Paris in the spring

I love Paris - it is probably my favorite city…maybe tied with Tokyo. My first trip to Europe started in Paris and I actually didn’t think I’d like it much, but fell in love. I don’t speak much French, but can understand and read a bit more - so generally make it work.

We wanted to stay in an area we hadn’t spent much time in - so looked to the North East of the Seine and the 17th Arrondissement. This turned out to be a lovely area to be in, lots of transit, which made getting around easy. Lots of shops and restaurants too. We took advantage of the transit a lot, as Peter wasn’t feeling great due to some mold allergies. Otherwise, we would have done a lot more 20k+ step days to see all the sites.

In general, I didn’t have much on my list for Paris, beyond just being in Paris. I wanted to see the remodel of Notre Dame - but not necessarily go in - spend some time in the parks and just walk the city. We did take a side trip to Versailles - more info here. I would actually consider staying in some of the smaller towns between Saint Cloud and Versailles as a home base for Paris - 35 minutes to 1 hour train (about every 15 minutes) and cost the same as taking the subway in the city center <3 euro.

One thing Peter really wanted was a vegan cassolette - and we happened upon it close to the Shakespeare bookstore (also worth a stop). Le Grenier de Notre-Dame - absolute must go - delicious.

Luxembourg gardens are one of my favorites spots and so we spent a lovely few hours here - soaking up the spring sunshine.

We also happened upon this gorgeous church in the Latin Quarter - Saint Severin.

There is a lovely park nearby our rental for picnics - Parc Monceau.