Paris absolutely lives up the hype. The “city of love” is spectacular – from the well-known sites to the gorgeous architecture around every turn (not to mention the pastries!) it is a stunning, history city that I definitely would like to return to soon. One of the things I enjoyed most was strolling around through the pretty streets and window shopping.

With me being a Paris first-timer, I started the trip with a driving tour of Paris to see the highlights. I went through the city up and down and I would highly recommend doing something like this if you visit for the first time. I first drove from the hotel near L’église de la Madeleine, a Roman Catholic church designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s army, to through the Place Vendome and Place du Concorde to the Eiffel Tower. It is such an impressive structure (and even prettier lit up in the evenings). I continued through Les Invalides a former palace and famous complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France. The buildings house the Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, as well as the Dôme des Invalides, a large church, the tallest in Paris at a height of 107 meters, with the tombs of some of France’s war heroes, most notably Napoleon.

From there the drive continued on along the River Seine, past the Louvre and the Palais de Justice, to Notre Dame Cathedral. Following the recent, catastrophic fire most of the area surrounding the Cathedral is closed and visitors cannot go inside/too near to the structure. The front it is still exquisite, but you can definitely see the major damages as you look around the side. The driver continued on the tour to the Moulin Rouge and up to the Paris hilltop Basilica, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica. This Basilica is on the Montmartre hill, providing a beautiful view looking down on the entire city of Paris.

I finished the tour with a stop at the Arc de Triomphe and a drive down the Champs-Élysées. The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. We also passed the Élysée Palace which is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was initially built for Louis Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne. It was used as the office of the French President for the first time in 1848. The current building contains the presidential office and residency, as well as the meeting place of the Council of Ministers.

The second major thing to do and see in Paris is the art. There are museums around every corner, with the Louvre being the primary (and largest!) one. I chose to go to The Musée de l’Orangerie first. This is an art gallery of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings located in the west corner of the Tuileries Gardens next to the Place de la Concorde in Paris – primarily famous for housing 8 of Monet’s water-lily paintings, displayed in two oval rooms all along the walls. They are displayed under direct diffused light as was originally intended by Monet.

The Louvre, the second museum stop, was – of course- incredible. It is the world’s largest art museum with over 38,000 objects, an area of 780,000 square feet, and hosts over 10 million visitors annually. I recommend either booking a private tour guide or getting an audio guide to help you navigate the huge museum and to help make sure you don’t miss anything! I did the audio tour and it was extremely beneficial and interesting. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. It was officially converted to a museum in 1793. A few highlights include:

• Winged Victory of Samothrace
• Mona Lisa
• The Virgin of the Rocks is the name of two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, one in the Louvre and the other in the National Gallery in London
• Liberty Leading the People
• Venus de Milo
• The Sleeping Hermaphroditus (Bernini)
• Raft of the Medusa

• Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss

Lastly, you cannot talk about Paris without highlighting the food. All of the darling street cafes are wonderful and you can pop into any of them for a quick bite to eat, a glass of wine or a coffee/pastry. I splurged a bit on the food this trip with two primary indulgences. The first was  pastries at Le Meurice in Paris. Cedric Grolet, the 2018 World’s Best Pastry Chef, created delicious dessert pastries focused on fruits and the reinterpretation of traditional French desserts. I had an apple tart and a chocolate mouse treat! The second splurge was spectacular as well – I ate at 14 course tasting menu at Arpège, the 8^th best restaurant in the world. It has had a 3 Michelin-star rating since 1996 and is the pride of chef is Alain Passard. Passard. He has been planning his menu based on the seasons, sourcing natural and organically grown products from artisans and farmers, including his own. Passard’s desire to work with quality products led him to create three “kitchen gardens” onsite for fresh veg and honey and locally sources fish and meat as well. He even came out of the kitchen to meet us and sign a cookbook!! Truly a once in a food-lifetime experience 😊

The other day  in France, I explored Normandy and the D-Day history – stay tuned for a post with the details!

– MAL

Hotel:

• Royal Madeleine Hotel – great, walkable location with a very good hotel bar

Restaurants:

• Arpege
• Le Meurice
• Random Cafes/etc

Sites:

• Eiffel Tower
• Arc de Triumph
• Sacré-Cœur Basilica
• Les Invalides
• Moulin Rouge
• Notre Dame
• Champs-Élysées
• Palais Elysees
• Arc de Triomphe
• Louvre
• Musée de l’Orangerie
• Tuileries Gardens
• Place de la Concorde
• Place de Vendome
• L’église de la Madeleine