Imagine a place steeped in Parisian history, the former playground of kings and noblemen and the home of stunning frescoes and architecture. I’ll bet you thought of the Château de Versailles, the famed royal residence of King Louis XIV and…
Hotel Ibis Styles Paris CDG: The Perfect Airport Hotel
I used to be very against airport hotels. After shelling out all that money to visit a given destination, I never understood why anyone would want to spend their final night of vacation in a bland hotel away from all…
The Beauty of Notre Dame de Paris
August 2014: The wind whipped through our hair as we emerged onto the first level of Notre Dame Cathedral, stinging our eyes and soothing our overworked bodies. The climb to the Chimera Gallery, the walkway connecting the two towers of the…
A Romantic Evening on the Seine with Bateaux Mouches
When Dan and I booked our tickets to Paris, I immediately set to work planning activities that would make the most of our romantic getaway. It wasn’t hard. After all, I’d been daydreaming of this trip for years…long before I…
Perplexed in Paris: Impressions of a First Time Airbnb User
Before you begin, now is a good time to grab a glass of wine and get comfortable. This post details my first time using Airbnb, and I have plenty to say, both good and bad. Paris, it has been said,…
Why I Can’t Wait to Give Versailles a Second Chance
Is there a traveler alive who has not heard of Versailles? The word alone conjures up images of opulent feasts and parties, a gathering place for French nobility since its became the seat of the French monarchy in 1682. Originally the hunting…
La Vie Parisienne – Partie Quatre
I can’t believe we are on day four of my Paris recap already. We packed so much into our first three days, and by the time I awoke on day four, I felt satisfied that we had seen and done…
La Vie Parisienne – Partie Trois
Our third day in Paris can be summed up in one word: opulent. It started with a day trip to Versailles and ended with dinner and champagne on a Seine river cruise. I mean. It doesn’t get much fancier than…
La Vie Parisienne – Partie Deux
We awoke on our second day in Paris, showered from the night before and ready this time for the barrage of construction noise outside our window. We strolled through our adopted neighborhood, marveling at every perfect little detail, and stopped…
La Vie Parisienne – Partie Un
We made it. Paris, the city of lights, the city of love, whatever you want to call it. We’d made it at last, and nothing could bring us down. Dan and I had arrived in the city the night before,…
Arrival in Paris
Dan and I awoke on our final day in Chaumont, a mixture of excitement and dread churning our stomachs. We sat down to breakfast as usual, cleared the shower of our toiletries, and made sure there was no sock left…
My Love Affair with Paris
Ah, Paris. Where to start… I love the city for so many reasons, and I loved it long before I visited as an adult. I love the food, the wine, the fantastic beauty products, the sights, the language, the history….