Two full weeks in Paris (suburbs) and still nowhere near enough. Still, we both felt like we got a much better view of the city than we did back in 2009, when we spent just two days racing around most of the same sites with no time or money for meals.
We stayed in two surprisingly spacious home swaps on the southwest side of the city. The first, in Issy-les-Moulineux, was literally blocks from the city limits, very convenient by metro, surrounded by specialty shops and chain grocers, and boasted an incredible Eiffel Tower view from its large terrace. The second, in more suburban Clamart, was a whole three story house with a lovely vegetable garden, but not much to walk to. Every single boulangerie du coin was closed for les grandes vacances!
Our college friend was still with us for the first several days in Paris, and we walked a lot of the same tourist track. Since our visit fell between the Olympics and Paralympic Games, the Louvre, Arch de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower and Hotel de Ville looked a bit different this time around.
Also changed of course was Notre Dame. Already five years past the fire and still under a lot of construction, but supposedly going to be finished by the end of this year.
We had a more relaxed visit to the Louvre, especially getting to spend a lot more time on the paintings. On our last visit, we ran past Mona Lisa and spent most of the time on the sculpture.
Danielle and I got to pass by a few things together that I hadn't seen before, including the areas around the Pompidou Center and Pantheon, and just walking along the river.
We also went into the fascinating Catecombs which turned out to be one of the cities first 'tourist attractions'
My favorite memory is the evening we spent in Montmartre. I loved Sacre Coeur church during my first visit, and the view from the highest point in the city. We all loved the movie Moulin Rouge so we were excited to get the chance to see the show there. Everybody CAN CAN! Afterward we stopped by the equally-iconic Chat Noir, where surprisingly they served their absinthe with a side of blowtorch. The other surprise - at the show we were sat across from a French family, a couple who lived in Paris and their son visiting home from out of town. Then we saw them again at the bar! I assumed everyone in these places would be tourists.
After Danielle left I hit up a couple more museums that had free admission, including the Beaux Arts Petit Palais (Grand Palais closed for Olympic events) and the Museum of Modern Art.
Nathan and I also went to reminisce about a couple other places we had only skimmed by before, the Latin Quarter (this time with cafe stops) and Jardin du Luxembourg (this time in full bloom)!
Overall the biggest benefit of revisiting Paris was getting to actually enjoy the food. We prepared most meals at home, but with ingredients from the markets and specialty shops. Meals out ranged from simple baguettes and crepes to an over-the-top prix fixe dinner and celebrity macarons. All of it tasted a whole lot better in this environment!
I am so happy to have had another chance to explore this city in a bit more depth. On our next stops, we revisit Brussels and Amsterdam.