Au Revoir Paris
Seventeen days in Paris–Ooooh lala! Sounds glorious (and it has been) sounds like an excessive amount of time to devote to one city (well, why not?) For more than half of my life I have been a traveler and in the earlier days I would stop in a city, spend a night or two, and then move on. Check it off! As I matured, I embraced the idea of slowing down and gathering a better appreciation for the destination, and its culture. Last year I was in Paris for 10 nights–part of that time with my granddaughter, Maggie. We hit the highlights with a vengeance. Paris has only one week of really hot weather a year (so Jennifer says) and I managed to hit it perfectly last year–and btw, again this year! So Maggie and I stood in long, long lines, walked thousands of steps each day in the blistering heat.
This year, I had a very different agenda. One of my dad’s favorite lines was “slow and steady.” He usually mentioned this while I was driving (apparently too fast) but I decided to adopt it to my Paris adventure this year. My plan was to, in 17 days, find 17 jewels–things or places or people that a quick visit to Paris would be overlooked.
Here are my 17 Jewels
Porte de Vanves flea market — open Saturday & Sundays
Mariage Freres — French tea house
Concert at La Madeleine
Finding Coco Chanel’s House
l’Orangerie — extensive collection of Impressionists work
Spend all day exploring just one neighborhood, like Saint Germain
Brunch at Jacquemart-Andre Museum (photo above)
Musee Marmottan Monet — largest single collection of Monet & Morrisot
Auberge de Bonheur
Parc de Bagatelle –lovely gardens
Stroll along the Seine on a Sunday afternoon
Buy something French to wear
Get lost by bus (a great way to see the city)
Giverny via Vernon
Eat crepes from a street vendor
Find a vintage clothing store
E. Dehillerin–said to be where Julia Child shopped for her cookware