A Leisurely Walk Through Paris — Boomer Boarding Pass

This seemed to be the answer to our travel dreams: an invitation to a destination wedding in Paris! Just think: no examining rental cars for dents, no trying to figure out which track your train is on, no counting every kg in your bags for inter-European flights, no multiple hotels/airbnbs that end up looking so much worse than the photos, and no need to reorient ourselves every time we land in a new place. Just one Airbnb for 9 days in a city we love and have been to multiple times so we have already seen most of the top tourist sights.

Painting a building can be a work of art.

On this trip, with some prior time constraints we have as well as the wedding events themselves, we will stay put in Paris on this 9-day trip without the urge to move on, without the need to be tourists packing every day with sightseeing. . . . Big sigh of relief.

So what is there to do in Paris after you’ve “seen it all”? I guess the answer would be “plenty” since, as it turned out, we had little idle time. The bride sent out an Evite that included some of her favorite restaurants (she having spent a good deal of time living in Paris) so that started us on a quest for the ultimate Parisian eating experiences. We included one Michelin star restaurant (Le Sergent Recruiter), but otherwise tried restaurants attended by locals as well as tourists. Additionally, we had to revisit one of our favorites from our last visit, Le Colimacon in the Marais, for their foie gras burger. Our happiest find was Le Reclaimer, walking distance to Luxembourg Gardens. They specialize in magnificent soufflés, both sweet and savory. And, when Colimacon didn’t offer their foie gras burger, Le Reclaimer served one that was even better than we remembered from our previous trip. Bill was also ecstatic that they had Leffe beer on tap.

It’s always time for lunch in Paris. Iconic pic of Musee d’Orsay cafe.

We were there to celebrate the wedding of Ellen’s college roommate’s daughter so what better way to acknowledge this joyous occasion than by exploring our favorite neighborhoods again and enjoying some leisurely sumptuous meals in fancier attire than we would ordinarily pack.

Taking time to sleep in every morning at our very roomy Airbnb in the 8th arrondissement (nearby where the wedding and reception were to take place), we took a relaxed stroll through Musee d’Orsay one day, not feeling the need to see everything so that we could spend extra time where our interests were piqued. This was followed by a leisurely lunch of many soufflés accompanied by crisp green salads.

The best part about not having to rush around in order to squeeze in maximum sightseeing is being able to wander down sidestreets without an agenda and with no particular attractions but with little stores that one has to wonder how they stay in business. Haven’t the French heard of Amazon? And apparently, they haven’t heard of Whole Foods either (thankfully). Ellen has to pull Bill away from every cheese shop they pass, of which there are many. Produce stores sell melons and other delectables from all over the continent, bakeries sell pastries that are works of art (not to mention the standard French breads and croissants that we can’t pass up), and whole stores are devoted to a wide selection of macaroons. All of this on top of hole-in-the-wall eateries that look and smell divine. Below are storefronts from just one small street we walked along.

But there are a few tourist attractions in addition to d’Orsay that we decide to hit. The self-guided tour of Opera Garnier allows us time to indulge in looking at the detail of this decadent over-the-top place without having to deal with the crowds that gather during an actual performance. It offers such a contrast to Opera Bastille with its dark, cold death star interior design where we attended a revival of the Bejart Ballet after poking around the Bastille outdoor market (making sure that our cheese was wrapped nice and tight before going in). Yes, we happily admit to not staying vegan on this trip!

Still crowded, but not so bad that we couldn’t still admire the grand staircase. Note influencer dressed up in pink dress for her blog post…SMH.

Details that we failed to notice when attending concerts.

In the bar at the opera house, where the staff are setting up for an event as we take it all in.

The wedding was indeed a fairy-tale affair. Guests were treated to a private welcome reception and cocktail party at the Musée Jacquemart-André, a magnificently furnished 19th century mansion housing a fabulous art collection including some Dutch masters. This museum should be on your list the next time you are in Paris! The wedding was held at the American Cathedral in Paris, an exquisite venue and also from the 19th century. The ceremony was followed by a lavish reception at Le Cercle de l’Union Interalliée on Embassy Row with dancing ’til dawn, though we didn’t quite make it that long.

Visiting Paris and not looking like vagabonds.

Reception at Le Cercle de l’Union Interalliée.

Neither of us had ever visited the Père Lachaise Cemetery, so we picked a beautiful day to visit the final resting places of Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and, of course, the immortal (to some people at least) Jim Morrison, though they have a guard posted at his grave now so you can’t pour a glass of whiskey on his tombstone any more.

The Père Lachaise Cemetery is more like a lovely walk in the park except with dead people in it.

There are several subterranean columbariums, this one with many floral offerings.

There are also various monuments to groups of people such as World War II veterans and this one for the victims at Auschwitz.

Finally, before we leave the City of Lights, we do one thing we always thought would be too touristy, but our knowing friends, AnneMarie and Pascal, insist it is not to be missed! And, it turned out to be one of our more memorable experiences: the evening boat ride down the Seine as the city lights up. So far, we think life in the slow lane isn’t so bad.