france – jenNYdreams

Paris (Pt. 3)

September 17, 2018September 19, 2018Posted in TravelTagged croissant, france, la cuisine paris, paris, parisian, promenade plantee, travel1 Comment

We’ve been to Paris three times in the last three years; at this point, we feel more comfortable in Paris than we do in Los Angeles. Just like our recent trip to Rome, this trip allowed us to stay in a different neighborhood, redo our favorite activities, and check off any bucket-list items that we hadn’t been able to do previously. Here’s some advice for Paris that we learned this summer:

Take a class at La Cuisine Paris. When we were here in November, we took a wine-and-cheese pairing class and loved it so much that we decided to take a croissant and breakfast pastry class this time. Our adorable French instructor Segolene taught us how to make croissants, pistachio twists, pain au chocolat, vanilla custards, cinnamon almond snails, and more. I eat croissants on a daily basis in New York, and now I have a much bigger appreciation for them knowing how much effort each one takes. We learned to throw our dough at the counter for elasticity — “think of someone you hate; I want you to leave here stress-free,” Segolene instructed us. We delicately added butter onto our dough before folding it and again and again and again. We cut the painstakingly folded dough into long triangles, made little Eiffel Towers out of them, and rolled them into croissants before baking and brushing egg wash onto them. I am always the worst one in every baking class, but I am incredibly talented at eating the final products. In the end, we enjoyed our pastries with coffee and tea and were able to bring our remaining pastries home.

41286862_10216802391388665_8020068001770373120_o — Coating them with eggwash

41290357_10216802395388765_5429470215610040320_o — Pain au chocolat

40430007_10216749170098166_5208359062919446528_o — Filling these with our toppings of choice

Stay in an apartment. This was our first time staying in a hotel in Paris, and though our room at the stylish Hôtel Notre-Dame Saint Michel had a spectacular view of Notre-Dame (I made sure to request this view after booking), I couldn’t help but miss our apartment from last November, with its tiny balcony overlooking a sea of grey rooftops. When in any major city, I always recommend staying in Airbnbs or apartments to feel more like a local.

41193934_10216801635009756_2866253537451442176_o — Each room was designed by Christian Lacroix

41187013_10216801622889453_4711584874673209344_o — Great view, but no balcony

41176019_10216801629209611_1925008740113711104_o — Colorful staircases

41281665_10216801640129884_4805192102046597120_o — Our room faced Notre-Dame

Have tea at Mariage Frères, a French gourmet tea company founded in Paris in 1854 by the Mariage brothers. Tea is huge in France (perhaps that’s why their coffee sucks?), and the Mariage family was sent around the world on behalf of the royal court just to bring tea back home. There are five tearooms in Paris. We went to the one in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing, elegant afternoon. When we sat down, we were given an entire book about tea, which we spent a couple of hours reading. It covered everything, from the history of tea to proper brewing techniques.

Stroll through Promenade Plantée, an elevated park built on top of old railroad tracks that inspired New York’s High Line. Running nearly three miles from Bastille to Boulevard Périphérique, it passes some very interesting modern buildings. My favorite building is split in half by the park. Most Parisians thought the park was a waste of money when it first opened, but now cherish it, which is similar to their reaction to both the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre pyramid. When we were strolling, a sweet Parisian woman stopped her jogging session to randomly ask if we wanted our photo taken. Of course we said “oui”. She took a few from different angles, which I always appreciate, and when we passed by her again a few minutes later she laughed and offered to take a few more in front of this pool. She even directed us to stand in specific spots — and to “Bisou!”, so we immediately obliged. This may have been the best thing about Promenade Plantée. For some reason, many tourists don’t know about it, so we were surrounded by smiling locals (yes! Parisians do smile when you actually stumble across them outside of the touristy zones) who seemed to appreciate that we had done a little more research on our trip.

IMG_20180901_124144_515 — My favorite building

41423545_10216807236589792_8770357122903834624_n — Very reminiscent of the High Line

41401192_10216807236309785_7106491216249749504_n — View of Paris below

41338990_10216807390233633_4078933932819611648_o — Bisous!

Visit Shakespeare & Co. once in your life. This was our first time staying on the Left Bank, so we finally remembered to check out this famous bookstore. It’s mobbed by American tourists, but you can understand why when you enter. It’s stuffed with English language books, contains cute little nooks to curl up with a novel, and has a no-photo policy.

Picnic along Canal St. Martin. This neighborhood has transformed from Bushwick into Williamsburg, and while it’s probably become too glossy for true bobos anymore, I felt at home in Canal St. Martin, which was where we stayed in a tiny Airbnb back in 2015. Despite the change, young Parisians can still be found picnicking along the canal. Buy some cheese from a fromagerie, a baguette from the nearest boulangerie, and a bottle of wine. You’ll feel more Parisian doing this than dining at any restaurant.

Unless you are really into Louis XIV, skip Versailles. Visit Neuschwanstein in Germany, Himeji Castle in Japan, or Pena Palace in Portugal instead. Almost everything about Versailles — the gaudy bedrooms, the crowded Hall of Mirrors, and even the overly-manicured gardens — was underwhelming. However, we did enjoy renting a boat and rowing in a lake alongside comical ducks and monstrous swans. If you do decide to visit Versailles, go early in the morning to beat some of the crowds.

41315548_10216807877845823_2668125201438343168_o — One of the first to step foot in the courtyard that morning!

20180901_125847 — Getting that bicep workout

Pick up pastries for breakfast from your neighborhood boulangerie. My favorite was award-winning Boulanger Patissier, located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was just a few blocks from our hotel and put all the croissants I made in class to shame. Furthermore, everything here is dirt cheap. It’ll make you upset that the only things this cheap in the U.S. are Dunkin’ Donuts.

Paris still has one of my favorite metro systems in the world. Sure, it’s not as sleek and shiny as Tokyo’s, but I think it works surprisingly well (except for its absurdly tiny single-use tickets) and runs on time, at least in our experience. Take advantage of its numbered exits in the stations. When you look up a route online, Google Maps will tell you which exit to take. These are so helpful! I wish New York’s subway exits were also numbered so I would know which part of the train I should aim for ahead of time. One more tip for the Paris Metro: Always pay your fare. When we were heading to the airport, the ticket machine at our metro station wasn’t working, and the turnstiles were letting everyone through without tickets, so we caught the train without paying. Sure enough, metro workers were at the airport entrance checking each passenger’s ticket, and we left Paris €100 poorer.

Eat at Pierre Sang Oberkampf, one of the most innovative dining experiences I’ve ever had. It offers a blind tasting menu, which means that each ingredient of your dish is explained to you after you finish eating it. For only €39, I had six courses of French-Korean dishes (think steak with gochujang, beet purée, and beans). We booked seats at the bar and had a direct view of the kitchen. Immediately after our dinner, we attempted to book a table for the following evening, but the menu only changes every two weeks.

40628749_10216761970578170_5097213027355197440_n — The best view at any good restaurant is always of the chefs hard at work

40534850_10216761971378190_4363308295922909184_n — Steak

40533967_10216761971978205_2111463595534450688_n — Prawns

40510004_10216761972258212_61591514651820032_n — Second to last course was cheese, of course

40505652_10216761972898228_2317235508750581760_n — Last course

Apparently French-Asian fusion is blowing up in Paris because another fantastic meal we had was at Les Enfants Rouges. Again, we sat at the bar to watch the kitchen as they prepared our fried foie gras on creamy corn and coffee mousse, tempura monkfish, and figs with a coconut sorbet and pistachios over matcha cream.

40639587_10216765674950777_8007876054200877056_n — Fried foie gras on creamy corn and coffee mousse

40617171_10216765675310786_2065090670430781440_n — Figs topped with coconut sorbet, on matcha cream and pistachios

Visit in the fall. As much as I enjoyed the extra-long days and leisurely nights sitting out along the Seine (stay out past midnight to see the Eiffel Tower glitter!), I still prefer Paris in the fall, when the weather is crisp and more locals have replaced tourists.

Each time we visit Paris, we eat better meals, know more about each neighborhood, and notice the little changes that have occurred since our last trip. Anthony and I felt so comfortable in Paris that, although we don’t speak French at all, we could easily see ourselves living here. It’s such a diverse, stimulating city with good food — and, most importantly, cheap croissants. Paris was the perfect way to end our Ireland and France trip. I’m not sure how many more times I want to visit Paris, but I am desperate for an excuse to explore more of the French countryside, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I found myself back here soon. If that’s the case, I will most definitely be making another reservation at Pierre Sang Oberkampf. Au revoir for now!

Bayeux

September 14, 2018September 28, 2018Posted in TravelTagged bayeux, bayeux tapestry, france, le petit matin, le pommier, normandie, normandy, travel5 Comments

When our train pulled into Bayeux, we had only an hour and a half to check into our B&B and eat lunch before our tour. I randomly chose Bayeux because it was one of the towns conveniently located for the D-Day Tours, but as Anthony quickly navigated us from the train station to our B&B, I had to pause every few seconds just to take it all in. Bayeux is heartbreakingly charming! We had just arrived from Mont Saint-Michel, which was lovely but an otherworldly experience, so Bayeux felt like the first French town outside of Paris that we were actually exploring.

There’s a reason why I have such a soft spot for Italy, Germany, and Japan — and, no, it’s not because they were our enemies during World War II. It’s because we actually dedicated some time to their smaller towns, whether it’s Positano, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, or Nara. To visit only major cities when traveling does that country a disservice. Bayeux is a charming medieval town in Normandy. Located four miles from the coast of the English Channel, it was the first French town to be liberated by the Allies in June 1944.

40395564_10216738116981845_4923926528779091968_n — Place Charles de Gaulle

Eventually, we checked into our stylish B&B, Le Petit Matin. Our room had a tasteful sailing theme, with gorgeous parquet floors, a walk-in closet, and a view of the genteel square across the street.

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My favorite part, however, was our host Pascal, who served us homemade quiche and fresh apple cake (in addition to a table full of croissants, Normandy cheeses, yogurt, and fruits) at breakfast, and gave us suggestions for restaurants, such as Le Pommier, which turned out to be my favorite meal of our entire trip. At Le Pommier, we started with a couple of bottles of Bayeux cider brut (a Normandy specialty), then I had duck breast with balsamic juices and a crème brûlée, while Anthony had lamb with thyme and candied carrots, and a flaky apple pie (another Normandy specialty). We ate outside on a quaint street bustling with restaurants and a view of the Bayeux cathedral down the road.

Europe is full of stunning churches, but I have to say, the uplighting on the Bayeux Cathedral in the summertime puts everyone else’s to shame. Stories celebrating France’s journey to liberty are projected onto the cathedral. Apparently these light shows are a thing around Normandy, with the cathedral in Rouen also covered in bright colors at night.

P1090262 — Norman, Romanesque, and Gothic influences

40371479_10216734001838969_3815010601957064704_o — Look at that uplighting!

While I could have spent our entire time in Bayeux pretending I was in an Impressionist painting, Anthony was excited for our D-Day Beaches tour with Normandy Sightseeing Tours. For five hours, our entertaining guide Olivier drove us to the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and a cemetery filled with white crosses representing American lives that were lost at Normandy. I was fascinated by the aberrations — we found one Hawaiian, a Mexican, and a few Blacks in the cemetery. Jews had Stars of David instead of crosses.

40370991_10216730888641141_8201568878703149056_o — The beaches of Normandy

IMG_20180829_230955_501 — My husband and his Metal Earth models

IMG_20180829_230955_500 — Inside a bomb crater

IMG_20180830_122951_011 — American cemetery

While Americans tend to visit Normandy for the World War II sites, British and French tourists visit for the Bayeux Tapestry, which we decided to see more out of obligation than anything else. However, we were awed by it. The tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 230 feet long and 20 inches tall. It wraps around an entire gallery and is housed in a building dedicated entirely to it. In roughly 50 scenes, the tapestry intricately depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England. Its survival is nothing short of miraculous. The museum ticket comes with a free audio guide, which is perfectly designed to pace listeners and showcase the craftsmanship of the tapestry. For the first time in 950 years, it will be leaving France and loaned out to the British Museum for the next few years — a thought that initially upset us (why does England have to take all good things?!), but we were quelled when we found out that the Bayeux museum is undergoing construction and thus needed housing for its tapestry.

Fewer than 14,000 people live in Bayeux. In the U.S., I can’t stand small towns. They make me anxious. They’re usually filled with conservatives and bad food, but Bayeux proved that small towns in France (and probably much of the rest of the world) are pretty fantastic. I was ready to move in. Everyone we met was incredibly welcoming, and the food we had here was honestly better than anything we’ve ever eaten in Paris. But speaking of Paris, it was time for us to make our way down there again. When we checked out of Le Petit Matin, Pascal handed us a bottle of local cider, making my heart melt just a little more. Au revoir, Bayeux!

Mont Saint-Michel

September 12, 2018September 19, 2018Posted in TravelTagged beauvoir, breton, brittany, france, les vielles digues, mont saint-michel, mont st-michel, normandie, normandy, travel5 Comments

It was a trek to reach Mont Saint-Michel, but the journey is easily worth it. I had first heard of Mont Saint-Michel years ago, when my dad scoffed that I was going to Paris and told me about a mysterious monastery that becomes an island during high tide that I should be visiting instead. It took me a while, but I finally made it after seemingly every Instagram blogger had made it there, too.

We first flew into Paris from Ireland, caught a Le Bus Direct to Gare Montparnasse, then a train to Rennes. All of this went surprisingly smoothly, but when we got to Rennes, the next bus to Mont Saint-Michel wasn’t leaving until late afternoon, so we were stuck in Rennes for a few hours instead of making the most of our already short time in Mont Saint-Michel. Thankfully, Rennes is a fairly interesting city with a large student population, so we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and explored the impressive public library.

During lunch we learned the difference between crêpes and galettes, both of which originated in this region. A crêpe is a sweet wheat flour pancake often filled with Nutella or fruits, while a galette is a savory buckwheat pancake often filled with cheese & ham. In the U.S. we erroneously call galettes “savory crêpes”, or — even worse — we put savory ingredients inside a crêpe. I ordered a crispy galette filled with emmental, andouille & potato galette, and then for dessert we shared a flambéed Grand Marnier crêpe.

Galette

Crepe

Our bus arrived right on schedule, and an hour and a half later we were finally in Mont Saint-Michel. Unfortunately, I hadn’t confirmed exactly which bus stop to get off at, so we watched as our bed & breakfast passed us by and anxiously got off at the next stop. Apparently our B&B is officially in the neighboring town of Beauvoir, as the only hotels in the tiny enclave of Mont Saint-Michel are either soulless chains filled with Japanese tour groups or ridiculously overpriced hotels actually located on the island. It was only a 13-minute walk back to our B&B, but trust me, lugging suitcases through fields on the side of the road for 13 minutes, dressed for rainy Ireland instead of sunny France, felt like forever. We must have been quite a sight to all the cars driving by.

At last, we arrived. And what a lovely welcome! Our room at Les Vieilles Digues opened up to a private backyard, and breakfasts included all the camembert I could dream of. Our affectionate host Danielle spoke fluent Japanese and, upon first greeting us, exclaimed, “So petite! So beautiful!” After we settled in, we made our way to the island, which, as we’d quickly learn, is farther out than we had expected. We knew about some free shuttles, but as New Yorkers we had wanted to walk instead. What a joke. From the tourist center, it’s about a 45-minute tedious walk along a causeway. Since we had dinner reservations, we gave up about a quarter of the way and decided to just stare at the island for as long as time permitted before turning back and heading to the restaurant in Beauvoir.

40948939_10216789532467200_8347928809961422848_n — Our room at Les Vieilles Digues

40952022_10216789531267170_8805000934703759360_n — Backyard

Our dreamy dinner at La Ferme Saint Michel reminded me of how absolutely tragic the United States is. Beauvoir is a simple village of roughly 400 people. It is not one of those prestigious French towns filled with Michelin-rated restaurants, but it does believe that eating home-cooked, organic food shouldn’t have to be a privilege. At La Ferme Saint Michel, I paid €26 for an incredible three-course meal of carrot soup with foie gras, locally-raised lamb, and crème brûlée (which came with a huge candle!), while dining in a beautiful historic farmhouse. A meal of this caliber would have cost four times as much in New York — and wouldn’t even be conceivable in the rest of the country. I’ve roadtripped across America multiple times, and there is no such thing as affordable, freshly-made, three-course dinners for the majority of Americans, even in towns that obviously grow food. This is because our country values capitalism and making a profit for Big Farms over feeding its citizens good, healthy meals. Instead, many Americans are forced to eat at Waffle Houses or the nearest dreadful chain restaurant (e.g., Applebee’s, Olive Garden) that charges unethical prices for food pumped with preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup.

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Besides three courses of food, we also ordered a three-course beverage menu. For €9 each, we got a sparkling orange apertif, a carafe of wine, and coffee. Ireland certainly impressed me with its delicious farm-to-table food, but I still can’t help but prefer French food. I was in heaven.

After our meal, the sun had already set, but shuttles run late in the summer so we decided to attempt Mont Saint-Michel one more time. The shuttles are so convenient; no wonder everyone takes them! These sleek shuttles were designed to elegantly match the terrain, and they drop everyone off on the middle of the bridge, leaving passengers with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the island.

View of when we attempted to walk instead of catch the shuttle

Some history about Mont Saint-Michel: It was built after a bishop dreamt about Archangel Michael, who ordered him to build a sanctuary on the rocky island at the mouth of the Couesnon River. The island has housed a vertical, gravity-defying abbey since the 8th century. Mont Saint-Michel was one of the most important pilgrimage destinations during the Middle Ages. Such was the difficulty of the journey that it became a test of penitence, sacrifice, and commitment to God to reach the Benedictine abbey. The English couldn’t conquer Mont Saint-Michel during the Hundred Years’ War due to the abbey’s strong fortifications.When pilgrimages were in decline during the Reformation, the abbey closed and was converted into a prison, holding priests and high-profile political prisoners, such as Victor Hugo. Closing the prison in 1863, Napoleon III ordered the 650 prisoners to be transferred to other facilities.

The island is cut off from the mainland twice a day at high tide, which rises 46 feet. The tide is said to travel at the speed of a galloping horse. The flooding has created salt marsh meadows that are ideally suited to grazing sheep. Richly-flavored meat resulting from the sheep’s diet makes a dish called agneau de pré-salé “salt meadow lamb”, a local specialty served on the menus of surrounding restaurants. I had this lamb during our dinner!

Only seven people live on the island. It was past 10 p.m. when we arrived, so all the daytrippers were gone and most of the shops were closed, giving the island an eerie medieval feel. It was a stormy night — no rain, but lots of thunder and lightning. I am not a religious person, but I could understand why one might believe in a higher power as we strolled through the empty streets and climbed staircases toward the abbey. Wandering here at night has to be one of the most magical moments of my life — it’s up there with going on a safari in South Africa, watching hot air balloons during sunrise in Cappadocia, and waking up in Positano. Some experiences make you feel so lucky.

40273645_10216727272230733_3257313505207910400_o — Roaming around at night

40232494_10216727206669094_7181531201218281472_o — Abbey

We woke up early the next morning, still on a high from last night, and decided to return to Mont Saint-Michel. It was raining this time, but we had our umbrellas, and we huddled under the roof of the tourist center to catch the first shuttle of the day. As we rode the shuttle over the causeway toward Mont Saint-Michel, I couldn’t help but envy the pilgrims who trekked here centuries ago and had heard tales of this abbey but had no idea what it would look like. Can you imagine how epic it must have been for someone who wasn’t expecting this island?

It was still too early for the shops to be open and the daytrippers to arrive, so Mont Saint-Michel had that same otherworldly aura, but in daylight instead of in darkness.

By the time we returned to our B&B, breakfast was ready. Danielle had prepared a spread of cured meats, fresh breads, lots of Camembert, and yogurt. Camembert is a moist, soft, creamy cow’s milk cheese from this region — and one of my favorite cheeses — so I was pleased with an obligation to stuff myself with it.

It was time for us to leave right after breakfast, and as we checked out, Danielle immediately told us that she’d drive us to the bus station. It was only a ten-minute walk, but we weren’t about to refuse a free ride in her Benz and more time to chat with her. We arrived a few minutes before a bus took us to Pontorson, where we caught a train to Bayeux, our next stop on the trip.

Mont Saint-Michel is one of those places that is just as stunning in real life as in all the photographs you’ve seen online. When you glance at it from the mainland, it looks like a mirage, like something from a movie. And if you come late at night or early in the morning like we did, you’ll also feel like you’re in a movie. Experience it for yourself.

But, back to reality. Up next: Bayeux, my favorite place in France so far!

Paris, Part Deux

December 4, 2017December 4, 2017Posted in TravelTagged fall, flytographer, food, france, homeaway, la cuisine paris, le clarence, paris, thanksgiving, travel5 Comments

My first time in Paris was three summers ago, and it’s no secret that I had not been impressed. We’d just left my favorite place in the world (Positano), and after almost two weeks in vibrant, colorful Italy, Paris felt drab. The buildings looked too uniform, everyone wore black, the skies were almost always overcast, and not all of our meals were life-changing like they had been in Italy. Moreover, I’d made the wrong decision by booking us an Airbnb in the très hip neighborhood of République. I should have enjoyed République, as it has some of the best restaurants in Paris and we were surrounded by cool locals, but for a first-timer, the neighborhood felt a little too far from the touristy sites, and we felt out of place as we had to squeeze past crowds of bobos to get through our front door.

But Paris deserved a second chance.

We wanted to travel during Thanksgiving break this year and figured we should visit a place we’ve already been since it would be such a short trip. I was willing to redo Paris, while Anthony, who had fallen in love with it last time (despite traveling with such a bummer of a partner), was eager to return. So we booked our flights and made sure we did Paris properly this time.

First off, Paris in the fall is a hundred times better than Paris in the summer. To me, Paris isn’t true Paris in the summer — too many of the locals are away on vacation, and herds of tourists have taken their place. But in the fall, the crisp air accentuates the architecture, and Parisians’ commitment to wearing only neutral colors finally makes sense.

Second of all, our apartment was perfect this time. I found us a charming penthouse studio located in the 4th arrondissement, just a block away from Notre-Dame. It came with a small kitchen, a washing machine, lots of light, and, most importantly, a tiny balcony overlooking Parisian rooftops. We even woke up to church bells every morning! The location was centrally located — walking distance to some of my favorite places, and just a few blocks from both the Metro station and the RER.

Thirdly, Anthony actually planned out one of our days to celebrate my birthday again — because why have one birthday when you can have another in Paris? He decided where to pick up pastries early in the morning, booked a professional photography session with Flytographer, paid for a wine & cheese pairing class, and made reservations for a fancy dinner. He was so certain that he’d never be able to top my birthday gift to him (a surprise trip to Morocco earlier this year), but I have to say, this was probably one of the best days of my life.

I can’t recommend our Flytographer photographer enough. Olga met us early on a Saturday morning and took stunning photos of us around my favorite neighborhood, Le Marais. She gave us clear directions, made us laugh throughout the shoot, and took us to lavish gardens and quaint courtyards we didn’t even know existed. Over the years, we’ve hired a handful of other professional photographers, but Olga was by far the best. Anthony only paid for 30 photos but she ended up sending us 66!

Here are some of our photos from the shoot; for more, click here.

24210176_10214345641051442_9050101836890537276_o — Roaming around Le Marais

24172824_10214344227816112_5802327208103050994_o — A secret garden

24131664_10214332005790569_2693668300842060346_o — Fall in Paris

24297164_10214330232826246_7445228414767986094_o — Obligatory cafe shot

After the photo shoot, we had a wine & cheese pairing class at La Cuisine, just a few minutes from our apartment. We started at a fromagerie called La Ferme Saint-Aubin on the island of Île Saint-Louis, where our teacher is a regular and ordered some samples for us to try. I learned that my favorite cheese is Comté, while Anthony learned that he will eat any cheese, even the incredibly smelly one that was aged for two years. After getting enough samples, our teacher, who is also a private chef and journalist, bought some cheese for us to take back to the school. There, we sat around a dining table and paired the five cheeses with five glasses of French wine. Our classmates were incredibly interesting — one was an American living in Amsterdam, another was a Navy pilot living in Italy with his wife, and another was from India but has been living in Paris for the past few months. They were ideal classmates, with a fairly impressive knowledge of wine and cheese (so they could ask all the intelligent questions that Anthony and I couldn’t), but still eager to learn more. By the end of class, I was full and tipsy, and utterly enchanted by Paris.

My birthday dinner was at a two-star Michelin-rated restaurant called Le Clarence, housed in a grand 18th-century mansion, and was probably the best meal of my life. It was definitely the fanciest restaurant I’ve been to; it easily surpassed the only three-star restaurant I’ve been to (Jean Georges in New York). When we arrived, the doorman confirmed our names and led us inside. After coat check, we walked up a gorgeous marble staircase to the second floor, which comprised three intimate dining rooms decorated in slightly different styles, each with only four tables generously spread out. Our dining room was a plush, wood-paneled library, with a fireplace and walls lined with shelves stuffed with books — some of which are secretly menus.

We began with some amuse-bouches of breaded clams, bite-size puff pastries, and fried langoustine, then shared three varieties of bread, and continued onto sea scallops served two ways. After that, we had the best fresh brioche of my life. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat another brioche ever again. Our next course was squid, gnocchi, and langoustine. After that, our server brought over a beautiful baked puff pastry for us to admire before he returned to the kitchen to divide and plate it for us. The pastry was filled with pigeon and foie gras, served with an oyster consommé and lettuce with marinated duck heart. Perhaps my favorite part of dinner was when a man wheeled over an entire cart of cheese to us — because why not have more cheese after our wine & cheese class? This is France! He asked about our cheese preferences and gave recommendations. When I told him about my favorite cheese, he essentially said the French equivalent of “Comté is too basic for us” — in the most unpretentious way possible, of course — and gave me three alternatives. (Apparently Comté is the most highly produced French cheese in the world.) Meanwhile, adventurous Anthony was given his own assortment of cheese. Anthony particularly enjoyed one of them and asked the cheese man if he could have the name of it; at the end of our meal Anthony was handed a thick envelope containing an official note card from the restaurant with the name of the cheese. After the cheese course, we were served petit fours, followed by vanilla macarons and chocolate truffles. Three hours and nine courses later, I was in heaven.

IMG_20171126_123837_596 — The cheese cart

Despite being stuffed, I pretty much floated back home — wearing my ballgown on the Metro — and cried in bed about how much I love Paris. Typical.

Paris is one of those places you need to visit multiple times to really appreciate. There are so many characteristic neighborhoods to explore and layers of history to uncover. Paris rewards those who do their research. Because we’d been there before, we felt comfortable as soon as we landed, and we didn’t have to waste time doing some of the things we did last time, like waiting in line for Notre-Dame, trekking up to Montmartre, or wandering around the Louvre. We got to see some of the things that we hadn’t seen three summers ago, like the stained glass windows at Sainte-Chapelle, the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower from Bir-Hakeim bridge, and the stunning Palais Garnier theater. And then we got to return to our favorites, like the black-and-white columned courtyard at Palais-Royal and the excessive dome at Galeries Lafayette, which is even more ostentatious with the Christmas decorations.

23916282_10214286743979052_168872530196715812_o — Palais Garner

23847567_10214301040296451_5570800571757619774_o — Palais Garnier

23826128_10214286624656069_4348735856459823832_o — Sainte-Chapelle

23783624_10214283674462316_637904438811086836_o — Galeries Lafayette

I finally get it. Paris, you deserve all the hype.

Tips for future travelers:

As with all major cities, I try to stay at apartments instead of hotels because they allow you to feel more like a local and give you more privacy. I didn’t find good options on Airbnb so I eventually used HomeAway, which is a more legitimate source for apartment rentals. Here’s a link to our exact apartment. Patrix was a wonderful host!

We booked a dinner with a local French couple through Meeting the French. Sharing a meal with locals is usually one of my favorite parts of traveling, but the couple we were assigned to was a little strange (and may have been conservative — yikes!). They didn’t speak perfect English (and we Americans spoke little to no French, of course), so conversation was stifled. Nevertheless, we did learn a lot from each other, and it’s an experience I would still recommend.

Take the Metro. The subway system in Paris is fantastic; it’s clean, organized, and efficient. The 10-pack of tickets saved us a lot of money because it’s slightly discounted, and we could share the ten tickets between the two of us.

Some of the best things we ate (besides everything at Le Clarence): île flottante (soft meringue floating on crème anglaise) at Les Philosophes, turmeric latte at Cafe Kitsuné, chocolate cramique (breakfast pastry) from Aux Merveilleux de Fred, and chocolate mousse at Le Royal.

How to dress like a local Parisian in the fall: Black or camel coat, flat boots or loafers, thick scarf, and a baguette in your tote (seriously!). It’s true, Parisians don’t wear color. Also, you can tell who the tourists are because they’re the only ones wearing three-inch heels.

Make sure your apartment or hotel room has a balcony. You’ll thank me immediately.