Urban Backpacker Travels: PARIS

I arrived in Paris at 6AM on Saturday morning!  Although exhausted and groggy, I was able to navigate the train/subway systems and found my way to the apartment we rented through AirBnB.  Our host and his fiancé took me out for breakfast, coffee and a baguette, at a nearby cafe. They were so kind and gave me tips on what to do before my friends arrived that afternoon.   

After breakfast, I set off on foot to see the city.  I was pretty out of it, so after a little wandering, I made my way back to the apartment for a quick nap.  

I awoke a new person to greet my two friends, Kate and Katie, and we set off: first stop, the grocery store and bakery for wine and a baguette, which we enjoyed in the sun under the Eiffel Tower.

  We then proceeded to walk along the river and made our way to Champs Eylsees to see all the high end stores and then to the Arc de Triomphe. 

After a short trip back to the apartment to freshen up, we ventured to a different area of the city for dinner at Bistro de Henri.  We were nestled in a small corner table, and promptly set up with house wine.  Although we did not order escargot, duck, or any of the other typical specialities, the food and atmosphere did not dissapoint.  After dinner, we decided to find a cafe to sit at for another glass of wine and people watching.  Almost all of the cafés in Paris have outdoor seating, with chairs facing the street, perfect for sitting and drinking and people watching.  The area we were in was quite happening, with a band and people dancing in the street. It was the perfect way to spent our first night in the city. 

Sunday I woke up early and decided to go for a run.  Many people run along the river, so that's what I did, making my way all the way to the Louvre for an early morning, crowd free visit. Talk about destination run!

Back and showered, we headed out for the day.  We decided to head to Rue Mouffetard to check out the area and the open air market.  We got breakfast - the most amazing figs and a delicious sweet baguette with figs and macadamia nuts.  I'm not a huge bread person, but this baguette was unreal. So fresh, crunchy on the outside and super soft and airy on the inside.  Plus a huge amount of flavor from the lightly toasted nuts and gooey figs.

After eating, we made our way to Luxemborg Gardens.  The weather was perfect, and the gardens were so beautiful! We soaked it all in for a while.  Definitely a place I would love to spend an afternoon reading. 

We then hopped on the subway to see some art.  On the first Sunday of every month there are a ton of galleries and museums that are free.  We took advantage of this and went to the Musee L'Orangerie (impressionist art) and the Centre Pompidou (modern art).  So much amazing art, so little time!

After we had our share of art, we decided to check out a vegetarian restaurant near Notre Dame.  On the way there we saw the famous lock bridge (or so we thought, until later when we saw many other lock filled bridges...and questioned if the first one we saw was the famous lock bridge, or an imposter).

We had dinner at Le Grenier de Notre Dame.  It was such a cute place, decorated with lots of green and plants.  I went with the macrobiotic plate - miso soup, brown rice, steamed tofu, black beans, and veggies.  We also had wine (we loved the rose in Paris!) and dessert. Overall, good food, but nothing great. 

After dinner, we went back to Notre Dame to take a few pictures.  We then proceeded to drink a bit too much rose before calling it a night.  An incredibly long, but incredibly amazing day.

Monday! Our last full day in Paris.  The ladies really wanted to go all the way up the Eiffel Tower, so we grabbed a baguette (me) and croissants (them) and began our journey.  Three lines and two elevators later, we made it.  The views were stunning, to say the least.

Next on our list: the Sacre Couer.  This beautiful basilica sits atop a hill in the Montmartre area of Paris, providing more gorgeous views of the city.  The basilica itself was incredibly breathtaking- white stone with gorgeous stained glass windows.

We wandered around the neighborhood a little while longer, making our way back down the hill toward the river.   On the way, we found ourselves at Un Monde Vegan - a vegan grocery store!  Boy did I have a field day.  I ended up with some Vegusto herbed cheese (um, yum!), Wheaty veg salami, and an assortment of raw chocolates.   I'm so happy I got a chance to stop here!

For our final night in Paris, we decided to take some wine, the goodies from the vegan store, and some other snacks for a picnic under the Eiffel Tower before we set off on a boat cruise down the river.  What a perfect end to the trip!

Tuesday morning we woke up early to get in one (or two) more baked treats before hopping on the train.  AU REVOIR PARIS!  I hope to be back again soon.