24 Hours in Paris

Trip date: January 2020

Forest and I were up early to drive the 45 minutes to the train station and head into Paris for two nights. It was the weekend eve of her birthday and we had a lot of fun plans. Unfortunately Paris was still dealing with their transit strike so once in the city we were taking Ubers vs the metro.

Our first event of the day was lunch at 3 Michelin Star Le Pre Catelan. There is simply nothing like 3-star dining. Everything is so beautiful, so refined, so elegant! We started with glasses of Billecart Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne while pursuing the menu. As it was lunch there was a 4-course prix fixe menu with different options.

I chose the foie gras starter (I don't think I've ever passed on foie gras!), scallops three ways for my main, and caramel mille feuilles for dessert. 

Of course there were little amuse bouche served with our champagne. And bread with butter that was nothing short of sinful.

Forest had chosen the truffle risotto as her starter and it looked like they shaved an entire truffle on her dish!

My scallops were the best I've ever had. One preparation was rare slices in an apple cider broth, another was seared with crushed almonds, and the final was topped with a ridiculous amount of caviar. 

There were two cheese carts, a lovely rhone varietal in our glass to go with that, the very architectural desserts, as well as one with a candle in it for the birthday girl. 

It was such a wonderful lunch; I really loved this classic restaurant- my first time there but it had been on my list for years!

We headed off across town to start our planned cocktail crawl of the evening. First up was the newly opened Dirty Lemon in the 11th. This is such a cute space opened by Chef Ruba Khoury who previously had been at Frenchie, Yam'tcha, and Septime. 

Drinks and snacks were great, most items had a Mediterranean influence to them, and the interior is very prettily done in marble and gold accents.

Sticking with the Mediterranean vibe, we found a storefront in the 3rd that seemed to be a North African grocery. But of course Forest knew there was a lever hidden on the shelves that would open the wall to the Moroccan speakeasy l'Epicier.

We drank our cocktails sitting in chairs hung from the ceiling and snacked on little plates of mezze. Very fun!

I hadn't been to Copper Bay since Forest took me to their soft opening in 2016 and was excited to go back. The bar is just a wonderfully fun spot to be in, and even more so when your bestie knows everyone who works there. But even if I was on my own, this is very much my style of bar with friendly bartenders and super solid cocktails. If you haven't been, get it on your list!

Our last stop for the night was Jefrey's Bar which had a menu of cocktails inspired by tattoos. You can read more about their conceptional menu on 52 Martinis. My Grenouille cocktail had bourbon, tomato, lemon, ramen mix, and an egg yolk on the side. Very unique!

Even the inside looked like a waiting room for a tattoo parlour. Another cool and interesting spot!

The next morning we checked into the Hotel Saint-James, not to stay but to have massages in the spa. This hotel is so cool, I would love to stay out here one time! The hallways, stairwells, and common spaces are all decorated with hip wallpaper, interesting light features, and there is even a resident cat who patrols the interior.

Our massages were wonderful! Afterwards we had a drink in their very gorgeous Library Bar. It was all quite a treat!

We met our friend Kate, who had arrived from her home near the Swiss border, for lunch at Bouillon Racine. This is a style of Parisian restaurant from the 1900's which specialized in traditional hearty French fare, affordable for workers. Pretty much the opposite of the 3-star we dined at the day before!

This "bouillon" is decorated in a baroque style with lots of mirrors and leaded glass windows. Very pretty! I'm a big fan of these restaurants as they always serve traditional escargots, steak frites, veal, etc. It's my favorite food!

As we were wandering Rue Racine after lunch we came across the most wonderful store, Philippe Model Maison. I don't think any of us escaped without a purchase! I came home with a beautiful ceramic serving bowl and some absolutely gorgeous linen napkins. If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping in!

It had been two full fun-filled days in Paris, and we hadn't even had Forest's big birthday celebration yet! We wrapped up the evening at the Clos de Lilas, one of the grand dames in Montparnasse. It's always a good time and this was no exception.

The three of us sat at the bar with a lovely bartender who made excellent martinis. He sent over a dessert with a candle in it, and the piano player sang Happy Birthday. It was a great way to end the pre-party festivities, we were heading back out to the country the next day.

I returned to Paris 3 days later on the train to Montparnasse station. Normally it would be quite easy to grab a train out to the airport from here but the strike was still on and nothing was going out to CDG. I waited for an hour for a taxi, without a winter coat which I had somehow lost, before calling an Uber. It cost €150 to the airport!! 

Once at the airport I was told that all flights thru Iceland had been canceled because of severe weather. No one wants to hear that, especially after being away for 23 days, but it was especially hard as I had the memorial of a good friend to attend when I landed and now I would miss that. 

The strike made it very hard to travel back out to my friend's apartment in the city so I let Icelandair put me up in the Ibis Hotel that is connected to the airport. Its funny how you can be eating in a 3-star Michelin one day and trying to chill some rose in an open window because your room doesn't even have a mini fridge the next! 😂

The airline also comped me lunch, dinner, and breakfast. If you ever need an airport hotel this one was pretty new, clean, and very convenient as I only had to take the CDG train to terminal 1 the next day. I found the Icelandair lounge and had a few glasses of champagne before boarding my flight. I was flying Saga class which after the stress of the last day was a very welcome comfort. 

And after 24 days, both myself and my souvenirs made it home safely.

All photos from Paris here. 

Other posts from this trip:
Holidays in Le Perche, France
Intro to Normandy; Honfleur
Day Trip to the Parisian Riviera
New Year's Eve in Normandy
D-Day Beaches of Normandy
Normandy to Brittany
Last Stop Normandy; Mont Saint-Michel

Castles in Le Perche

Trip date: January 2020

Our big New Year's Eve road trip around the Normandy region had come to an end. Thibault was headed back to Paris and back to work, while Forest and I stayed out in Le Perche at their country home for a bit. Normally I would head home the first weekend of January but Forest was having a big birthday so I was staying until mid-month!

We spent a few days just relaxing around her cozy home and enjoying a couple of walks around their village, Le Mesnil-Thomas, which is tiny and very cute. 

One day we drove out to Nocé which has all of ~750 inhabitants. We had come to go through the 15th century Manoir de Courboyer. In France a manor is the main home on a farm and this area has tons of farmland. It's in this area that you'll also find the area's famous Percheron horses.

Most of the manors in the area are still privately owned and do not allow access, but at Courboyer you can wander the gardens and the interior of the 3-story old home. It was a cool and foggy day and the manor seemed a little spooky. Add to that we were the only two people going through it!

There is an exhibit on the farms and land use of the local area on one floor, and another floor has exhibits of furniture and dress from the time. There's even an old original flag under glass that I assume was the official flag of the family? And the other floor had a photo-exhibit of the other 100 remaining manors in the area. 

One of the most unique aspect to the house was above the door, a very weather beaten and small sculpture of a boy mooning! It wasn't obvious, but there it was!

We drove past a few more manors on our way to the Chateau Saint-Jean in nearby Nogent-le-Rotrou. Unfortunately the castle was closed, as it was Tuesday, which was too bad as there is a museum inside. But it was still a lovely walk as you can go completely around the chateau. 

Construction of the castle happened over multiple years, but the square keep is the oldest part. It was built in the 1040s, and is one of the oldest keeps of this type still standing in France! 

All of this was before lunch! We drove thru the adorable town of Condeau, a waterwheel spanning the river that runs through it, and onto the Domaine Devilleray. The hotel has both the old mill house and the 16th century castle that looks over the town. 

We were led into a lovely semi-formal dining room for our lunch. The prices out here are excellent; the 3-course prix fixe menu was just €32! Our server brought out some warm amuse bouche to snack on while we ordered our wine, a 2014 Chablis from the Irancy village in Burgundy. 

I had a soup of foie gras and pumpkin alongside a soup of peas and smoked ham. My main was an intricately arranged dish of duck with a puree and some very decadent jus. 

There was a lovely cheese selection with some great camembert from Normandy and some delicious little baked treats served with my espresso. The food was solid, not amazing, but much more than I had expected to find out in the country!

The next morning was also foggy which again lent an air of creepiness to the crumbling remains of the Ferté-Vidame castle near Senonches. 

This had been the summer home of Louis de Rouvroy, the Duke of Saint-Simon and also a writer of now classic French literature. The castle sits on a massive plot of land which is a park that you can wander around. 

In Senonches proper, there is also a castle dating from the middle ages. Inside are visiting exhibits as well as a museum of the "History of the Forest". With all these seemingly normal castles, the entire area of Le Perche obviously had a lot of wealthy and powerful people throughout its history! 

If you find yourself in this area, we also had a very good and very inexpensive lunch at Le Foret. My 3-course prix fixe was only €18! I loved my very traditional eggs with mayonnaise, rabbit in mustard sauce, and creme brulee for dessert. 

I'm so glad I got a chance to explore this gorgeous region of France! Thanks friends for buying a place out there :)

All photos of the Le Perche region here.

Other posts from this trip:
Holidays in Le Perche, France
Intro to Normandy; Honfleur
Day Trip to the Parisian Riviera
New Year's Eve in Normandy
D-Day Beaches of Normandy
Normandy to Brittany
Last Stop Normandy; Mont Saint-Michel

Last Stop Normandy; Mont Saint-Michel

Trip date: January 2020

I remember getting a postcard from my friend Forest in the early aughts from Mont Saint-Michel, the photo was of the tide out and people walking on the tidal flats out to the island. I didn't know anything about this place but she wrote on the back about how you had to time your leave or you'd be stuck! I'd wanted to go ever since.

I was so excited for this last stop on our trip! Not only would we be visiting but we were spending the night on the rock!

We had an easy 1-hour drive from Saint Malo to the overnight parking lot that our hotel had directed us to. From here we would board a bus (or you can take a horse and buggy) that would take us out to a paved bridge; but there would still be a 1/4 of a mile walk to the actual island and then up through tiny cobblestoned lanes to the hotel. For this reason we decided to leave our suitcases in the car and bring only an overnight bag. I was so glad that we did this!

Our hotel, the Auberge Saint Pierre, wasn't too far from the main gates of the village. Forest and Thibault had a room in the main inn, while I had chosen to stay in one of the 13 Chapeau Blanc "logis", which are former fishermen's houses, all with views of the bay. As one of the hotel employees led me up to the logis I realized that the reason they all have views is that they are pretty much at the top of the hill! 

Lots of steps! And lots of twists and turns! I wasn't sure how I was going to find my way back down in the daylight, never mind at night! Cars are not allowed on the island so be prepared for some steep climbs.

It had been a long time since breakfast and we were all very hungry so we met in the hotel's restaurant for a lunch of the famous souffléed omelet that the island is known for. The restaurant La Mère Poularde has been making these omelets since 1888, and over there the going price is about $40. For an omelette. 

I can't remember what the price was at our hotel restaurant, probably $25? Still more than it should be but paired with a nice glass of white wine it made for a lovely lunch.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking all the way around the village walls. It’s truly fairytale- like! Narrow little lanes winding up and up, past stone houses, most over 200 years old! And the Abbey looking like a cake topper.

The only time the island is actually an island is at very high tide, generally this is after a full moon. Throughout the day the bay definitely changes but we never did see it high.

The number of people thinned out drastically as the afternoon turned to evening. When we entered the Saint-Pierre church with its statue of Joan of Arc outside, we were the only ones there . 

We had drinks at our hotel bar before dinner, which was cozy with Christmas decorations still up and a fire going, and were just three of a few. There weren't a lot of options for dinner so we chose Les Terrasses de la Baie since we had already had a meal at our hotel. It was very much what you would get at a cafeteria, nothing to write home about. It was very quiet when I made my way back up to my room.

The next morning I walked up the many steps again to the top of the village. I didn't pass anyone!

I was meeting Thibault at the Abbey, it was the first Sunday in January and so entrance was free. Once at the top there are 350 steps that lead up to the Abbey entrance. 

Being there right when they opened was wonderful. The tourist hadn't yet made it onto the island yet so there were only a few other people inside. 

Exploring the Abbey like that, having it almost to ourselves, was such a unique experience. And it's absolutely beautiful. There were also a few rooms which held crypts that were a bit creepy with no one else around!

I walked thru the chapel and around the cloister, appreciating all the detail of the carvings. This church opened in 1523! It's just incredible how well preserved everything is.

When it first opened there were just convent rooms, a Host room, the refectory, the knights room and the cloister. After the Benedictines were driven out in 1791 the French Revolution started and the church was a prison to around 300 priests who opposed the regime.

This huge treadmill was operated by the prisoners to bring up supplies. It's over 14 feet across and could haul up 3 tons of supplies and equipment!

Napoleon III closed the prison in 1863 due to poor conditions of the buildings and in 1874 it was made a historic monument. Preservation is an ongoing thing here to battle the salt air, wet conditions, and of course age. In 1922 worship resumed.

We walked around the outside a bit and spotted the tiny Chapelle Saint-Aubert on the banks of the bay below. 

With over 2 ½ million visitors per year, this tiny village can be a madhouse during the day. Even in the winter it was very busy. But at night, with only ~50 full time residents it is incredibly peaceful. Yes, everything is overpriced but it's really a special experience. I'd highly recommend an overnight if you can.

We met back up with Forest, checked out of the hotel. and walked out to the bridge to catch the bus, specifically sitting in the back to catch a few last shots of the majestic stone village.

Our Normandy road trip was over and we were headed back to the country house in Le Perche. Along the way was the LeMorton Calvados Distillery which just happened to be open on Sunday. We stopped for a few tastes and left with a few bottles!

LeMorton is in the Domfrontais region of Calvados. This far southern area uses a blend of apples and up to 70% pears in their Calvados. I'd never had it before and loved learning about this on a little tour around the distillery with Madame Martine. Later Didier, whose Grandfather had started the business in the early 1970's, continued to discuss the unique blends as he poured for us in the tasting room.

I didn't have quite enough cash on me for the bottles I wanted and they didn't take cards. Luckily Thibault had a checkbook in the car and they were very happy to accept that! So quaint!

The owners sent us on our way with a lunch recommendation at a grill just down the road a bit. I had some delicious grilled lamb and french fries and then we made our way back home. It had been an absolutely fantastic road trip around Normandy! 

All photos of Mont Saint-Michel here.

**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**

Other post from this trip:

Holidays in Le Perche, France

Intro to Normandy; Honfleur

Day Trip to the Parisian Riviera

New Year's Eve in Normandy

D-Day Beaches of Normandy

Normandy to Brittany

Normandy to Brittany France

Trip date: January 2020

We had chosen Caen as our home base in order to explore the D-Day Beaches of Normandy, but we didn't leave ourselves any time to check out the city itself. All I can say about Caen is that we stayed in this Airbnb that was clean, bright, affordable, and comfortable for our 2-night stay. The building had private parking and was very secure. The only downside was that it wasn't in a very walkable area of town. 

The Memorial de Caen is both a memorial and museum dedicated to WWII. It sits on the remains of the command post of the 716th German infantry division just on the outskirts of town. We spent a couple of hours walking through the exhibits which focus a lot on both the civilians as well as the military battles. There are a lot of artifacts, photos, personal items, and film clips. It was heavy but well worth the stop.

The evening before, after a day of touring the beaches, we stopped in the quaint town of Bayeux which is just 30 minutes west of Caen. We arrived in time to queue up for the Musilumière, the light show on the Cathédrale Notre-Dame. What I didn't realize until we were in line was that this light show was actually done inside the Cathedral. Very nice as it was winter!

The church is famous in the area for its 223 foot Tapisserie de Bayeux, an 11th-century tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England. The light show was an explanation of the scenes on the tapestry! It was incredible, and luckily I had Thibault to translate some of the information since I don't speak French.

It was really beautiful and such a cool little gem of history to learn about. The cathedral is known to have a lightshow on the exterior in the summer months. The town is really charming with cobblestone streets and half-timbered buildings (like all of Normandy!), I think it's a great stop while in this area. 

After the show we chose Restaurant L'Assiette Normande based on its location across from the church and the fact that we were starving. A kir Normande (sparkling cider, Calvados, and crème de cassis), steak au poivre, and Normandy apple tart were all perfectly good and typical cafe fare.

Our next stop on our road trip was Saint-Malo which I had first heard about while reading All the Light We Cannot See". If you haven't read this, it would be a great book to bring on a Normandy trip!

The 2 hour drive from Caen had us arriving in time for lunch; this was our one and only stop in Brittany and I was thrilled to be here! We parked at the La Cité area, just across from the walled-island town, and had lunch as the super cute Le Bulot. 

The specialty of the house here (besides bulot or whelks) is brandade de morue (cod brandade) which is served hot and bubbly in individual terrines. Absolutely delicious!

We had a little walk around this area after lunch and then drove over the short bridge to the island city. 

Public parking is just outside the main gates/walls of the old city. It was a short walk from the car to Hotel des Abers where I was staying. Thibault and Forest had a cool very old Airbnb just 6 doors down. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring La Cité Corsaire as it is known from it's history of being a base for pirates employed by the King. Since we had a bit of drizzle we decided to save a full rampart walk until the next day and instead checked out the cathedral and did some window shopping. It's a really cute city and the bakeries fill the streets with the incredible smell of kouign amann and sables made from the famous butter from the region.

While walking around I noticed that the town has a symbol with a cape wearing weasel on it! I have no info on this super weasel but it was one more reason to like the town!

That evening we had cocktails at La Fabrique bar, a really cute 2-story spot which also had a pretty impressive beer selection. Our drinks were lovely and I'd absolutely recommend a stop here.

We had decided on Breizh Cafe for dinner, but there was a bit of a wait so we had a round across the way at Le Galion. Very funny divey bar filled with antiques and more than a few locals. 

Breizh, which is the Breton word for Brittany, serves crepes and galettes with a Japanese twist. My traditional ham, cheese, and egg galette came with Bourdier seaweed butter and was delish! 

Also when in both Normandy and Brittany it's good to remember that crepes are made with wheat flour and are generally sweet, while galettes are made with buckwheat flour and tend to be savory. In fact, my hotel rate included breakfast, which featured fresh made crepes, homemade jams, and yogurt. They really love their flat pancakes here, luckily so do I!

The next morning was gorgeous and sunny, perfect for walking the entire city walls. But first Forest and I went to the Bordier Butter shop where we watched them form the butter into bricks with paddles while also picking up a few. There is a museum of butter in the shop as well, but it was being cleaned when we arrived so we weren't allowed in.

Other items that I purchased and would highly recommend are tins of sables Breton (buttery cookies which are absolutely addictive) and jars of babas from Babas of Saint Malo. These little cakes are soaked in delicious syrup, like rhum, calvados, whiskey, triple sec, and sold in jars. I wish I has some right now!

Shopping over it was time for our stroll. The city walls are 2km around and offer up gorgeous views. These ramparts were constructed in the 12th century and have been reconstructed and replaced as necessary over the years. It was fun to envision which of the apartments Marie-Laure LeBlanc, the blind protagonist of the fictional story that took place here, lived in during the war.

Just off of Bon-Secours beach, the island of Grand Bé is the burial site of the French author François-René de Chateaubriand. When the tide goes out there is a stone walkway that you can walk on to get there but it's fully submerged when the tide comes in so you'll need to time it just right or swim back!

Just before packing up the car and heading out, I stopped at one of the nicer bakeries and bought a couple of kouign amann. This famous pastry of the region is made with layers and layer of flaky pastry, copious amounts of Brittany's salted butter, and sugar which turns almost caramel-like during baking. It's sweet and salty and crispy and utterly one of the most delicious things you will ever eat. Do like I did and get a few, they taste nowhere near as good once you're out of Breton. 

And with that we said goodbye to the city of the super weasel and were on the road to our final destination; Mont Saint Michel!  

All photos of Caen & Bayeux here.

All photos of Saint-Malo here. 

Other post from this trip:
Holidays in Le Perche, France
Intro to Normandy; Honfleur
Day Trip to the Parisian Riviera
New Year's Eve in Normandy
D-Day Beaches of Normandy

Last Stop Normandy; Mont Saint-Michel