Paris Monuments (and other non-museum sites)

I agree with the Parisians of 1889. I think the Eiffel Tower is ugly. There. I said it. I think figurines and drawings of the structure are far more attractive than the building itself. I opine that the Eiffel Tower is over-romanticized since it is such an iconic representation of the city of Paris.

Now that that is off my chest, I do think the story of the Eiffel Tower is interesting, and I did enjoy catching glimpses of it from afar while visiting other sites (like viewing it over the shoulder of The Thinker at the Rodin Museum).

If you don’t know the story of the Eiffel Tower, it was built for the 1889 World’s Fair, and was only supposed to stand for 20 years. The often overlooked radio antennae saved the tower from its fate when it aided in The Great War.

Paris Part Three: Versailles

Grandiose. Opulent. Gaudy. Lavish. Ostentatious. Versailles.

We really lucked out with lines on our trip to Paris. The longest line we waited in was undoubtedly at Versailles, and even there we waited no more than thirty minutes.

Louis the Fourteenth greeted us at the golden gates.

The ceiling of the Royal Chapel transported me back to our honeymoon reminding me of all the gorgeous Italian frescos we saw.

Paris Eats

Here is what I found odd and endearing about eating in Paris:

1. No butter or oil for your baguette
2. No bread plates -patrons placed their bread directly on the table
3. Tips tax included in the menu price -how spoilingly (yep, made up that word) refreshing
4. Waiters looking at you sideways if you refused espresso and/or dessert after any meal
5. How long the French linger over each meal
6. Having to request your check each time you finished your food- it is thought rude for a server to present a bill before it is requested

Anthony and I learned quickly that most Parisian restaurants are closed between lunch and dinner and reopen around 7:30pm. We weren’t quite hungry for lunch after getting situated in our HomeAway, missed our first opportunity for a good meal, and were starving by dinner time. La Fontaine de Mars, a suggestion I had picked up from an article about interior designer Kelly Wearstler, served excellent French fare . There, I ate Morel mushrooms for the first time. I’m a believer.

Rue Saint Dominique, an avenue near the Eiffel Tower, was packed with too many wonderful restaurants and patisseries. Some of my other favorites in the neighborhood were Les Cocottes, Gateaux Thoumieux, and Aux Merveilleux de Fred.

Paris Museums

I was pretty proud of myself for having written two blog posts in advance that posted while I was in Paris. What I failed to prepare for was the need for a vacation after my vacation. I have been back from Paris for just at a week now and have readjusted back to normalcy, which is far less exciting yet somehow far more exhausting than the thirteen hour days I spent traipsing around the City of Lights with my husband.

It is unreal how much we crammed into five days in Paris. While I wish we had another day or two so we would have slowed the pace and sipped just a little more wine in the outward-facing cafe chairs, I think we did Paris well, and we certainly did it big.

I have sifted through over a thousand pictures (eek!) and will share about 100 photos of our trip over the next five days. Today, I’ll focus on museums, tomorrow, French food!

Anthony and I opted to purchase the Paris museum pass, which is something I have always forgone in other cities. With it, we skipped some long lines and saved a few euros, while being able to pop into a few museums we wouldn’t have otherwise made time for.

Musee d’Orsay had an amazing Van Gogh exhibit going on.

Cookies and Cream Macarons

As  you are reading this blog post, Anthony and I are jet-lagged (but enjoying every minute of our first day) in Paris. We are here celebrating our one-year anniversary, fulfilling goals of travelling as often as we can afford our first few years of marriage.

I’ve probably eaten half a dozen French macarons by now, so I thought I’d share a recipe with you so you can get your own taste of Paris.

 

Parisian Bachelorette Party

In lieu of the “traditional” go-crazy-before-you-commit bachelorette party, my bridesmaids threw me a lingerie shower at my favorite Fort Worth bakery, Stir Crazy, after-hours. My creative sister made all of the French themed decor. I love these pinweels, made out of wrapping paper with Paris landmarks (like theEiffel tower and Arc de Triomphe) that spell out “Ooh La La.”

The gorgeous flower arrangement came from my friend Caitlin‘s wedding. She got married six days before me. You can see her wedding on Green Wedding Shoes. It was so fun to be engaged at the same time as some good friends and do our wedding projects together.

Robbie, the owner of Stir Crazy, made special mini tiramisu cupcakes just for my shower. So perfectly me.

I guess my friends are making the Barbie Lingerie Designing Contest a bachelorette party tradition.

Below is a shot of me and my bridesmaids at my shower, three days before the wedding.

All the wonderful showers that were thrown for Anthony and I, all the gifts that were showered on us- I hope I get the opportunities to pay those blessings forward.

All photos are courtesy of my sister’s camera, then edited in Photoshop.