I have found that when an explosive, unanticipated, and unwelcome event erupts in my life, a tenacious urge grows inside me during the aftermath. It is an urge to do something epic right back at it. My imagination passionately runs wild with this urge and ideas sprout up at random. I want to run, not figuratively but very literally RUN until my legs give way. I want to tattoo my body so as to forever remind myself that the event will not, shall not, ruin me. I yearn to dye my hair a vibrant pink to bring life and vivacity to a sorrow that I cannot ultimately control. Take back control. Fight or flight. Whatever you want to call it, the urge is strong and very real, if not all consuming at times. Not every imaginative scheme I dream up is wise or ultimately helpful, but the urge to DO something in return is always inevitable. After my most recent explosive and life changing event I chose to flee to the safe haven of blissful consumption I once delighted in 5 years ago… I chose to flee to Paris.
Flee may be an excessive word for this well planned getaway, nonetheless, reckless is how it felt as I stuffed my bags full of 10+ (NOT an exaggeration) different types of medication, kissed my 2 young children goodbye, and frantically learned how to say “I would like to go to 9 Rue Beethoven” in French. In all honesty anything out of the normal routine is reckless and unpredictable for me these days. Nevertheless, I wanted to get away and enjoy my favorite things- shopping, wine, friendship, cheese, reading, foreign cultures, and outrageously delicious food. If any of these are your favorite things as well, then come follow along and discover some delicious gems in Paris, as well as some relaxing ideas for you to indulge in right at home. I am not one to constantly bust out a camera while traveling, as I have a deep-seated fear of being an obnoxious tourist, but I was determined this time around to capture as much of the sentiment and feel of this trip as I could. So these pictures were my compromise between not succumbing to my fear and still chronicling the blissful moments that blossomed throughout the trip.
Upon arrival I was exhausted from my overnight flight and subsequent adventure-filled ride from the airport to the airbnb apartment that my dear friend and traveling companion, Sarah, and I were staying at. After a quick nap we headed out for a cup of coffee before dinner. The conversation and scenery of that first afternoon and evening of our trip will forever be remembered alongside these quick pics I snapped of my mocaccino and our dinner. I honestly can't think of much that can beat a great conversation between friends over moments such as these. The coffee shop was Terres De Café, cute, quaint with lovely outdoor seating, I highly recommend it if you are in Eiffel Tower vicinity. And then there was the bistro... oh the bistro... WHY CAN'T YOU BE AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY HOME IN CHICAGO?! Ahem, excuse my frustration for one moment. The experience that I most wanted to be perfect and thus researched the most before coming to Paris was dining at a distinctive, delectable, and authentic French bistro. Le Bon Georges exceeded those expectations and was without a doubt one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. The staff welcomed us as if we were long time customers and were extremely helpful with translating and recommending dishes and wine pairings. There is something to be said for beautifully hospitable and kind service when dining out. It simply adds a seasoning to the meal that when paired with scrumptious food makes it a truly unforgettable experience all around.
THIS. This picture depicts something that I rarely get to experience nowadays- the wonderful pastime and art of a completely LAZY morning. No one waking me up at 6am. No one yapping at my heels demanding to be fed, or played with, or petted. No one demanding anything from me AT ALL. For this exhausted mama of a 5 year old, 1 year old, and kitty cat, this was absolutely heavenly. I slept in, I sipped coffee, I indulged in pastries bought the previous day, I read my sci-fi/fantasy book that I had started over a year ago and still had yet to finish, and I simply basked in the radiant beauty of SILENCE. And it was GOOOOOOOD.
One of Sarah's (my traveling companion) only requests while planning our trip to Paris was that we go to a fine dining restaurant. "Be still my beating heart" was the immediate thought that ran through my head when she mentioned this, "Um, yes I think I can arrange that." was my external response. I LOVE fine dining as well as researching fine dining restaurants. It didn't take much digging for me to decide on which restaurant would perfectly match our desired experience- Arpége. Arpége focuses on vegetables, their personally grown hand picked within one day of serving vegetables that is. I truly have never ever experienced vegetables this way. So many different combinations, flavors, textures, and all of them delighted every inch of my palate. We were also seated in what I believe used to be their wine cellar, which made you forget that you were dining at a 3 Michelin Starred fancy restaurant and felt as though you were simply dining in a peaceful and cozy home on the French countryside. It was divine.
Pastries and chocolate and ice cream, oh my, my, MY! Trips to patisseries, chocolateries, fromageries, boulangeries, and glaciers I had thoroughly researched trumped trips to popular landmarks on this little vacation. If popular landmarks happened to be in the vicinity of a world renowned or highly acclaimed patisserie, then great, we would stop there too, but the priority for this trip was the FOOD. Each place we visited was uniquely delicious and not all that we went to are pictured here (believe it or not). From top left to bottom right- Pastries and gateau from Pâtisserie des Rêves, the pic was snapped after I had batted my friend Sarah's hand away from taking another bite ;); Chocolates from Jacques Genin a wonderfully posh chocolate shop with equally posh and decadent chocolate treats; Hot chocolate from Angelina, we bought the bottled version and added it to our morning coffee each day which was a perfect combination, in case you were wondering; the line of perfectly adorned and manicured pastries (and staff I might add) at Ladurée; Ladurée's macarons do not disappoint and neither does their impeccably cute packaging; Another big name in French pastry- La Maison du Chocolat, where chocolates of every exquisitely imagined flavor are lined and piled neatly and the samples are seemingly never-ending, yes my friends, it is a wonderful experience to say the least; Macaron tree at Gregory Renard, a shop recommended by Paris by Mouth (a wonderful site focused on recommending the best edible experiences Paris has to offer), their recommendation proved wonderfully correct for this little shop whose chocolates were some of the most creative we tasted; macarons from Pierre Hermé, the flavors of rose, jasmine, and grapefruit in these luscious treats made them to be one of my personal favorites from the whole trip; and lastly we come to our "Sunday brunch" at Berthillon... I had a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of coconut ice cream and it came with a tuile adorned in the middle (without a doubt, that was the best chocolate ice cream I have had in my entire life and I am no novice to the world of ice cream), we each got a croissant and coffee to go with our ice cream, a seemingly odd combination but it all actually paired deliciously.
And then there was this. Those beautiful pieces of artwork are made out of chocolate. Yup... CHOCOLATE. Patrick Roger is a master sculptor and chocolatier, his shop that we visited was part chocolate shop, part art exhibition. The skill, knowledge, and craftsmanship that goes in to perfectly sculpting chocolate is so incredibly complex and complicated. I have dabbled a very little in this while going to The French Pastry School of Chicago and seeing the level that he has taken this to left me completely hushed, reverent, and awe-inspired.
While it wasn't planned this way, we ended up spending almost every night with a glass of wine in hand, chowing down on cheese, charcuterie, baguettes, fruit, and treats that we had bought throughout the day (Marie-Anne Cantin, Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel, and La Grande Épicerie de Paris were where we acquired some outstanding bread, cheese, and wine). We sat back, kicked up our aching heels, and watched various foodie documentaries about wine, fine dining restaurants, and Paris. It was a perfectly relaxing end to each evening and one I would wholeheartedly recommend you try at home.
My deep love for all things beautifully and artfully and intricately made makes Paris my favorite city I have travelled to thus far. My goal for this trip was to simply GO and bask in that wondrous and vast list of favorite things in that gorgeous city. Due to the reality of my medical conditions there certainly was an element of risk at play in going. Anxiety and worries were around every corner of preparation for this trip, but I knew deep down that this urge was one that would be wise to indulge in, despite the risk. The result was that it acted as a sweet balm to heal the wounds inflicted by the explosion. It is a balm that I will reflect on and will drive me forward with confidence on this healing journey.
