) and has a kind of Bohemian atmosphere. While walking, I came across people ballroom dancing in a gymnasium and a street band called Texas CousCous, which played everything from the Star Wars theme to songs I had never heard before. Somehow I refrained from buying anything this time around.

            Dinner occurred back on Ile Saint-Louis at Café Saint-Regis. It had the perfect Parisian look: small, black and white tiled floor, wine bottles and mirrors on the wall, low-lighting, and a spectacular view. Dinner was yet again Croque Madame and dessert was Crème Brulee, which is way better here than it is in the states.

Café St. Regis

            On my way back to my room, I came across more incredible street performers. The first performance consisted of a couple performing the tango on a bridge. While they had a hat out for people to put money in, they seemed more invested in each other than how much money they were making. Song after song, they kept going without breaking their intense concentration on the movement and each other’s eyes and bodies.

            Next came yet another accordion player followed by a guy who was dancing with fire torches and sparklers in front of Notre Dame. On my way home, the sweet sounds of Zombie by The Cranberries being sung by a man on the banks of The Seine. Tres magnifique! What another amazing day and evening.

Street Performer In Front of Notre Dame

Day Two: Adventures in Ordering

Number of Photos Taken: 173

Outfit: White jeans and a dressy salmon tank top

Meals Eaten: Two

Something I learned: When the service is bad, it’s not because “you’re American.” It’s equally bad for everyone.

            Seeking to discover a little more of the neighborhood, I ventured into the 5^th arrondisement for breakfast. After passing by many a place in search of the perfect “French” atmosphere, I came upon Café Richard. Something I’ve slowly come to learn is that at many of the cafés it is upon the patron to seat her/himself (most specifically learned by a waitress who flapped her hands and shoo-shooed me when I did not do this).

            I ended up at a quiet interior table with a window view in Café Richard. The waiter, who was older and thin with short gray hair, eventually made his way over to my table. I gave him my order (in French) with sweet intonation: a cheese omelet and a café creme. The coffee came just fine and is more delicious in Paris than anywhere else in the world (that I’ve been to so far). However, when my meal came out, I received a sandwich consisting of thick bread, butter, and Swiss cheese. I’m not quite sure what got lost in translation, as my minimal command of French had not led me astray thus far. But I rolled with the punches and ate my sandwich and looked out at the quiet street to my right.

While eating (enjoying the plain but good taste), a French woman with wild curly hair and sunglasses sat down to my right. The waiter brought her the menu in good time, but after that the timing became comedic. Every time she called out “monsieur!” he would continue talking to the woman working the bar. Eventually she got her coffee (plain coffee comes in very small cups a la Alice in Wonderland here). It was leisurely sipped as she smoked and checked her phone. Then came the issue of getting l’addition. It probably took her around twenty minutes. I felt for her dearly as at one point she had also asked for a glass of water that never came.

After breakfast I walked back to my current accommodations before heading toward the Louvre. I walked along the Seine under clear blue skies before crossing a bridge that led me directly to a side entrance of the Louvre courtyard. Crossing the bridge my eyes drifted across the plethora of locks placed along the railings, a couple taking wedding photos, and a bohemian boy who was playing guitar.

Locks on the bridge.

Each corridor off the central courtyard of the Louvre has a different kind of street musician playing (or singing) classical music. I walked by a cellist and then a flutist as I made my way toward the famous glass pyramid. While in my mind the crowds had been lesser, the pyramid and the triangular pools of water that surround it were just as good. In fact, it was amusing to see little rectangular blocks in this area that people can stand on in order to get those “my finger is directly on the top point of the pyramid!” pictures.

The Louvre

Once I was done gazing at its grandeur (museum-going is to come another day), I began a walk down the two-mile stretch that goes from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. Through the Jardin des Tuileries I went. Parisians were sunbathing on its grounds, which have a more relaxed and intimate feel than Central Park in New York City. Next came the Champs-Elysee, which is somewhat comparable to NYC’s Fifth Avenue. Full of every store you can think of (French, American, English, etc.) with extra-extra-wide sidewalks, it’s touristy, but worth seeing. I ended up having dinner at a café called George V.

Café of the night. 

Looking across the street at Louis Vuitton, I enjoyed a meal of Onion Soup Gratinée, Sirloin Steak (I had ordered the chicken, but a friend of mine had mentioned the steak and confused the waiter…clearly not my food day), and Profiteroles avec Chocolat Chaud et Glace. The soup was amazing, the steak was of much lesser quality than you get in the states, and the dessert was to die for (as I’ve come to expect here). Even my waiter was good (a Paris native who had also worked in Santa Barbara and San Francisco).

My post-dinner viewing experience included the Arc de Triomphe at night, followed by a long walk toward the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. A quick nightcap at Café Grand Corona and then onto the Metro and to bed. J’adore Paris.

Arc de Triomphe at night. 

Paris Day One: Bonjour!

Number of Photos Taken: 356

Outfit: Black leggings and a gray scoop neck American Eagle t-shirt (versatile travel wear, I’d say)

Meals eaten: 4

Something I learned: It gets dark around 10:00pm here. Talk about a long day!

            The flight to Paris lasted more than six hours and I managed to not sleep for a single one of them. Arriving in the morning having watched Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Casablanca, and six episodes of The Hills (one of the more addicting “reality” television shows I’ve watched), Paris was a sight for tired eyes. After checking in to my current accommodations, I grabbed lunch at Le Clou de Paris on Rue Danton.

Le Clou de Paris

            The meal was a great mix of my currently questionable ability to speak French and the waiter’s reserved willingness to speak English. He was perfectly French in a somewhat stereotypical/movie-esque kind of way: slightly balding with black hair, tall, thin, accent, and slight (but not off-putting) attitude. “Je voudrais un verre d’eau et Croque Madame” ended up being my order. None of France’s famous wine just yet.

            For those of you who don’t know what Croque Madame is, it is a ham and (melted) cheese sandwich with a sunny-side-up egg on top. Without the egg, the same thing is called Croque Monsieur.

            Sitting at the outdoor café, I took in the surroundings. An accordionist was playing La Vie en Rose to my right. The sycamore trees shedding what I only could assume were little seedlings that kept falling into my water, the gorgeous French architecture, the light scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air, and the mix of languages of passerby. There seems to be a never-ending supply of nationalities and sidewalk cafés in Paris.

            After lunch and attempting to figure out the tipping system here (supposedly gratuity is built into the bill, but oftentimes people leave a couple of Euros extra), I meandered over to Notre Dame. The tan structure is an architectural masterpiece preceded by a long pathway of sand and cobblestone. Every angle of it is different and there is a park next to its back.

            Walking and exploring I eventually got hungry for a snack at around 5:00pm. It seems like the airplane breakfast and my lunch were not enough. Coming across a cute little Patisserie in the 5^th arrondisment, I treated myself to a box of colorful and delicious macaroons. The chocolate ones were my favorite with the green ones (flavor to be determined) as a close second. Once again I took in the scenery.

Macaroons! 

            After wandering around for the rest of the day, I finally landed at Creperie Saint Germain in an alley full of various ethnic restaurants. There I had a glass of Bordeaux and an “Electro Crepe,” which consists of apple mash, toffee with salty butter, and vanilla ice cream. Yum. Dinner was perfection and by the time it ended at around 10:30 it had finally gotten dark and I was ready for bed. Sweet dreams of my next month in Paris followed soon after. 

Creperie Saint Germain

The "Electro Crepe"

Look out for more photos and posts soon! All photographs taken by and property of Kristen Friberger. Photographer must be contacted to attain permission for other uses.