With just one rainy day left in Paris, I had quite a list of things I wanted to accomplish. I woke up on the early side to jet to Centre Pompidou around the corner from my apartment. There were numerous temporary exhibits there that I wanted to see plus they have an extensive permanent collection of modern art.

First up, was a Frank Gehry exhibit, which was especially cool after having seen some of his buildings in Spain. The exhibit had early drawings and models of both The Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Rioja. The drawings are so interesting, because they would almost look like doodles if you didn’t know what they were. It’s incredible that they result in the visions that they do. I really wanted to get out to the Fondation Louis Vuitton, which Gehry designed as well, while in Paris, but unfortunately time didn’t allow…next trip for sure!

There were also great Jeff Koons and Marcel Duchamps exhibits at Pompidou…

From here I walked south to Ile de la Cite to pay Notre-Dame a visit. I’m a sucker for a beautiful stained-glass rose window.

 

By this point, I was starving (hadn’t had a morning croissant or macarons yet!), so went to the 6th for some lunch and shopping. First stop was lunch at Le Comptoir du Relais. This is a true Paris bistro – tiny tables packed tightly on the sidewalk. A great menu (all in French, which was daunting) – I decided to go with an octopus dish with squid ink and these really good buckwheat pasta squares.

After lunch I wanted to head over to the Luxembourg Gardens. These gardens were created by Marie de Medici, who had been married to King Henry IV, originally designed to be the gardens for her new palace.  One thing this trip definitely re-illuminated for me is how much I love a beautiful public park, whether large or small, a place that’s integrated into the bustling city, forcing people to walk through as part of their daily lives. It’s one of the negatives of living in a car-centric city, but it probably makes me appreciate it all the more when I’m in cities that do such a great job of utilizing them. I love the Luxembourg’s gravel paths and the big octagonal pond in the middle. Such a serene place for an afternoon stroll.

From here I was on a mission. I wanted to make a stop at City Pharmacy to get a few last French cosmetic products. This place was buzzing with activity, you could barely move through the aisles…but I got what I went there for!

Next up was the department store Bon Marche, which was especially great this time of year because they had a huge holiday gift section, which got my wheels spinning for all of the holiday shopping I have to do once I get home. I found a cool French handbag line that I really like, Maison Thomas, but I didn’t pull the trigger. Apparently Barneys has a selection so I’m sure I’ll be circling for a while :).

From here I wanted to make a stop at the famous Laduree Patisserie before the L’Orangerie museum closed. I bought some macarons in a beautiful box to take home with me – so I guess I’ll have a few more days of 2-a-days before I have to kick this habit. I took a refreshing lemon macaron with me to go as well, to eat on the rest of my walk. Perfect texture – this place lives up to the hype! But, I still think the chocolate mint from Pain du Sucre takes the cake.

On my way back north I ran into what could be a 2nd piece from that same tagger I saw on my first day. I’m not sure, but seems awfully close, right? My favorite part of this piece is that someone else came along and wrote in tiny print underneath “Motherf%*#ers want to find me.” Made me laugh.

I walked along the Seine and towards the museum.

 

I got to the L’Orangerie before they closed and sat in front of my favorite of the 8 panels. I told myself to take a mental picture so that I can transport myself to that hypnotic calm anytime I want or need to. The photos I sneaked from the first visit don’t do these paintings justice, but they’ll have to suffice for when I need some reminding.

When I left the museum it was starting to get dark and the Eiffel Tower was looking good – I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for another photo op!

I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t made an Angelina stop yet, so…no time like the present for a Chocolat Chaud!! I sat and savored this rich hot chocolate for a while before taking a walk through the beautiful, but under construction, Place Vendome on the way up to see the Opera building. So beautiful and ornate!!

And for my last meal in Paris I wanted to check out Verjus. This is a restaurant and wine bar owned by expats. I was feeling too stuffed for the tasting menu, so I went to the tiny wine bar downstairs and enjoyed a Scallop Ceviche with herbs, citrus and chili, and Brussel Sprouts with korean rice cakes. Both were so delicious and so different from anything I had eaten while in Paris. So happy that I made it to this place – next time I’ll be back for the tasting menu in the restaurant upstairs!

 

Hard to believe that that concludes Paris and my month-long adventure! This trip has been exactly what I was looking for it to be. There have been so many memorable moments, and meals, along the way, and I’m just grateful that I had time and was spontaneous enough to plan my getaway in just a couple of weeks.

I still owe you guys some Paris sartorial, so don’t go away. And while I won’t be posting quite as often, this blog WILL continue. I’ve so appreciated the support, the comments, the emails, and honestly it’s been too fun to just stop now. I plan to continue utilizing this time while I’m not working to do all the things that I always just think about doing but don’t actually do because I’m too busy working. I have a long list of things in LA alone, so I hope you’ll continue to follow my adventures even if most of them might be in my backyard.

Au revoir et Merci!

Agur eta Eskerrikasko!

M’a Ssalama و  Shukran!

Adios y Gracias!