I cannot believe this time last year I was finishing up my Spanish tour in Paris. The end of 2015 and 2016 has been a crazy time which is why I am just now finally sharing my Parisian collection of experiences. Last Fall I traveled through Spain (Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, etc etc) and ended my trip in Paris because most flights from Barcelona to San Francisco stop in Paris. As such, I decided to just go ahead and add Paris to my itinerary because ..........well.... Paris is always a good idea! Why not "fall into Paris" before heading back to the U.S.? In the wee hours of the morning I hopped on a train from Barcelona to Paris. I had been to Paris before so there was no pressure to do all the "Paris must sees". My goal was to pretty much confine myself to one or two neighborhoods, visit the Picasso Museum and eat some lovely croissants. I did not want to worry about catching taxis or any type of public transportation. Mission Accomplished! I chose to stay in Le Merais because my main day in Paris was a Sunday. Le Merais has historically been the Jewish Quarter and as such shops tend to be open on Sunday in that area. It's also the home of chic art galleries and the Picasso Museum. I explored everything by foot and it was marvelous. I love Paris in the Autumn!
Accommodations: Hôtel Caron- 3 rue Caron 4th are. Paris, 75004 France
Hôtel Caron was a cute boutique hotel in the heart of Le Merais. The staff was very friendly and helpful and their were great restaurants and shops nearby. I would definitely stay there again.
Activities: The main theme of this trip was Picasso! I visited the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and it was fantastic. Our tour guide mentioned several works that were not in the Barcelona museum but in Paris. I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Paris museum during the same trip. It was fun comparing and contrasting the different works and I was fascinated to see how differently the two museums were designed. Interestingly enough, the Paris Picasso Museum didn't to seem to be a huge tourist trap. I saw a lot of "real French people" there. A moment I remember is observing these two children appreciating Picasso's Massacre in Korea. I thought to myself "This would be a wonderful experience to share with children." Little did I know several months later, I would be a new mom. I am so excited to share Paris with my little one in the future.
Cultured Americana tip: Get your tickets in advance for the Picasso Museum. I was able to have my ticket righting my iPhone's passbook.
I loved having no other plans in Paris outside of visiting the Picasso Museum. I walked around neighborhoods, in and around parks and one afternoon found myself at Notre Dame
Culinary Culture:
My best food memory in Paris was getting up early in the morning to walk around and see what I would run into. I saw a boulangerie called Miss Manon that had a little line forming outside of it so I decided to hop in line and see what the hype was about. Miss Manon did not disappoint.
I can't wait to visit Paris again. I feel like if one is able to get to Paris they should visit the city as many times in their lifetime as possible. Next time I visit Paris my daughter will be with me!