France was somewhat of an afterthought in the agenda, but with the Chunnel and high speed rail making it an easy visit, we thought why not spend a few days exploring Paris and a few other french historical sites. And surprisingly, it ended up being a delight!
Day 1...
I will say, taking Eurostar was a breeze. The Standard Premier car had seats just like the ones in Business, and while a bit more that a regular ticket, I definitely found it worth it. Whizzing through England and France at 186 mph, I was able to kick back in comfy seats, relax, and enjoy breakfast and tea before arriving at Paris Gare de Nord, where we headed to the taxi queue and were on the way to the hotel.
I'm a huge Marriott fan and always try to stay at either their hotels or one of their new expanded brand locations (and in fact, on this trip I was in a Marriott in London, Paris and Edinburgh, all wonderful and all very different). Originally I had booked the Marriott Opera, but ended up changing last minute to the Marriott Champs Elysees, and wow, was it really in the center of everything. Not only is its doorstep on the famed Avenue, but it is a hop, skip and jump from the Arc de Triomphe!
The hotel is lovely, with a giant glass dome over the lobby, and everyone was just wonderful from the bellman to the concierge to the staff at the restaurant during our daily breakfast (which was delicious, filling and a free perk for Marriott Rewards Gold members).
Our first day was very low key, so after check in and a discussion with our wonderful front desk girl, we ended up walking to a small, off the grid locals spot for some cheese and wine (seriously though, you knew my first stop would be food related). I had taken a few years of French, and spent the last year taking courses to brush up on my conversational French, and luckily everyone I tried it on was wonderful. Once placing my order for a bottle of Rose' and a cheese platter, we just sat back and soaked in the atmosphere. We were the only English speakers in the cafe' and it was a pleasure just to sit and listen to the melodic french language welcoming us to this beautifully historic city. All in all, Le Sens Unique was everything you could want in an intimate Parisian cafe and a great start to this mini trip.
Two bottles later and a quick pitstop into Monoprix for some goodies for the room, we headed back towards the Avenue, and walked down to the Arc. The detail is absolutely stunning (and its just crazy to watch all of the cars zipping through the giant roundabout). The timing was perfect, as the sun was starting to go down a bit, painting the sky in colors reminiscent of a Monet.
As someone who loves History, I knew that I wanted to soak up as much as possible while in Paris, but too, I wanted to adventure outside of the city to see a few of the incredible chateaux that can be found throughout France. Most people are familiar with Versailles and it's history, but this trip I wanted to go off the beaten path and experience some of the lesser known locations, but with just as much (if not more) history than the famous Chateau de Versailles and booked the Chateaux de Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Day Trip from Paris.
Stop 1:
I can't recommend this trip enough! Vaux le Vicompte's grounds alone are just spectacular. The history of the Chateau and of Fouquets folly is interesting and sad, showing that you never want to grandstand the monarch or you may pay the highest penalty. For fans of Versailles, after King Louis XIV seized the chateau, he used it to inspire what would be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the time, Versailles. (It did eventually go back to the Fouquet family, with his widow retiring there with her son, until his death and she sold the property). The Chateau was also used as the Palace of Versailles in BBC's series, Versailles.
Tip 1: It's a hike, but definitely pay to walk up to the bell tower for the incredible, expansive views of the property.
Tip: 2: Absolutely grab a golf cart so that you are able to see the entire grounds.
Tip 3: They have a cafe located in what was the stable grounds. Grab a bottle of Rose', some cheese and relax before heading on to your next stop!
Stop 2:
Like Vaux le Vicomte, Fontainebleau is often overlooked for the more popular Versailles, but with its rich history (it is older than the Louvre by 50 years and even Versailles itself by 5 centuries) it is a must see.
While Fontainbleau was originally a royal hunting lodge because of the rich forest surrounding it, it's housed every French monarch since it's inception in the 1100's as an escape from the city. (For me, I have always loved the story of Henri II and Diane de Poitiers and was on a search for the secret D's hidden in the palace). Madame du Pompadour (another favorite) had a lovely chateaux just across from Fontainebleau (the Ermitage) and it was rumored that her lover, Louis XV, would go "hunting" only to spend his days with his great love. And finally, Napoleon signed his abdication papers here before being led away to Alba. And all of this only scratches the surface of the history in the walls of Fontainbleau.
Dinner:
If you haven't noticed, I tend to like the road less traveled....or actually it's more like, I like the smallest queue possible. I obviously wanted to experience the Eiffel Tower in all of her glory, especially in the evening when she lights up (and twinkles with millions of lights on the top of the hour) but I absolutely didn't want to stand in line for it. I had talked to a Parisian friend who told me about this lovely rooftop restaurant where you can have not only a wonderful dinner, but spectacular views of the Tower. I was sold! I will say, that other than my reservation at Fortnum and Mason for tea, this was the other reservation I had made more than a month in advance. And dinner at Les Ombres was very much a j'taime Paris moment.
I started with the Ravioles de tourteau aux aromates, fenouil en crème émulsionnée et en fins copeaux, huile de ciboulette (Ravioli of crab in spices, emulsion cream and shavings fennel, chive oil) - Light, delicious, a perfect starter.
For dinner, I went with the Filet de volaille fermière,pomme fondante aux aromates,jus aux herbes, espuma au lard paysan (Poultry farm breast,seasoning melting potatoes,herbal juice, farmhouse bacon foam) - Literally melt in the mouth amazing.
The whole experience was incredibly intimate, with the Eiffle Tower shadowing the terrace, where the weather could not have been more perfect for al fresco dining. It was parfait!
Day 3...
We grabbed the Hop On Hop Off Bus that was conveniently located right by the hotel and set off for a day of adventure, with a goal to start our tour at the Rodin Musee. The Musee alone turned out to be such a delight and I still marvel that this incredible wooded estate literally lies in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
We hopped back on the bus and enjoyed a leisurely ride off to random sightseeing before ending up back at the Champs Elysees where we prepared to wind down for the day.
But before I left, for my final meal in Paris, I needed to go with my cliche' favorite french comfort foods.... soupe a' l'ognon gratinee' and Croque Monsieur. I grabbed my jacket and headed to Brasserie Baroche, another locally recommended restaurant and a gem!
Last day in Paris....
It was early enough, and we had a little bit of time to kill before heading to Charles De Gaulle which meant I had time for a run to Laduree, which was conveniently located across from my hotel.
After my macarons were carefully packed into my carry on, away we went to the airport to check in and then head to the lounge for a nibble and some wine before jumping on the plane for Edinburgh....the city of my heart.
Au Revoir Paris, a' la prochaine......
Comments