The David's do Paris!

As sad I was to finish my week long fall break that flew by so fast, I was excited to come back to Paris to see my parents! They rented a flat near the Luxembourg Gardens which is very close to my school.

The first full day they spent in Paris we went to the Marmottan Museum and also toured the Marais. We saw an exhibit on Napoleons sisters and also a lot of Monet's paintings. It was a Sunday and most of the Marais is known for being open on Sunday's. We toured the Jewish Quarter which was a lot of fun because it was PACKED. Its on a small street with a few Jewish jewelry shops, Jewish bakeries with piles of Challah, and everyone is walking around with Falafel in their hands. We went to L'As du Falafel which is one of the most famous falafel places in Paris. It was so good! My mom loved all the smaller boutiques we went into. They are all so unique to Paris and some of them are unlike anything you will see anywhere else in the world. Then I took them to my FAVORITE cafe in Paris. It's called l'Anticafe and it's in the Marais. This cafe is different because you pay 4 euros per hour you are there, but you get unlimited coffee drinks, tea, snacks, nutella, fruit, vegetables, juices, and wifi! It's such a good deal if I want to spend a few hours getting homework done and need a few cups of coffee to keep me going. That night we went to a French restaurant on the outside of the Luxembourg Gardens called Au Petit Suisse. It was so good!! I loved having my parents here because then I could try the really elaborate french cuisine :)

Eating our falafel in the Jewish Quarter with my dad wearing his Chiefs shirt looking like COMPLETE tourists. 

My mom and I went to all the big department stores like Le Bon Marche, Galleries Lafayette, Printemps, and BHV. They are all different in their own way. Le Bon Marche is a smaller version of Galleries Lafayette and Printemps but has an unbelievable food section. (Don't worry, we tasted it.) Galleries Lafayette and Printemps are very upscale and HUGE. Galleries Lafayette has entire floor dedicated to kids clothing, but it wasn't just any kids clothing, it was Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci and many other top designers covering the entire floor. BHV is in the Marais and it has more affordable clothing. There are also much more accessories, kitchenware, stationary, and things for the home than the other stores.

Galleries Lafayette getting ready for the holidays!

On Tuesday, I met my parents at the Rodin Museum. Rodin was a French sculptor. The museum was breathtaking itself along with his pieces inside the museum. That night, we went to a really good restaurant called Les Papilles near my parents flat. It's pretty small restaurant so it can be hard to get a reservation. The restaurant only serves one menu per night. When you sit down they tell you what's going to be on the menu, the wine pairings they suggest with the menu, and automatically bring out the appetizer. Our appetizer for that night was a roasted butternut squash and pumpkin soup poured over nuts, chives, and butter and cinnamon. Then the next course was one big pot of roasted chicken with vegetables and pasta in a creamy pesto sauce. Before dessert they brought out goat cheese and dates, then the dessert which was a light mousse with figs and honey. I think we got pretty lucky with what the menu was that night because I couldn't have pictured it any better!

On Wednesday we woke up early to catch a train to Reims for champagne tasting! We met our tour guide at the train station and picked up a couple who was from Australia and here on their honeymoon. First he took us to a vineyard and showed us fields of champagne grapes and we got to try some. They are very small and sweeter than any grapes I had tried before. Then we went to a cellar where we saw the equipment they used to make the champagne. It's a lot of manual labor because they have to physically turn the bottles every few hours to keep the sediments from collecting on the bottom. Then it was time to taste! We went 3 different places in the region. They were all so beautiful and the champagne was amazing.

Our souvenir from Reims.

Toasting with our tour guide! 

The next day I met my mom in the Montmartre area to help her look for some fabric for some chairs she wanted to recover. She had just finished a food and wine tour of the area with my dad and told me about all the amazing restaurants the tour guide took them too. I was so jealous! Once we found some beautiful fabric at one of the many fabric stores lining an entire block, we hiked up to Sacre Coeur and looked out at the beautiful view of Paris. Definitely another one of my, "Wait, I live here?" moments. That night I took my mom to this amazing brasserie by the Musee d'Orsay for some french onion soup because I know it's one of her favorites. While we were eating outside, we ran into one of my best friends from the Paris programs and who also goes to DU and her mom, who had just flown in. For being such a big city, Paris is so small! We then toured around the Musee d'Orsay for a little and saw some amazing impressionists works.

The last full day my parents were in Paris was packed because of how much we wanted to cram into one day! On the agenda for the day were a few markets, Saint Germain de Pres area, crepes for lunch, Sainte Chapelle Church, the Conierge (where Marie Antoinette's jail cell was) and more of the Marais to stop and get as many gifts and last minute pastries as possible. The day was a successful and we finished it off with an amazing meal at Sorza, a small restaurant on Ile Saint-Louis. I love this little island behind Notre Dame because it's filled with small, cobblestone streets and off the beaten path restaurants, boutiques, and pastry shops.

Dinner at Sorza.

Sainte Chapelle Church

I had such an amazing time showing my parents around Paris! We saw and walked so much, I'm sure they need a real vacation after this one. (and also happy 25th anniversary :) )