To & From: The Paris Issue

To From the paris issue Things to see, do & LOVE

The Paris Issue

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Photo: Jardin du Luxembourg 2

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Bonjour!

Bonjour!

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Paris c’est magique!

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Bonjour!

Bonjour!

When I arrived home from Paris I realized that I had many pictures that I wanted to share - and not just on Facebook! I will start off by saying that I fell hard for Paris. For those of you who have been there, you know it’s a city that’s easy to love. And I think I could fall in love with it over and over again. While there’s still much of Paris I have yet to discover (next trip!), here are some things I couldn’t get enough of:

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Seeing the Eiffel Tower (I’m pretty sure this is a given.) at different points throughout Paris.

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Ducking into a random boulange- rie for a freshly baked baguette.

(You could share it, but I wouldn’t

blame you if you didn’t.)

3.

Montmartre at night. Seriously.

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Discovering that there’s more than just the Mona Lisa at The Louvre.

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Strolling around the city without a plan. This never failed us.

Of course, there was a lot more we did and saw. Most of which you’ll see as you flip through these pages of To & From.

Enjoy this special issue, and feel free to tell me what I need to see on my next trip to Paris!

With my husband outside of The Panthéon in the Latin Quarter.

Bisou!

Diana diana@toandfrommag.com

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Basic french Every little bit helps!

Hello

yes/no

Bonjour.

1 un

Oui/Non

2 deux

3 trois

4 quatre

I don’t understand.

Je ne comprends pas.

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Do you speak English?

Bonjour!

Parlez-vous anglais?

Excusez-moi

Merci!

Excuse me.

Thank you!

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5

six

cinq

Désolé(e).

Sorry.

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huit

S’il vous plaît Please.

J’aime Paris.

I love Paris.

10 9 neuf

dix

Au Revoir.

Good-bye.

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Paris via Instagram

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More petit delights Compiled by Desiree Spinner

In the March/April 2013 issue, blogger Desiree Spinner (Editor and Founder of La Petite Peach) put together a list of her favorite French things. This is the continuation of the list of things that make her Francophile heart swoon...

the four seasons Paris I know you should go to France and not stay in a chain hotel BUT if you want to splurge the Four Seasons is one of my most favorite hotels!

Style icon Gwyneth Paltrow...I love her chic and classic style.

Te chic!

My French Press Cliche maybe? But it makes the most amazing and VERY strong coffee and it gets me through any tough brain storming session for La Petite Peach.

the Hummingbird starter I love St Germain and the Hummingbird is the perfect cocktail. [Try the recipe 2 parts brut champagne or dry sparkling wine, 1-1/2 parts St-Germain and 2 parts club soda or sparkling water] jammin’ This jam is so amazing!

Sometimes I toast up a piece of a baguette and spread some of this jam on top for a sweet treat.

barefoot.

Ina Garten’s amazing book, Barefoot in Paris suggests Marianne Robic’s shop for all your florals and she is right on the nose with this. The flowers are BREATH taking! I love peonies and lavender!

French Linen I love a table filled with flowers and French linens...this is one of my favorites!

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Une Journée (Day 1)

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Bonjour!

Enchante.

So we finally arrived in Paris. Whoo hoo!

One problem: Jet lag was slowing us down.

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My husband and I arrived late one afternoon and tried our best to stay awake as the city was still drenched in sun light. We struggled to keep our eyes open as we made our way down Rue Saint Martin in the Third Arrondissement, where we had rented an apartment from New York Habitat.

NOTE: If you’re an explorer (i.e. dependent on guide books instead of a concierge) and an avid home cook, look into apartment renting.

There are many options out there.

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Bonjour!

We didn’t last long while we were out and headed back to our place. [[I’m embarrassed typing this.]

It was only 4 o’clock.

We promised ourselves we wouldn’t take a nap. That quickly turned into a compromise where we agreed to take a one-hour nap. As soon as we fell asleep, our bodies lost count of the time. When we woke up it was 2AM. We struggled to fall back asleep. But eventually, we did before we started a new day...

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Deux Jours (Day 2)

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Bonjour!

A beautiful start [for real this time].

Since we cheated ourselves the day prior, we made a vow to not to give into jet lag. We left the apartment and made our first stop at a park across the street. From there, we ducked into a shop for strong coffee and le sandwich.

It was the perfect start to a day of exploring Paris...

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No Hunchback Sightings

Notre Dame Cathedral was the first Parisian landmark we encountered. Wow, we thought as we looked up and walked around the building. It might have looked like we were just admiring the architecture, but in fact, we were looking for The Hunchback. (He wasn’t in the mood to play that day.)

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Bonjour!

The Seine-ic View

When you‘re at Notre Dame, you can‘t miss the famous river as it‘s next door to the cathedral. Take a moment to enjoy it.

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French Women Really Don’t Get Fat!

French women really are as tiny as they say they are they are! I can’t really pinpoint why they are (especially with all the access to cheese, food cooked in butter and baguettes - oh the baguettes) except to say that it must be the walking. They do so much walking that you’re famished and need food STAT. I may have eaten enough crepes for an entire year but I did come home 5 pounds lighter. [[Unfortunately, it didn‘t stay that way!]

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Bonjour!

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GETTING AROUND...

With only a week in Paris, there was so much to see, so we decided the best plan was to walk around to appreciate the beauty and romance that the city is known for.

In conjunction with that, the first order of business was to make our way to the Eiffel Tower.

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Bonjour!

For the most part, I had no ideas which direction we were headed in or where we were on the map.

And that was okay.

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Ahhh...

There it is!

We saw it just off in the distance. A quick check of the map showed that it looked a lot closer than it actually was.

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Bonjour!

So we continued making our way toward the Eiffel Tower, taking a few detours along the way.

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Rue Cler

One of our detours was at Rue Cler - a pedestrian street filled with food markets and restaurants. (This came at the suggestion of a wine shop owner back in the States.) I am always smitten with markets, and Rue Cler did not disappoint! If you plan accordingly, you can grab a few items from the stores 26 To From

Bonjour!

and stroll over to the Eiffel Tower to picnic in the grassy area.

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p.s. don’t forget the flowers!

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Bonjour!

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Hello,

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lover.

Tour de Eiffel And just like that, there it was. (And of course, you need to take more than one picture!)

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A view from the top

If the weather allows for it, head to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Tres bien, non?

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Bonjour!

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A beautiful city.

A view from above

Add the other view from the Eiffel Tower here.

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Bonjour!

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Before we left...

I loved seeing these people engaging in conversation and soaking in the beautiful afternoon while facing the Eiffel Tower.

A great end to a wonderful day.

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Louvre’ing it It’d be silly to go to Paris and not make it to the Louvre, right? The Mona Lisa was awaiting our arrival although we later discovered that there is so much more than the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. There are Greek sculptures, Spanish art and Egyptian mummies just to name a few. We spent a day here, but you could easily spend a second day here if you wanted to.

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Bonjour!

Trois Jours (Day 3)

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And we’re in!

Making our way to the Mona Lisa.

Where is she...where is she?

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Found her!

Like many celebrities, she’s a lot smaller in person. (Wikipedia lists her dimensions at 30” x 21” - TINY!)

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Spanish Art

With canvases taller than the ceiling height of many American apartments (including all the ones I’ve ever lived in) and oil rich in colors, it’s hard not to have a new appreciation for Spanish art if you hadn’t already.

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Greek Sculptures

Nobody appreciates the human (and god) body form than the Greeks. It shows in these sculptures. Simply breathtaking...Don’t miss them.

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Bonjour!

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Good Night!

The sun was starting to set by the time we left. We took a seat along the fountain to taking in the moment.

The scene was almost as beautiful as the art inside.

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Bonjour!

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We floated down the Seine & spent an afternoon at Père Lachaise.

What would a day be without a trip down the Seine followed by a trip to....a cemetery?

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Bonjour!

Quatre Jours (Day 4)

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getting intimate with the seine

My husband and I got married last June, and as a wedding gift one of our friends (knowing we were heading to Paris) got us a lunch cruise down the Seine. One morning, we decided to make it Cruise Day and walked all the way down to our port.

We might have been walking down a little too slowly as we were the last on the boat and almost missed it. Oops.

Overall, it was a gift enjoyed. There’s not much that beats floating down the Seine, sipping on drinks and dining on a few crudites followed by a gourmet lunch.

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Bonjour!

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Plus, there was much to see out our window.

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Bonjour!

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Seine it, done it

We had a great time and were ready for another adventure and made our way to the nearby Metro station. Our destination: the Père Lachaise Cemetery. “Are you sure we want to go to a cemetery? my husband asked. “Yeah, don’t you want to see Jim Morrison’s grave? I asked in response. He wasn’t completely convinced, but we made our way to the Père Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th Arrondissement.

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Bonjour!

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Getting around

While Paris is a great city to explore on your feet, sometimes it’s just a good idea to hop onto the train (especially where distance is concerned).

And at €1.70 it’s not a bad way to get around town!

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Bonjour!

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Resting Place

The tenant rules are strict and the waiting list is long. Naturally, there are a many notable Parisians who call Père Lachaise Cemetery their eternal home.

Before coming, it your best bet to of research and those you want

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might be do a bit map out to see.

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Walking around

A few decorated and notable graves we came across.

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Bonjour!

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Leaving...

But will be back again someday.

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Bonjour!

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Cinq Jours (Day 5)

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More city sights...

The next day, we continued to explore Paris with stops at MusĂŠe des Arts et MĂŠtiers and then the inspiring Le Marais.

We also stopped for macarons. Naturally.

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Bonjour!

Museum of Arts and Crafts that's the translation] anyway...

If you have an engineer for a husband, you might find yourself here. It’s not one of Paris’ most famous museums, but it is a good one to learn about how things were discovered or invented in the science world.

And if you want to see a cyclotron, you'll find that here too![ www.arts-et-metiers.net

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Paris on a roll

I’m not sure what event this is, but there was about a 15 minute block of traffic where we couldn’t cross the street. These rollerlbaders kept coming through - and there didn't seem to be an end. If I had a pair of rollerblades with me, I would have gladly joined the crowd!

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Bonjour!

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Onwards

Once again, we took the Metro to go to our next destination (Le Marais). This station was - by far - the most impressionable one we had come across in Paris.

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Bonjour!

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Place de la Bastille

We weren’t here on Bastille Day, but we could still commemorate it from where we were standing. Deciding which direction to go in was the hard choice. We stuck with Le Marais.

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Le Marais

We were heading toward Places Des Vosgues Paris’- the oldest planned square in Paris.

(Fun fact: Going the opposite direction on this street would have brought us to the place Jim Morrison died.)

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___ House

Victor Hugo and that area

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Bonjour!

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Jewish Quarter

Also part of Le Marais, the Jewish Quarter provides so much life as people hop from shop to shop.

If you can plan it, come hungry.

(There is no shortage of places to eat!)

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A sweet spot

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Bonjour!

NOTE:

This is way off in another direction. But I needed my macaron fix.

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Six Jours (Day 6)

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Bonjour!

Inspiring Paris Walking on Champs-ÉlysÊes, trying not top pick the flowers at Jardin de Luxembourg and taking an evening stroll through Montmartre...there is so much beauty in Paris that will leave a mark on you for a long, long time.

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A Triomphe

I really wanted a picture of the Arc de Triomphe but had no interest in going to the top.

My husband realized my resistance was due to the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything. Once we stopped for lunch (at McDonald’s no less!) we marched our way high above the city.

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Bonjour!

Hello, Fellow Tourists

I'm pretty sure we didn't speak the same native language as most of the people up here. But it was nice to think that Paris brought us all here at this moment.

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Bonjour!

Jardin du Luxembourg Arguably the best landscapes in the city, this is a must see. Come by and admire the garden that surrounds the palace. (And don’t miss the statues - there are at least a hundred of them!) If a seat is available, snag it before someone else does and use it as an opportunity to rest your feet.

(While I relaxed, my husband took it as downtime to check the map.)

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Marching on....

Later that evening, we walked to Montmartre. There were a few things we wanted to see and from what we were told, coming here at night is the best time to come.

Having done it, I will suggest you do the same!

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A SacrĂŠ place...

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So many people!

I love that when we made it up here, there was another amazing view of the city! People gathered in front of the SacrĂŠ Coeur to take in the view with us.

Except for this guy and his soccer ball.

(I think he wanted someone to join him.)

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Owen Wilson was here

Midnight in Paris got me excited about this area. Unfortunately, I didn't have any encounters with Fitzgerald or Hemingway, but I could feel their influences here. While I wasn't quite inspired to crank out a literary masterpiece, I instead have this magazine and many, many pictures to go along with this experience. ;)

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Bonjour!

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Versaille. And yes, it is the last day Le sigh.

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Bonjour!

Sept Jours (Day 7)

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Living like a king

Versailles is about a 30-minute train ride outside of Paris. We planned our arrival on a rainy day, which meant we tried to stay inside the palace as long as we could. But when we did make it outside we could see why King Louis XIV was a 17th century power house.

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Tres jolie.

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Merci/Thank you for coming along on this Parisian ride.

I hope you enjoyed it! :)

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Bonjour!

Until next time...

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XOXO. 108 To From

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our lock

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www.toandfrommag.com

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