Paris - Day One
The episode of Gilmore Girls known as "French Twist" makes more sense now that I know what it's like to travel to Paris. Basically, Lorelai and Christopher arrive at their hotel and fall asleep--only to wake up at 5:00 a.m. ready for dinner. I totally get it now.
Our first meal was fairly surreal. We basically plopped ourselves down at the first thing that resembled a restaurant, the Café le Quartier Général, 82 bd Saint-Germain, 75005. We sat outside and the wasps were relentless. Despite them, we enjoyed cokes from the bottle, served with a glass of ice and a slice of lemon. We needed the caffeine and sugar.
After lunch, we visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral gardens, enjoyed the music of charming street musicians (who we later spotted on Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!), and walked along the Seine scanning the bouquinistes stalls--the green painted boxes stocked with antique books and art that are iconic symbols of Paris. It felt like we were slogging along but we forced ourselves to keep going.
It was so hot that we searched for something cold and sweet. We landed at Amorino Gelato, 16 rue de la Huchette, 75005. They serve gelato shaped into petals topped with a macaron. Delicious and beautiful.
We continued walking along the river to the main botanical garden in France, Jardin des Plantes. It was hot--but beautiful--and we allowed ourselves only a few minutes of rest on a shady bench. The botanical gardens are quite large and houses Le MĂ©nagerie, France's oldest public zoo, gorgeous buildings, sculptures, and a labyrinthe. The labyrinthe was on a small hill so we opted out. At this point, we felt like we were nearly crawling on our hands and knees in order to keep moving forward.
Finally, we made our way back and had dinner at Le Twickenham, 68 Blvd St-Germain, 75005. We were drained but it was important to eat something before shuffling back to the hotel. We made it until 7:30 p.m. before we all crawled into bed and fell fast asleep.
We left Seattle at 1:20 p.m. on a Monday afternoon and touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. It took us a couple of hours to get through passport processing, to buy French SIM cards and a pre-paid phone plan, and to figure out how to buy the right train tickets to get to our hotel--all the while trying to ignore the security guards with machine guns.
The train ride took at least another 45 minutes, and then we had to find our way from Metro St-Michel - Notre-Dame to Hotel Marignan (as my boss who recommended the place clarifies, "the one-star, not the five-star" đ), finally arriving there at about noon. The hotel is great, by the way. Quiet at night, friendly staff, laundry facilities, breakfast provided in the morning. Here's the pretty view from our window. I loved watching the people across the street arrive at work in the morning!
The train ride took at least another 45 minutes, and then we had to find our way from Metro St-Michel - Notre-Dame to Hotel Marignan (as my boss who recommended the place clarifies, "the one-star, not the five-star" đ), finally arriving there at about noon. The hotel is great, by the way. Quiet at night, friendly staff, laundry facilities, breakfast provided in the morning. Here's the pretty view from our window. I loved watching the people across the street arrive at work in the morning!
Our first meal was fairly surreal. We basically plopped ourselves down at the first thing that resembled a restaurant, the Café le Quartier Général, 82 bd Saint-Germain, 75005. We sat outside and the wasps were relentless. Despite them, we enjoyed cokes from the bottle, served with a glass of ice and a slice of lemon. We needed the caffeine and sugar.
Right next to the cafe patio was a window full of Funko merchandise; Funko is headquarted in Everett, WA, which is basically our backyard. Reminders of home kind of make the effects of jet lag feel even more bizarre. It truly is a small world. Also, note the ashtray on the table. Tons of smoking...while you're eating.
After lunch, we visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral gardens, enjoyed the music of charming street musicians (who we later spotted on Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!), and walked along the Seine scanning the bouquinistes stalls--the green painted boxes stocked with antique books and art that are iconic symbols of Paris. It felt like we were slogging along but we forced ourselves to keep going.
It was so hot that we searched for something cold and sweet. We landed at Amorino Gelato, 16 rue de la Huchette, 75005. They serve gelato shaped into petals topped with a macaron. Delicious and beautiful.
We continued walking along the river to the main botanical garden in France, Jardin des Plantes. It was hot--but beautiful--and we allowed ourselves only a few minutes of rest on a shady bench. The botanical gardens are quite large and houses Le MĂ©nagerie, France's oldest public zoo, gorgeous buildings, sculptures, and a labyrinthe. The labyrinthe was on a small hill so we opted out. At this point, we felt like we were nearly crawling on our hands and knees in order to keep moving forward.
Finally, we made our way back and had dinner at Le Twickenham, 68 Blvd St-Germain, 75005. We were drained but it was important to eat something before shuffling back to the hotel. We made it until 7:30 p.m. before we all crawled into bed and fell fast asleep.