Springtime in Paris

My mom was turning 60 this year and had never been to Paris. Because I am a loving and generous daughter, I volunteered to travel there with her. We spent four amazing, exhausting, rainy, sunny, lovely, chocolate-enhanced days there the end of March.

On Day 1 (Friday) we arrived to cold and rain. After making our way to the Hotel Beaubourg (near the Pompidou), we ate salads and mousse at Au Petit Fer a Cheval. Mom took a nap while I explored the neighborhood, and then we headed to the Louvre. We battled the crowds to see the requisite Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and (really quite stunning) Winged Victory, and I delighted in the neoclassic structure and beauty of the Davids (some of my favorite works) and the elegant mannerist portraits. The big surprise for me was Napoleon's apartments, which I hadn't seen before. All I kept thinking was that the salon would be an amazing place to throw a party! Mom and I were starving and tired, so we opted for pizza at the Louvre food court. Yes, they have a food court. And a mall. And right then I didn't care.

After sleeping for 12 hours, we started Day 2 (Saturday) by taking the Metro to the Arc d'Triomphe. We made our way down the Champs Elysees in the rain, stopping for some pain au chocolat bigger than your head. We passed the Place de la Concorde and went shopping at the fabulous Hediard. (Thanks for the recommendation, Kelly!) As was the case throughout our trip, the French people were friendly and helpful. Mom and I returned the kindness by buying lots of gourmet treats. Next we walked to the Musee d'Orsay. Even if you didn't see any art there, it's worth a trip for the gorgeous building (formerly a train station). But I was excited to see "Olympia" and the other Manets, Degas's dancers (included the one Brenda and I always saw hanging on our ballet teacher's wall), and works by Courbet, Caillebotte, and other Impressionist-era "masters." Mom, whose feet were covered in blisters, made the walk with me to Le Souffle, where we had--can you guess it?--a variety of souffles for dinner. Magnifique! And we took a cab home.

On Day 3 (Sunday), we had a continental breakfast in our hotel, then went to Mass at Notre Dame, which was pretty cool. I kept thinking how strange it would be to have that as your home church. We saw the breathtaking stained-glass windows of Saint Chappelle, then took the Metro back to the Marais neighborhood. We started at the Place de la Bastille, then went to an internet cafe. Then we made our way through the grounds of the Hotel de Sully to the lovely Place des Vosges before stopping for a late lunch. We walked through the Jewish Quarter, shopped for chocolates, then took a break for some decadent chocolate chaud. Mom decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel. I went to the Pompidou and was unexpectedly impressed. Of course I went straight for the Mondrians and was delighted to see the museum's collection of original De Stijl magazines. Wow! There were other fascinating Modernist paintings, sculptures, and pieces of furniture, too.

Day 4 (Monday) was sunny and relatively warm. We ate crepes for breakfast at an outdoor cafe, then made our way to the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for an hour and a half, but spent most of it chatting with a lovely Irish couple, so that made the time pass quickly. We went all the way up to the top and took dozens of pictures of the city. It was fun to look out and see Sacre Cour and the Louvre and Notre Dame. We took our time on the various levels of the Tower, then sat beneath it and ate lunch. We walked to the Seine, and I headed to the Pont d'Alma, hoping I could find the spot where Princess Diana died. But I couldn't figure out how to get to the tunnel. Anyway, we hopped on a Batobus and had a leisurely ride down the river. People were strewn on pretty much every surface near the water, obviously as happy to see the sun as we were. We disembarked at the Hotel de Ville stop and walked back to our hotel, stopping along the way to buy jewelry and luggage. For our final dinner in Paris (to celebrate Mom's birthday), we went to Ambassade d'Auvergne, where we dined on sausage, cheesy mashed potatoes, bread and pate, and cake, which the waiters brought out when I told them it was Mom's birthday. One of them also brought her a sock. It had the restaurant's logo on it, and he had written the date, in honor of her birthday. Strange, but sweet. We also had amazing desserts. It was a lovely way to end our trip.