So Paris…what a city! We spent March break there…and even though it was COLD…we absolutely LOVED it! It was my second time there. The first time was over 20 years ago, and not long enough- two-ish days? 

This time I went with my family for 6 nights, and by the end, realized that I had not even scratched the surface of all the amazing things this city has to offer. But, atleast I got a big gulp of it and have an idea of what the magic is all about. 

And that I need to go back sooner than 20 years later!

We did all the touristy things and loved it! 

• The Louvre with a guide in 3 hours to see the highlights. I got to see Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa and was blown by the painting and it’s size! And of course, met Miss Monalisa again 🙂

• Notre Dame cathedral newly opened after the big restoration from the 2019 fire damage. 

• Sacré-Cœur Basilica- beautiful in it’s serenity and the view of all of Paris. 

• Eiffel Tower (we did not attempt to climb, but just walked around). 

• Place de La Concorde with all it’s treasures. 

• An official band playing at Arc De Triomph. 

• A day spent at the Palace of Versailles. The decadence of the palace is seriously dazzling in not the best way!

And just walking the city…all of it by foot- taking in the sights and scenes. My Fitbit tells me I walked over a hundred kilometers that week! 

Looking into the display windows of all the weird and interesting shops. Jaw dropping at all the beautiful architecture on every corner. Being mindblown at the amount of art this city holds- ancient, medieval, mordern and very contemporary- from museum collections to galleries, to shops and restaurants….Oh the art…These people definitely do not deny themselves the beauty of human creativity. And how I love that! My favourite stop of them all- our last afternoon spent at Musée d’Orsay. With all the artwork from Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists by artists like Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir etc., I truly was in my version of a candy store…yes, I wasn’t there to buy anything. But the delight I had in savoring all that amazing art…I was the kid in a store full of colourful treats, and all the possibilities they hold.

We did other fun things like take a baking class where we learnt to make an Entremet cake, Madeleines, Crème Brûlée and Baba au Rhum. That was another delightful afternoon spent with a very knowledgeable instructor who not only gave us tips on baking and it’s chemistry, but also gave us an introduction to Paris’ Baking scene for the top pastry chefs- the creativity and precision that that profession holds, their Christmas season extravaganza that starts in Spring (!) and other such interesting tidbits of information.

And let’s talk about the food. We being vegetarian couldn’t go to the most typical of French restaurants. But this city has fantastic food no matter what you eat! The boulangeries were our staples for great breakfast and in-between treats of pastries and coffee. The middle eastern food is fantastic in this city of immigrants, which means we enjoyed some of that. And Parisians seem to love their buckwheat crepes with both savory and sweet fillings…so that was our dinner the first night. We went to a very nourishing and satisfying vegan restaurant one night- Le Potager de Charlotte, and came back utterly satisfied. But for our last night we went to La Table De Colette, a Michelin mentioned restaurant, that took the idea of a vegetable forward meal to a whole new level…The vegetables made in most interesting ways were the stars of the show, and that was quite alright with me! Their homemade bread paired with homemade buckwheat butter was a great accompaniment to the meal. And it ended with bang with a super-cholatey dessert. I am not sure what the dishes were called, so I am not going to name them. But if you want french elegance and delight in vegetables, this is the place to go! 

And then it was time to come home. We had a grand time, but I was happy to be in my own bed, to catch up on sleep, to not have to get dressed and leave the house first thing in the morning and come back late super-tired…

Yes, that was life in Paris- I was tired and sleep-deprived, but hey, who wants to be resting in their one week in the City of Lights?