“Paris is always a good idea.” — Audrey Hepburn
le vendredi 21 mars
We arrived in Paris after a very pleasant flight on the all business class airline, La Compagnie. The lounge at EWR, the amenity kit featuring Caudalie products, the Piper Heidseik Champagne, the gourment meal, and the lie-flat seats certainly helped us relax and arrive feeling ready to spend our first day in Paris. Our Paris Perfect Clairette apartment had been renovated to include central air, a second “bedroom” and a large, flat-screen TV. Unfortuately, although the “upgrades” perhaps made the apartment more comfortable, they also took away some of the girlie, Parisain charm. One thing, happily, hasn’t changed since our last visit — the view. The Eiffel Tower sparkling right outside our windows is unbeatable.
After cleaning up, we wandered from our neighborhood on the rue Saint-Dominique in the 7e arrondissement to the fabled rue Cler.
There are bakeries with beautiful baguettes, croissants, and pastries; fruit markets featuring sweet, spring berries; cheese mongers, and wine shops with so many varieties; cafés tempting passersby with the delicious aroma of roasting chicken and potatoes; flower markets with buckets full of tulips, camomile, roses, hydrangeas, and ranunculus — all in classic Haussmannian buildings with colorful storefronts and welcoming terasses. We shopped for our tradition of living room picnics complete with a beautiful flowers and food, bubbles, and Eiffel Tower sparkles.
le SAMEDI 22 mars
On Saturday, we strolled and shopped and enjoyed a lovely treat at Ladurée.
Our shopping day continued at the iconic Bon Marché where the featured pop-up exhibition was Je t’aime comme un chien (I love you like a dog) — “a paradise for dogs and animal lovers… a selection of shop products that celebrate unconditional love for our four -legged friends.”
On Saturday evening, we window shopped in the Place Vendôme and enjoyed a cocktail at our favorite Bar Hemingway in the Ritz.
Later Saturday night, we watched the Eiffel Tower go dark to mark Earth Hour, a response to the need to conserve energy.
le DIMANCHE 23 mars
We spent Sunday in Montmartre, enjoying the art and the architecture. Despite the rain, it was pleasant to wander through the cobblestone streets from the Sacré-Coeur to the Place de Tertre, down the hill to the Place Dalida and the Maison Rose where we had a wonderful lunch.
On Saturday evening, we browsed through a pop-up brochante in the Place des Vosges. I found two intricate, little vintage boxes.
LE LUNDI 24 MARS
We began our day with a tour of the newly-restored Notre Dame cathedral. This was the only thing on my must-do list for this trip. We were fortunate enough to have tickets to skip the line outside. Once inside, I was awed by light and the colors.
We continued our afternoon in the Latin Quarter, admiring the spring blossoms in the Square René Viviani; browsing through the stacks at Shakespeare and Company where I purchased Paris in Our View, an anthology of poetry written in the shop; and enjoying a snack at Odette while marveling at the sound of the bells of Notre Dame peeling out once again.
We wandered through the Jardin du Luxembourg and past the Saint-Sulpice to Saint-Germain-des-Près where we had lunch in the sunshine.
On Monday evening, I met friends for a drink. Later, we settle in with Midnight in Paris and watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle.
LE MARDI 25 MARS
Our final day in Paris was completely spontaneous. We started with a stroll in the Palais Royal where the magnolia trees were in full bloom.
Our walk continued through the courtyard of the Louvre to Tuileries where we sat in the sunshine and watched the birds play in the fountain.
Because the weather was perfect, we decided to do a boat tour on the Seine.
After the bateau, we returned to the 7e arrondissement to have lunch on the rue Cler before visiting the Rodin Museum.
So the sun set on our Spring 2025 trip to Paris, but of course, we ended with one final sparkle. . . jusqu’à la prochain fois.
This trip was meant to be flexible. I didn’t over-plan, but there were a few things on my list for Paris 2025:
✓ Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle every night
✓ Visit the beautifully restored Cathedral of Notre Dame.
✓ Have a cocktail in Bar Hemingway at the Ritz
✓ Savor the flavors of Paris: Warm baguettes, smacarons at Ladurée, choux at Odette, fresh produce from the local market, bold reds and sparkling wines… (and so much more)
✓ Take pictures of “the little things”— Sure, I photographed the iconic monuments if we were nearby, but I really tried to focus on the little things that make Paris special.
For more pictures, click here.
