The breakfast buffet at Ibis Dijon Clemenceau was either exceptionally good, or we were just exceptionally grateful to have a breakfast that was actually edible after our experience in Lucerne. Now that we were in France, my indulgence of choice switched from cappuccinos to croissants. I know croissants have become a French cliche at this point, but these were honestly the best croissants I’ve ever eaten. With some fresh butter and apricot jam, I could live off of eating these things! Heavenly.
It was a great start to the day, and it was about to get better. A four-hour bus ride was the only thing between us and Paris!
Paris
I was around 7 years old the last time I was in this city, and I can’t believe it took me decades to make my way back. I had dreamt of visiting again as an adult, and I was finally back. To top it off, one of my best friends from high school lives in Paris, so I was excited to spend some time with her and her fiance.
Our time in Paris started with a bag drop-off at our hotel, B&B Porte Des Lilas. The room was small but comfortable, very modern, and the hotel was only a few minutes’ walk from the nearest metro station. It was a place I’d pick again if I came back to visit on my own.
From the hotel, we took our tour bus to Paris, and our tour leader gave us an overview of where we were in the city as we drove towards the Seine, so that we could come back to visit any places that piqued our interest.
Once we arrived in the heart of the city near the Eiffel tower, it was time for a Seine River lunch cruise! The lunch part didn’t turn out so great (we pre-ordered our meals, and by the time we went to pick them up, they’d run out), but the cruise itself was great. There was a lot of time during the ride to get great shots of the city from the river, as well as spot some museums and other sights to check out later in the day.
After the cruise, I said goodbye to the tour group and left to find my Parisian friend, Kim. We met up at the Eiffel tower, and after about a million photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, we headed off to check out some of her favorite spots in the city, as well as stop by some of the sights on my list.
Our first stop was to Ladurée to enjoy some coffee & sweets while getting a little time to catch up. Unfortunately, a little time turned into a lot of time after the kitchen lost our order. After over an hour of waiting, the macarons and Plaisir Sucre we ordered were brought out and I have to say that they were worth any length of wait we had to endure. And, just our luck, the restaurant’s apology for being late with our order was to give us even MORE macarons!
The only thing I regret is not ordering a box of vanilla macarons to-go. The flavor of these macarons was indescribably good — it seems like such a basic dessert, but it must be the specific recipe and quality of the ingredients that make it a standout. I’ve never tasted anything like them.
From Laduree, we stopped by the Louis Vuitton flagship store, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, before finally heading to Sacre Coeur to meet up with Kim’s fiance for dinner in Montmartre.
Dinner was at a restaurant called Jeanne B., and as was usual for European restaurants, everything we ordered was amazing. I started with a flavorful gazpacho, followed by a filling main dish of roasted chicken with salad and potatoes. The restaurant also had some tempting desserts, but we were all to full to sample them out.
After dinner, I said goodbye to my friend and met up with the remainder of my tour group at Chez Plumeau, where I caught the tail end of a live music performance. The consensus was that the dinner there was excellent, though about half the group were given incorrect bills, and that took a while to clear up before we could head back to the hotel.
It had been another very long day, and since people had split up and done different things during the day, it was fun to hear what everyone had been up to. We had all packed in so much into one day in this city, and it was pretty sad to see it end. A day just wasn’t enough time to experience this city properly.
