travel zen on friday: notre dame and the river seine

An iconic spot: the Notre Dame Cathedral (and a tiny view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance) along the River Seine.

travel zen on friday: jardin du luxumbourg

One of my favorite spots in Paris is the Jardin du Luxumbourg. Located in the left bank near the Sorbonne, it's a great place to stroll and get away from it all.

how to fan girl at restaurant l'arpege in paris

L'Arpege.

Chef Alain Passard is one of the most famous people in the culinary world. His restaurant, L'Arpege, consistently gets three Michelin stars and is a fixture on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List. He focuses on vegetarian cuisine although he does offer meat and fish as well.

I first heard of Chef Passard when a friend served me an "Arpege egg" one time at a dinner party. My friend's version was creamy scrambled egg topped with caviar served in an egg shell. Since then, I've been wanting to try the real thing.

When Mr. Sazy Rock and I recently visited Paris, he wanted to go back to Arpege to get himself up to date on the city's dining scene. I was more than happy to tag along. I was very excited to finally eat the famous Arpege egg.

The Scene

The diners were both food tourists and French people alike. We arrived fairly early and the place was mostly empty. But, by 9 pm, when most people ate, the place was full and buzzy. Men wore jackets and women dressed smart. I should note, however, that I saw a French speaking couple wear jeans.

The Service

What excited me was Chef Passard working the room and greeting every single diner. In fact, when he first started greeting diners, I thought he knew them personally. He was that friendly. Instead, those folks were just regular diners like me and Mr. SR. When he finally came by our table, he joked with us and noted how much Mr. SR seemed to enjoy eating their bread. After saying hi, he went back to the kitchen.

paris airbnb review

(Paris, France).  I absolutely adored the small studio apartment we rented while in the Montmartre area of Paris.  The location could not be beat!  

• It was located on a charming little alleyway literally a few steps from the Abbesses metro stop and from the main shopping area in Montmartre.  
• There are tons of great bars and restaurants nearby (our favorites were the lovely bistro La Cave Gourmand, about 30 steps away, and the high-end chicken restaurant Le Coq Rico which was about a 7 minute walk away towards the Sacre Couer).

While small, the studio was well-designed and we didn't feel cramped at all.  The room was cheery, bright and clean and the pull-out sofa bed was surprisingly comfortable, but a bit squeaky.  The kitchen/dining area was small but very user-friendly.  The kitchen had olive oil, coffee, tea, sugar, seasonings and cooking utensils, so we were able to cook a bit.  The bathroom was modern and recently renovated and the shower had very good water pressure.

While we found it charming to be in an old building with tiny courtyards and narrow staircases, I should note that there is no elevator and no air conditioning.  We had to carry our luggage up a narrow flight of stairs.  But the heat wasn't really a problem even though it was in the 80's - we opened the window to let the breeze in and there was a super strong fan that aired out the entire space.

The coordinator - Sabe - was very pleasant and responsive.  Her English was excellent and she met us when we arrived to show us around.  The outer door and the courtyard door had keypads so you can get in with the passcodes.  However, the apartment itself still has an old-fashioned key so it is still necessary to pick up the key from Sabe.

Overall we really enjoyed the Montmartre area and were glad we stayed in a local apartment instead of a hotel.  We were able to pick up croissants and fruit and other snacks nearby.   

I would definitely stay here again!

wine bar review: l'avant comptoir in paris

(Paris, France).  L'Avant Comptoir was a lovely wine and tapas bar in the St. German-des-pres area and was a perfect place to grab a casual lunch or refreshment after a day of shopping and/or sightseeing in the area.  The tripadvisor reviews were consistently great - see here.

Some quick tips:

travel zen on friday: sacre coeur (night and day)

The views of Paris from this lovely church are gorgeous day or night.  Nearby there is a touristy area filled with restaurants, shops and street vendors and artists.  Yes, it's very touristy but super fun and worth the visit.  Just watch out for pickpockets!

restaurant review: l'as du falafel (aka the best falafel i've ever had)

Don't worry - the lines move quickly...

(Paris, France).  Before I went to Paris this summer, I asked around for food recommendations and got several enthusiastic messages about L'as du Falafel.  It was relatively close to Notre Dame and the Centre Pompidou, so we decided to check it out while we were in the area.

Was it worthy of all the glowing recommendations?

transportation in paris - tips and recommendations

(Paris, France).  On my recent trip to Paris, my husband and I tried different modes of transportation to get to and from the airport and around Paris generally.  Here are a few of my tips and recommendations.

travel zen on friday: notre dame cathedral and love lock bridge

Notre Dame Cathedral.  Very impressive but we didn't feel the need to queue up and go inside.  Instead we took some exterior pictures and then headed off to lunch at L'as du Falafel.

 While some sections have been removed due to the weight, it seems the tradition of leaving a lock and throwing away the key still remains strong amongst lovers. 

galeries lafayette: go for the view, not the shopping

(Paris, France).  Galeries Lafayette is a high-end department store with a flagship store on Haussmann in an absolutely gorgeous building with an impressive glass dome.   It is definitely worth a visit just to go onto the terrace and get rewarded with a lovely view of Paris (and the Opera House).  However, shopping here is kind of a challenge, and here is why...

restaurant review: la cave gourmande (aka our favorite french bistro in the montmartre area in paris)

(Paris, France).  As a lactose intolerant person, I find fancy French cuisine difficult to enjoy continuously due to the heavy, creamy sauces.  However, I do enjoy simple French bistro fare such as steak frites, cassoulet, duck confit, escargot, etc.  It's rustic, simple and straightforward - and when done well, such as at La Cave Gourmande - it becomes a lovely, memorable experience.

I didn't make any reservations for our last few days in the Montmartre area in Paris.  I figured we could stroll around and pick places to eat spontaneously.  At least that was my initial idea, but when one is tired with sore feet, the thought of traipsing about looking for a meal can be rather daunting.  Thank goodness for the yelp app.  I was able to search "restaurants nearby" and select possible restaurants based on the reviews.  On our first night in Montmartre, I picked La Cave Gourmande, which was literally around the corner from our airbnb apartment, and we were not disappointed!

travel zen on friday: eiffel tower

It is shockingly touristy but still impressive to see.  The best place to get a nice full view of the Eiffel Tower is from the Trocadero.

museum of modern art (musee d'art moderne de la ville de paris) - wonderful and free

(Paris, France).  One of the most enjoyable free things we encountered in Paris was a visit to the Museum of Modern Art (Musee d'Art Moderne de La Ville de Paris) which is located in the eastern wing of the Palais de Tokyo.  

We took the metro and exited at Iena, and took a quick walk over to the museum.  There was some construction at the front so we entered through the side near the gift shop.  My husband had read that admission to the general museum was free so they simply let us in.  (Note - for the special exhibitions, there is an entrance fee.)  I had expected a small museum with a handful of artworks, but the museum was quite large and the collection of 20th century art was very impressive.  I particularly enjoyed the Giorgio de Chirico, Amedeo Modigliani, Delauney and Picasso pieces.  (Note: even if the museum is free, they do accept donations.  For most tourists, there's no point in carrying all that foreign change so this would be a great place to unburden yourselves, and do something for the community at the same time.  bonus!)

restaurant review: spring in paris (favorite high-end meal)

(Paris, France).  There are a myriad of high-end restaurants in Paris but after a lot of research I decided to try Spring - a small prix-fixe only restaurant opened by American chef Daniel Rose, which meticulously focuses on seasonal ingredients.  It is located very close to the Louvre and reservations are required several weeks in advance which can easily be done online or via email.

So how was the meal?

travel zen on friday: jardin des tuilleries

A lovely (and free) thing to do in Paris.  Take your time to enjoy this sanctuary and peaceful garden.  But remember - don't step on the grass!!

paris museum pass - is it worth it? (louvre, musee d'orsay, etc.)

(Paris, France).  The Paris Museum Pass gives entry (and preferred access) to the main museums and monuments in Paris and is sold in 2-day, 4-day or 6-day increments.  On the first day of use, sign your name and date on the back and your pass is "activated" and can be used for consecutive days of the duration of your pass.

Is it worth it?

pierre herme macarons

(Paris, France).  There are macarons everywhere in Paris.  Everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you the pretty pastel treats.  And yet, there are two places that are consistently touted as the best in the world - Pierre Herme and Laduree.  To be honest, I love them both and I tend to lean towards Laduree (since it was the very first French macaron I ever head so I feel rather nostalgic about them), and yet, as a Parisian friend definitively stated to me "Laduree is for tourists.  My favorite is Pierre Herme."

travel zen on friday - tour de france on the champs elysee

We were able to catch the last day of the Tour de France as they made their laps along the Champs Elysee in Paris.  My husband is a huge fan and was utterly thrilled to see this firsthand.  Before I met him, I didn't know there were people who watched every second of the race...

french pharmacy haul in paris

(Paris, France).  As an avid viewer of beauty youtube videos, I knew that I would have to pick up some skincare and makeup bits in Paris.  There are many French brands that are either more expensive in or not available in the U.S.  I did do some research prior to my trip so I had an idea of exactly what I wanted to pick up.  I also researched pharmacies - the most famous being Pharmacie City-Pharma in the St. Germain area but by all accounts, it's very crowded.  In actuality, there are pharmacies everywhere in Paris (just look for the green cross signs) and if you have time, do some price comparisons and you'll notice that they do vary greatly.  Not every pharmacy carries all the brands you may be looking for so you may have to go to more than one.

I've heard the pricing at City-Pharma is quite good which is why it's so well-known, but I noticed that the small Pharmacie T-LeClerc near the Hotel de Seze had really good pricing compared to the pharmacies in the Montmartre area where I ended up shopping.  If you are truly pressed for time and can't do price comparisons, then I'd recommend going to City-Pharma which has a large selection and good pricing or the one in the Galeries Lafayette which also has a large selection.  But remember there is also a pharmacy located in the airport.

So what did I end up getting?

hotel review: hotel de seze in paris

(Paris, France).  After reading through several reviews on tripadvisor, I chose to stay at Hotel de Seze because of the consistently good reviews, its convenient location and the charming photos on its website.  It is a small boutique hotel so the photos on the website may lead you to believe it's "larger" but overall we didn't have a problem with the size of the hotel or our room.