October 2020
City of Lights
As Americans cannot travel many places out of country at present I got to daydreaming about great cities I have been able to visit. And some that are dreams for the future.
I was lucky enough to visit Paris for the first time with Shaun; it makes such a difference to visit a foreign city with someone who knows it well. From Sacré-Cœur to the Jardin des Tuileries we walked every inch of the city on our first trip together. Since then, we have definitely developed a sense of routine for when we visit. We use “Haven In” as our source for rentals. They have amazing properties and excellent service. We try to close Copine for a break at a certain point during the year, so that is generally when we would travel.
Typically we like to stay in Montmartre. The area is home to many cheese mongers and food purveyors that we re-visit when stocking the apartment. Normally our first stop is to pick up some Vacherin Mont d’Or which is only available in the fall and winter. This cheese is literally life changing…you have to taste it to believe how good it is. A warm baguette from Coquelicot and some wine is all we need to start our vacation at that point. (Incidentally, there is also something to be said for a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Monoprix and a bag of Lay’s Saveur Poulet Rôti et Thym chips, as well. Simply perfect.)
A visit to Gilles Vérot is a requirement. Absolutely stunning terrines and charcuterie and they have these petites saucissons that are flavored with Roquefort, Truffles, Fennel or Pimentón. We get an assortment and eat them straight from the bag on the metro.
The main focus of our time in Paris is dining. Lunch at Taillevent is something we try to do on each of our trips. We also try to hit either, Frenchie, Frenchie-to-Go or Frenchie Wine Bar. Grégory Marchand is a genius and we really enjoy his clean flavors and cozy environments.
On our second trip we tried to eat at La Famille (an old hang out of Shaun’s) to find that it was no longer there…this is how we found Le Chateaubriand. Truly excellent; creative and well worth the often long wait time to dine there. Chefs like Iñaki Aizpitarte are doing things with food that are truly inspiring.
As far as shopping: E.Dehillerin, obviously. All manners of things culinary can be found here. Shaun has to head to the Marais for french cuffed dress shirts at Xoos and our last visit in 2017 included a stop at COS for clothing, which was a newer find for both of us. I really love Repetto for shoes. We also like to see what’s happening on rue Saint-Paul as far as antiques.
Paris. Rome. Lausanne. Mykonos. Barcelona. Tokyo. I don’t know when we will have a chance to travel again, honestly. These are hard days; thinking forward gives a little hope for pleasant things to come at the end of this challenging year. Keep dreaming of places you have been and places on your wish list…and dream big.