It was a long 12 hrs to get to Paris. We had arranged a driver from the airport and it was so helpful to find our Airbnb without stress after the long day in airports.
Our air bnb is in the Latin quarter and very close to most of the popular sites. Brigitte was our host. This bnb was in her home. She lived up a flight, we had one bedroom and bath, we shared a common room and the kitchen. Still very private and Brigette, a very cute 70 yr old who loved showing off her city. She was happy to walk with us to places.
Our first tour was a "Free tour by foot". Its a great co using local guides and asking only for tips. You pay what you wish. Our tour of the left bank started about 1/2 mile from our BNB. The guide gave us a history of the area. The left bank since the middle ages has been an area for higher learning. Universities started in the 10th century and continue up to present day. The Sorbonne is the most recognized. We heard stories about Dante, Cyrano De Bergerac, various Kings, beheadings, night life etc. The tour was 90 min and very fun!
Our second day had had us using the Hop on Hop off Bus. It was a beautiful cool day and we saw all the most famous sites. We choose the Arc de Triumph over The Eiffel tower tour and Im so glad. French history involves a lot of Napoleon wars and of course the first and 2nd world war. These people experienced war in the most personal way and these monuments tell stories.
The food is everything you've heard about. Every meal was amazing, from French onion soup that made me praise all French cooks to the daily fresh Baguette from our host Brigette. The French have a corner on wonderful food. Mostly because they emphasize slow deliberate process and real ingredients along with fine meal prep found in every café.
My first meal was the simple onion soup. Each mouthful was full of homemade broth, rich parmesan and sourdough bread. Truly the best Ive ever tasted.
Paris is where you'll find the best in fine art, from the Louvre and Orsay museums, to the streets of Paris and the beautiful neighborhood shops and street markets. The variety and overwhelming sense of art in everyday life is down each street.
A memorable experience for me was renting a bicycle one day. We where scheduled for a bike tour of Versailles on Sat so I ventured out to find the bike shop, which was just a short walk over to the Right bank of the Seine. After a bit of fumbling around I managed to find the bike store. The store was managed by Americans who where very encouraging to this cyclist with a free day to discover Paris on a bike. So off I went on my bike for $20Euros for the day. Paris has wonderful paths along both side of the Siene river for miles of fun. I spent the whole day exploring museums, parks and "our neighborhood" on the left bank on great protected bike lanes.
We loved Paris. There is so much to discover and enjoy about this city. It is well worth everyone's bucket list!
