Paris, part deux

The Seine River is very high at the moment. Not a river boat in sight. They won’t fit under the bridges.

Popped by Palais Royal to capture the courtyard just like we did in December.

Musée Jacquemart-André

Musée Jacquemart-André

Musée Jacquemart-André

Be sure to visit the Musee Jacquemart-Andre cafe while you’re there! Sunglasses linked here.

The Sezane store in Paris. Beautiful floors!

Sainte-Chapelle

Veuve Cliquot and Officina del Poggio handbag. Perfect shopping break!

Typical look for lunch and exploring. Red bag is Officina del Poggio. All other products are linked for you.

I could do an entire blog post on Paris doors.

Super casual look including the Sezane loafers I found in Paris. Can’t wait to style them on the blog.

Thank you for all the kind comments about my blog post detailing our day on the Orient Express train for the digital release of Murder on the Orient Express. The trip to Paris also included a few free days for me to explore the city and shop. Let’s explore…

Fortunately for me, Pete and I had just traveled to Paris for our anniversary trip in December. Be sure to check out what I wrote about it in this blog post as well as this one. Those posts give you great overviews of everything we did. Because of that I felt really confident exploring the city by myself. Additionally, my good friend Mary Meier-Evans who writes The Curious Cowgirl is such a valuable asset on museum recommendations and what to do in Paris. Be sure to subscribe to her blog too because she covers interesting topics as well as travel.

I’m giving you a quick overview of what I did during my free time as well as some travel tips.The fun part is that I met up with my good friend Carol Egan and her daughters Lauren and Erin who just happened to be in Paris at the exact same time. What are the chances of that? It made dinner much more fun.

Day 1: Arrive in Paris and check in to the hotel. This trip was organized by Twentieth Century Fox so I didn’t have to arrange a thing. In fact, they sent a driver to pick me up at the airport. What a luxury! The funny thing was, he thought I was a famous actor. I didn’t have the heart to tell him differently. 🙂  Hotel: Renaissance Republique near the Le Marais district. I’ve learned to unpack, head out for a walk and lunch, take a 2 hour nap and get up for dinner and then go to bed at my normal bedtime. That strategy pretty much gets me on schedule immediately in my new timezone. Dinner: Chez Julien

Day 2: Shopping and the Musee’ Jacquemart Andre. I took the Paris Metro from my hotel to the museum and it was really easy. If you have not been to this beautiful home that is now a museum it is a must see. Be sure to stop by the cafe inside for lunch or just coffee/dessert. It’s divine! Late afternoon drinks at the Hotel de Crillon. It’s just been redone and is truly stunning! Light dinner at a local brasserie while walking home.

About the museum: Edouard André, a banking heir, and Nélie Jacquemart, a well-known painter, filled their mansion on the Boulevard Haussmann with art from their travels to Rome, Cairo, Istanbul, and the Far East. After André died, Jacquemart continued to add to the couple’s shared collection, amassing galleries filled with Italian Renaissance art, which she then bequeathed to the Institut de France. The couple’s private apartments are also on view, as is their celebrated winter garden, a grand marble courtyard filled with an enviable collection of exotic potted plants.

Day 3: This day was spent sightseeing, shopping and getting lost (slightly). I walked over 5 miles this day because Paris is just so easy and every street is marked clearly. I went to Sainte-Chapelle this time since we visited Notre Dame in December. Both are on the small island in the middle of the Seine river. The church is beautiful boasting stained glass like you have never seen before. This is where the Crown of Thorns from Christ was housed. A must see! I popped into local boutiques, Louis Vuitton, Maje (a new brand I have fallen in love with), Kitsune and Sezane. You’ll see some of my finds on the blog soon. Afternoon coffee at a local cafe’ while I people watched. French people are fascinating to watch! That evening, I joined the Twentieth Century Fox group for dinner and an overview of our train trip.

Day 4: Murder on the Orient Express trip which you can read here

Day 5: Departure. It was a quick 5 day trip but I will take a trip to Paris anytime!

Now, I bet you are wondering how I got lost since I just told you how easy it is to get around in Paris. I use the map app on my iPhone and I simply put in my destination and then head that way. For some reason on my way home to the hotel I got completely discombobulated and literally went the wrong way for half a mile. Oh well, I needed to work off all that bread and butter anyway…

How did I do with my solo adventure in Paris?  xoxo – Tanya

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