Paris in the fall

You know when you love someone, and then see them in a new light? Maybe they do something you've never seen before or make a weird noise and you see them through new eyes?

Well, I thought I loved Paris when we met in the summer. And then we met again in autumn...it was colder, the leaves were falling, the population of tourists had taken a dip...and I realized we were definitely meant to be.

My aunt Dawn and I had a beautiful weekend. She is a flight attendant and caught a flight to France just to see me! I think after two trips to India, she needed a European break. The two of us met up at our hotel (The Marriott on Rue St. Jacques, which I would highly recommend) on Friday night and spent the next four days having a blast.

Our view from the hotel room:


Our first night we spent catching up over red wine and hors-d'oeuvres in our VIP lounge and then we went out to a little restaurant nearby. We mapped out our weekend a little bit and just had a good time.

Saturday morning we started with breakfast (coffee, croissants with apricot jam and/or nutella, and cereal) and a jog in the sunshine. Pretty perfect, huh? Then we got ready and took the metro to the Pere Lachaise cemetary...final resting ground for Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and Edith Piaf. Of course, I had to put roses on Piaf's grave and after navigating the map for a long time, it turned out she was right in front of us!


We also had lunch next to Hotel de Ville and went shopping on Rue Rivoli before retiring for the evening. Funny side note: at the restaurant where we ate lunch, there were a bunch of bees flying around and I noticed you could tell someone's nationality by how they handled the little guys. French people ignored them entirely, Americans blew at them or waved them away with a menu, and Italians clubbed them to death. Gotta love cultural differences!

Sunday morning Dawn and I headed out to Les Puces de St. Ouen. I love antiques (especially chandeliers) and wanted to visit the flea market...especially after seeing A Midnight in Paris.

On the metro to the market:






Of course, the two of us didn't buy anything since chandeliers and giraffe carvings are difficult to pack in carry-ons, but we did get Dawn a new jacket! It's glamorous, you'll see a picture soon. Then, we went to see Sainte-Chapelle! I had no idea this church even existed until a friend of mine recommended it a few days earlier. And since my trip was all about seeing new things in Paris, we put it at the top of the list of things to see!

The church itself is pretty small, but the stained glass windows were out of control. Each pane represented a book of the Bible and the big rose window depicted Revelation.




Conveniently, the Palais de Justice and Notre Dame just happen to be next door:




Dawn and I also visited Pont de l'Archeveche, which is known for its "Love Locks". Couples write or engrave their names and the date on a padlock, lock it to the bridge, and throw the keys into the river below. It got both of us a little teary...


Another highlight was seeing the bird and flower market!




Our last day we spent moseying through the Jardin de Tuileries and the Champs-Elysees...stopping by the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the National Assembly, and Pont Alexandre III.




I can not tell you how refreshing the weekend was.
Europe has been the greatest adventure, but Paris still has my heart.

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com