After leaving London and passing under the English Channel, we arrived in our Parisian apartment in only three hours. We packed enough luggage to have room to bring home flea market ‘loot’ so that made the trip up the six flights of spiral stairs a little iffy. Luckily, there was the tiniest elevator that could only fit two people at a time. Or one person and one piece of luggage. Suffice it to say, we made three to four trips up that little elevator! Check out the full catalogue of our Paris photos here.
Our apartment was on the top floor, looking into a very private courtyard with trees and a fountain. It gave such chill and enlightening vibes, that we just hung out there for a few hours. We were on the go for most of the week we spent in Paris
Day 1 – shopping around Saint-Paul and the Paris Catacombs
The first thing we learned was that the subway system was much different than that of London. Yes, subway was the primary transport, but we felt that Paris was a decade behind London’s subway system. In London, you can use your phone’s digital wallet to pay, but in Paris we needed to buy paper passes (and hold on to them).
No reservations, no dinner. That’s what we learned in our UK ’22 trip. Founded in 1686, Le Procope is the oldest cafe in Paris. It introduced gelato to Europe and has had visitors in the likes of Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, and Napoleon. Napoleon even left his hat at the restaurant in a promise to pay his mounting bills.
Day 2 – Marche aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen
Today was spent entirely in and around the MASSIVE flea market complex north of the Paris city center. We used this extremely helpful website for the Paris Flea Market for navigation and where to find the best stuff that fit our fancy. We came prepared. We double bagged our luggage so that we could fill an entire extra suitcase. We lined the extra luggage with bubble wrap and packing paper to safely transport fragile goods. We also got lucky, our little Parisian apartment had a collapsable shopping cart with wheels that we brought out for the day, and we filled it up! Original paintings, hand painted tiles, vases, and more! Kaylyn was on cloud nine from beginning to end and even though we didn’t speak French, everyone was very helpful and kind.
Day 3 – Sainte-Chapelle and Paris walk
Today was time to walk around and explore Paris! Sainte-Chapelle was absolutely stunning, 360 degree stained glass depicting Old to New Testament stories that were so detailed that you could spend hours following each panel. Notre-Dame was still closed and only a few months away from re-opening after the fire in 2019.
Day 3’s dinner reservation was for Ralph’s (Ralph Lauren’s restaurant), which lived up to the brands standard. It was our one American cuisine, in the midst of our gastronomic adventures.
Day 4 – the Palace at Versailles
WOW. We arrived exactly at 9am for opening and left as the gates closed, probably 15 miles later. No stone was left unturned, we made our way through the palace and apartments first, walking through the royal rooms and chambers, including the Hall of Mirrors. Then we took the long paths through the gardens, see this page dedicated to our most stunning sights.
The sleeping beauty at Versailles is also the most remote and farthest removed part of the grounds – the Queen’s Hamlet. This was where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time, a rustic and charming set of buildings around a pond and trees. A stark difference to the palace’s pomp and extravagance, it made us think a lot more about who Marie Antoinette was as a person.
Day 5 – Musée du Louvre and a Michelin star dining experience
Another FULL day. We maybe should have spaced a day between Versailles and the Louvre, but oh well, when in Paris! There is simply too much to see all in one day, so prioritization is key; Greek and Roman statues, Egyptian sarcophagi, and Renaissance paintings took the lead.
Kaylyn was on the lookout for interesting and telling facial expressions, I was suprised at how many we could find in paintings alone!
Our Michelin star experience was in the oldest building in Paris, dating back to 1407. Auberge Nicolas Flamel is named after the famous alchemist who actually lived in the same building when it was built. An ideal location, only a few blocks from Notre-Dame. The restaurant didn’t even feel like a restaurant, it was well hidden down a narrow cobblestone alley with only one small sign above a closed wooden door. It felt like a 600 year old book tucked into a stone shelf.
We felt like we were in ‘The Bear’ tv show. The waiters were extremely kind and accommodating, the room was small and cozy with no table turnovers, and we had a view into the kitchen. We even heard one of the chefs read off an order, with the rest of the chef’s respond “oui” in unison. It was a true French cuisine; 7 plates of food spread over 3hrs until we finished at 11:30pm. Dinner started with a strange small shot glass type drink, a palate cleanser meant to stimulate the appetite. We were told that the recipe dated back to the middle-ages, slightly bitter and a cool trip into the past.
Where were we…?
Wright Around the Bend 
Paris totally has my heart! Forever and ever
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