Memories of Paris
With Paris in the spotlight now as host of the summer Olympics, I can’t help but recall trips I have made and enjoyed to that very special city.
Discovering out of the way cafés in Paris with my travel buddy
On my first visit to Paris I was single and travelled alone from Canada, but arranged to meet up with my cousin Janet who lived in England at the time, and whom I had not seen in over ten years. We celebrated our reunion, and Paris, with a bottle of champagne. I vividly remember trying to chill the champagne in the bidet - why we didn’t just ask the hotel for ice I have no idea!
Many years later, for my birthday, my husband treated me to a ski holiday at Courchevel in the French alps. Naturally we tacked a few days in Paris onto our itinerary. Even though it was early February and a bit rainy people were still enjoying the outdoor cafes and we did too!
Before being sidelined by a shoulder injury I used to play a lot of tennis. So a highlight for me was going to Paris for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium. Even more thrilling than the watching the matches in person was the sight of my hero, Roger Federer and his wife Mirka having dinner at our hotel restaurant. Swoon!
More recently my travel partner to Paris has been my daughter. We get along very well as we have similar tastes in food, coffee and fashion. On one trip, we were lucky enough to stay at the Meurice. This is a very traditional hotel with a fabulous ornate dining room where we loved our breakfasts of croissants and jam and delicious salted butter. The location was also perfect - right across from the Jardins des Tuileries. C’était trop bon!
Picnicking at the Place des Vosges
While Parisian restaurants are wonderful (Monsieur Bleu, Carette among others), one of my most memorable eating experiences there involved a spring picnic with a baguette, cheese and the most flavourful strawberries ever. We also had excellent pizza at a buzzy spot in the Marais district on our last night.
Iced coffee and fun shopping at Café Kitsumé
Of course we didn’t just eat, drink and shop in Paris. We managed to find time for cultural vists, including the Louvre, the Musée Rodin, the Palais Garnier, the immense palace at Versailles and smaller house museums in the city. All worthwhile, educational and inspiring.
Would I like to go to Paris again? In a heartbeat!
