The Cherry Trek: Paris

August 3, 2016

I grew up in a small town in the country, but I’ve always had an affinity for the city life. There’s an indescribable energy as people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures fill the streets during their everyday life. I’ve always been obsessed with NYC, and anyone I met simply raved about Paris. So, Paris was one of those spots on our trip that I couldn’t stop dreaming about. I was a bit fearful it wouldn’t live up to its hype because we so often have these images in our heads of what a place will be like….well, Paris did everything but disappoint. It exudes charm like no other city with its manicured gardens every few blocks, its gorgeous architecture shining through the streets without skyscrapers, endless delectable food and countless markers of history.

We stayed in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood, and it felt straight out of a storybook. We ate scrumptious street food, treked across the city a few times to find places closed (because I messed up the days), wandered streets to simply enjoy and soaked up every waking moment. A few fun highlights from our trip include:

-We made a habit of dropping by Eric Kayser for warm pain au chocolats, baguettes and the best lattes.
-Pierre Herme was our first stop on our first day, as I will argue up and down that these are the best macarons in Paris! The perfect filling with pillow-soft shells.
-The most exhausted I felt was in the Louvre. Oh, it was gorgeous, but when people say it’s an endlessly large museum, they aren’t saying that to be dramatic.
-Musee D’Orsay was actually our favorite museum, yes, even over the Louvre.
-Breizh Cafe came with rave reviews, and it was amazing! But, we found a place in our neighborhood called Little Breizh, and I just might think it’s even better.
-Our favorite view of Paris was from the top of the Arc de Triomphe – a 360 degree view!
-A few of our favorite dinners were getting a mix of cheeses, wine, meats, fruit and nuts along with an Eric Kayser baguette – so simple and delightful!
-Jardin du Luxembourg may be our favorite memory, as we celebrated Jeremy’s birthday by pulling up one of the green metal chairs along the gardens, reading a good book and soaking in the sunshine while kids ran to chase sailboats. (Jeremy talked about seeing those sailboats for weeks before our trip, and it truly is as charming as it may seem)
-One chilly afternoon, we got the infamous chocolat chaud from Angelina – talk about rich and delectable! It is truly more of a sipping chocolate than normal hot chocolate. I, myself got the chocolat chaud blanc!
-The only photo you’ll see below of people besides Jeremy and I are two artists we met on the street when walking home to our apartment. They were two photographers selling the most beautiful prints of their work, and fun fact, two of their prints are some of the only souvenirs we brought home and we enjoy them in our living room every day. (The other souvenirs were two books from Shakespeare & Company for Jeremy’s birthday!)
-You’ll see a large photo toward the bottom of the post with a staircase and maroon door – you may recognize it from Midnight in Paris – these were the steps Owen Wilson sat on waiting for midnight to come!
Have you been keeping up with #TheCherryTrek? Missed a post? See all parts of our trip here: