May 27, 202214 min read

Postcards From Paris: No. 13

Welcome to the final installment of Postcards from Paris!

This post is well overdue as I have been back in the U.S for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't bring myself to be reminded of the 3,000 miles that now separate me from the city I fell in love with. If this were a real postcard, the paper would already be speckled with tear stains and the words illegible blobs of running ink. As sad as I am to be back home, I am forever grateful for this experience and to my mom, who made it happen.

Now, speaking of my amazing mother, this postcard details the last ten days of my time in Paris, where I had the pleasure of being my mom's personal tour guide! Although my mom has been virtually following me around Paris via these blog posts, I was excited for her to see everything that my words and pictures failed to capture.

Fair warning, this is a very long postcard, so consider this a free ticket to a virtual vacation in Paris!

Admittedly I am not much of a travel planner. In fact, I would give myself a 2/10 rating. The impact of holidays, weekend hours, and the influx of thousands of tourists on my mom's ability to see the big tourist attractions never crossed my mind. In my defense, these factors aren't things that someone who lives in Paris for several months (particularly during the winter) has to think about. Although she missed out on going into the Louvre on account of my poor planning, she saw other iconic landmarks and museums.

One of our favorite things to do together is to take long walks through various neighborhoods in Rhode Island and look at all of the elegant houses. So, I attempted to recreate this activity by taking my mom to some of my favorite arrondissements. Spending most of our time walking around the city and being immersed in Parisian life also allowed me to give the unrequested, unending audio tour of Paris through my eyes:

"This is where I would walk before class."

"This is my vegan boulangerie, with the one cashier who doesn’t like me."

"This is where I buy all of my fruit. The prices have gone up a lot."

"This is my favorite place to sit.”

..., and so on and so forth. Fortunately for me, my mom was a good sport, and if she got tired of hearing my constant commentary, she never showed it.

*Note: Since I have been to most of these places, I will add the links to previous postcards that include additional pictures and a more in-depth expression of my thoughts.

Saturday: The Latin Quarter & Saint Germain

My mom gave me a list of five things that she really wanted to see while in Paris, one of them being the Notre Dame de Paris. Unfortunately, entrance into the cathedral is temporarily closed due to construction. However, the exterior of Notre Dame is still worth seeing and a good starting place for a day meandering through the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain.

SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY:

Shakespeare and Company is one of my favorite stores in Paris. I knew my mom would appreciate the cozy, old-world ambiance and the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stocked with current best-sellers and timeless classics. I have several bookworm friends and family members, so I thought Shakespeare and Company would be the perfect place to pick up a few souvenirs that are unique to Paris but not the typical tourist trinkets.

THE PANTHÉON:

Sunday: The Marais & The 2nd and 9th Arrondissements

Sunday was not only May Day but also Labor Day, a fact I was entirely unaware of during the planning process. Unfortunately, this meant that nearly every store was closed. Although the holiday made our rendezvous through the Marais a little less eventful, on the plus side, there weren't the usual crowds of people fighting for space on the narrow sidewalks.

LAND & MONKEYS:

We began day two with a trip to my favorite boulangerie, Land & Monkeys. I enjoyed a cafe allongé and pain au raisin, and mom sampled her first “real” French croissant – I waited until after she had taken her first bite to inform her that Land & Monkeys is 100% vegan.

PLACE DES VOSGES:

No trip to Land & Monkeys is complete without a mini “picnic” in Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. Although this little square can get busy, I would say it’s more frequented by locals than it is by tourists. Despite a chilly morning, there were still families enjoying their breakfasts, people lounging on the grass, and children running around. It was essentially a sample of Parisians going about their daily lives and two Americans sitting on a bench taking it all in.

WALKING AROUND LE MARAIS:

The Marais is one of the best places to go in Paris when you aren't sure what to do. There are so many charming streets to explore, and sometimes you stumble across a sight (like the one below) that takes your breath away.

MARCHÉ DES ENFANTS ROUGES

On the rare occasion that I’m home on a Saturday, my mom and I always make a point to go to our local farmers' market. With most of the past year spent in Delaware, I missed out on several farmers' market excursions. Fortunately, there are markets all over Paris, including Marché des Enfants Rouges, which dates back to 1615. In addition, to fresh produce, the market is home to many restaurant vendors serving every type of cuisine imaginable. We didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to see what was being offered.

LA FAVORITE SAINT PAUL:

I’ve been to La Favorite a couple of times early in the semester, but I’ve walked passed it countless times since, and each time I make a mental note to come back with my mom. This was the first time I got to sit outside, and it was entirely entertaining. Not only is the food delicious and the aesthetic of the restaurant absolutely stunning, but sitting out front allows for great people-watching (lots of people vying for the perfect picture).

THE SECOND AND THE NINTH:

After a quick break at our hotel, we walked around the 2nd and the 9th. My apartment was right on the border of the two neighborhoods, so my mom got a glimpse into my daily life in Paris. I made sure to point out my local bakery, where I get my groceries, and best of all, the pharmacy where I tested positive for COVID. It was a thrilling tour, and I’m sure it was the highlight of my mom’s trip.

In addition to the elegant Haussman architecture that characterizes this little section of the city, the 2nd and the 9th also have a network of beautiful covered passages with little boutiques and restaurants. There are a few passages in other parts of Paris, but the more famous ones seem to be concentrated in these two arrondissements.

My mom came to Paris with a vision of a little French balcony with pink flowers. It just so happened that our hotel room had a balcony, so she was determined to live out her fantasy. Although practically every store was closed on Sunday, every florist was open in honor of May Day. It's customary to give lily of the valley to loved ones, so the day ended with a pot of pink flowers for mom and a May Day bouquet for me.

Monday: Day Trip to Brussels

Monday was our day trip to Brussels. As stunning as parts of the city were, it was my least favorite part of the trip. To be fair, I don’t think we chose the best time to go, as most places weren’t open due to the bank holiday. I am also just slightly obsessed with Paris, and with the end of my trip a little too close for comfort, I was resistant to going elsewhere.

Tuesday: Cooking Class & Walks Along the Seine

I come from a family of foodies. Unfortunately, much to my mother’s dismay, this love for food and cooking seems to have skipped a generation. When my mom first proposed taking a French cooking class, my response was: “it would be a waste of money on me, so you can go by yourself.” However, I was dragged along anyway.

COOKING CLASS:

The cooking class was surprisingly enjoyable. It started with a trip to an outdoor market where the chef advised us on how to choose the best ingredients. From the market, we stopped at a nearby boulangerie for a baguette and baguette tradition and then made our way through Île de la Cité to the cooking school located on the edge of the Marais.

The chef was lively, knowledgable, and accommodating to my vegan diet. While everyone else feasted on duck, I had an assortment of roasted vegetables.

Now, will I take everything I learned from French cooking class and carry it with me for the rest of my life? Doubtful. My lovely grandmother, who has been judging my cooking for the past week, can attest that I’m already back to my old ways of being a lazy chef.

Since I am the worst person to review anything cooking-related, I asked my mom to share her thoughts on the cooking class and French cuisine in general.

So, here are a few words from our special guest:

There are those of us who “eat to live” and others of us who “live to eat”. I would characterize Leah in the first category and her mother in the latter. That being said, I think she developed a love of Parisian croissants and baguettes, and many vegan options and fresh fruit while she was in Paris. While there is so much to love about Paris, the sites, the people, the lifestyle, and the food is truly amazing. For the most part, we passed on formal tours to just visit the local Parisian neighborhoods on our own, and each had a different vibe. No Micheline 5-star restaurants for us on this visit, but with that being said, we had a great culinary experience from street vendors to local cafes.

The local outdoor markets/farmers' markets are just amazing. It was strawberry season when we were in Paris, and I have never tasted strawberries that were as sweet and pleasing to look at. They were pricey but in my mind totally worth it. The markets with fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery items, cheese, and dairy were just amazing. So while it was like eye candy, we weren’t able to partake in as much as we would have at home as we didn’t have a fridge or cooking accommodations in our hotel.

So indulging my foodie passion Leah and I took a half-day market tour and cooking class with La Cuisine Paris. There were only eight of us, and we met with our chef/host, Audrey, early Tuesday morning to share the best of what the markets had to offer that day and plan our four-course lunch menu. We prepared and sampled artichokes, duck, spring vegetables, rhubarb and strawberries, and of course, bread and wine as part of our menu. It was delicious, and we learned a few culinary techniques along the way. We shared our luncheon in a dining room overlooking the Seine, which was lovely, and one of my favorite memories of our Paris adventure…, not to mention we have the recipes to try now that we are back in RI—despite our best efforts, I am not sure it will be quite the same!

A WALK ALONG THE SEINE:

Once the cooking class was wrapped up, I decided to take my mom on my favorite Paris activity: a walk along the Seine. Now, it’s worth mentioning that my mom somehow timed her trip to experience the best that Parisian weather has to offer. All ten days were warm, blue-skyed, sunny days. Perfect for long walks and many hours spent outside. We walked from where we were in the Marais to the Louvre, where my mom was able to admire the pyramids. Since the museum is closed on Tuesdays, the inner courtyard was fairly empty, making it perfect for taking photos and admiring the view.

Wednesday: Musée de l'Orangerie, La Galerie Dior, & Les Champs- Elysées

Wednesday was one of our busier days. We scheduled two museum visits, the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Galerie Dior. Since these two museums are located in different parts of the city, we checked off several landmarks throughout the day.

MUSÉE DE L'ORANGERIE:

Another item on my mom's list of places she wanted to visit, and one of the easier museums to book last-minute.

Thursday: Monet's House and Versailles

Hands down my favorite day. As detailed in my last blog, Thursday consisted of a guided tour of Monet’s house in Giverny, the Palace of Versailles, and lunch at Moulin de Fourges.

MONET'S HOUSE:

If the pictures from the last post weren’t convincing enough, I could not recommend a trip to Monet’s house more. Since most of the week consisted of showing my mom places I had already been, it was refreshing to be able to experience the magic of a new location once again. I loved everything about Monet’s house and could have spent all day amongst the flower beds.

FRIDAY: Shopping Day

Friday was the dedicated shopping day. After our cooking class, the chef gave us a list of specialty culinary shops, so naturally, my mom wanted to check those out. As for me, I wanted to stock up on some of my favorite French skincare products. Although there are pharmacies all over Paris, there is only one where the products are discounted. Our shopping efforts mainly led us through the Saint Germain area and the Marais.

For lunch, we went to L'as du Fallafel, which is considered the best falafel place in the city. The line was intimidating, but the falafel was well worth the wait.

Similar to Tuesday, we followed up lunch with another long walk along the Seine, this time making it all the way to Pont Alexander III.

SATURDAY: Boat Tour & the Best View of the Eiffel Tower

So… the Eiffel tower was not something I remembered to show my mom until very late in the trip. Sometimes you just take things for granted and forget that the Eiffel tower is something that was built to be marveled at. The best view of the Eiffel Tower is from across the river near Palais du Tokyo. On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we stumbled upon a huge farmers' market that was every foodie’s heaven. Imagine stalls upon stalls of the freshest produce in colors and sizes that seem implausible to American grocery shoppers. While my mom was captivated by the fruits and vegetables, I was busy stalking all of the flower vendors and wishing for a cute Parisian apartment and a magnificent vase.

BOAT TOUR:

Later in the day, we took a one-hour river cruise on the Seine. It was a lovely day, and I had a relaxing time seeing the city from that point of view. The boat launched from near the base of the Eiffel Tower and passed iconic landmarks such as Pont Alexander III, Musée D'Orsay, the Louvre, Pont Neuf, and Notre Dame. As beautiful as it was to admire the buildings from the Seine, it was so much fun seeing how people were spending their Saturday evening; lots of people dining along the river and even what appeared to be dance parties or celebrations of sorts.

SUNDAY: Mother's Day Picnic

Sunday was the designated picnic day. Since most grocery stores close at 1 pm, I dropped mom off at the Musée D'Orsay, while I spent the morning running around the Right Bank gathering all the necessary picnic items.

PICNIC ON THE SEINE:

Springtime in Paris ushered in a series of picnics, some more casual, others well-planned and very picturesque. However, all paled to this Mother’s Day picnic. Naturally, there had to be a proper French baguette and champagne, accompanied by a few vegan pastries, fruit, crackers, cheese, and spreads. The food was *chef's kiss* and the ambiance was serene. We discussed our highlights from the trip and the things I will miss most about Paris while a mediocre band played behind us and the Seine was sparkling in front of us.

MONDAY: Farewell

After a quick lunch at a restaurant in one of the 2nd Arrondissement's covered passages, we walked to a nearby park in the 9th. I have walked past this park almost every day for four months, and each time I thought about checking it out, but always chose to continue walking instead. Sitting in this particular park during my last few hours in Paris felt like I was writing the final sentences of the first chapter of "Leah in Paris". The previous night, I refused to go to the Eiffel Tower because I thought it would feel too conclusive as if I was saying goodbye to Paris forever. This unassuming park is just a tiny square of grass on the street where I got my first taste of Parisian life. Whenever I return to the city, I can revisit this spot and think, "this is the last place I visited on my first trip to Paris".

I know that someday I will return to Paris, and I still have many thoughts I would like to share, so this is not the last Paris-related post. However, since it is the last postcard in this series, I just want to say thank you to all the people in my life who have supported my dreams and all those reading these blogs. It’s been an absolute pleasure virtually bringing everyone along with me, and I am so grateful that I now have a collection of posts chronicling this life-changing experience.