The trip started out in France with a visit with my mother in her fantastic summer apartment. Every summer she spends about 3 to 4 months in Paris in the 6^th arrondissement. The last 4 summers have been in a dreamy corner spot right on Rue de Condé. My mom is so happy there with her city view, a piano and Paris at her beck and call. Makes me equally happy to see her in such a great space.

Best of dear friend AT, who lives in London, came to visit right off the bat and spent a few days with us.

Here’s where we went in Paris.

Gérard Moulot – A wonderful pastry shop in the 6^th. Known for the extraordinary array of beautiful bread, pastries, croissant, and so much more. I had my favorite… a pain au raisin, AT had a chocolate croissant then we split a pain au lait. The diet started right after this day in Paris.

Café de Flore – Right on the Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Classic French café…where the waiters are slightly dismissive, the food is solid, and the people watching is top notch. We had a lovely tea and some coffee in this spot and watched a lovely rain soaked Paris.

July in Paris is the month when everything in every store is on sale… so this trip it was about shopping and eating.

Rue Saint-Sulpice Shopping – So many amazing shops on this street right near the awesomely striking Saint Sulpice church. We made stops at Carven (my favorite), Vanessa Bruno (AT’s favorite), and even popped into parfumerie Annick Goutal which was brimming with wonderful aromas and a fanciful display of roses in the window.

Rue Saint Honoré – My mother and I, of course, had to take a walk down the famous Rue Saint Honoré to peer into and peruse the finest shops in Paris and the world. We stopped into the ever so trendy Colette store (a stop I make EVERY time I am in Paris) and into the Goyard store. It was kind of ridiculous… in order to create hype, we suppose, the Goyard people have decided to put a velvet rope outside of their stores that are across the street from each other, so people have to wait in line to get in. The store was pretty much empty when we got in. We didn’t find anything at either but was fun to look around.

La Joie de Vivre – On the home furnishings front, I stopped into many stores. The one purchase I made was from La Joie de Vivre on Rue du Seine. I bought pretty drapes for my new space at a cute furniture shop in this 6^th on super duper sale. I will show you what those look like when they go up in my new living room!

La Perle – Drinks at La Perle in the Marais on the corner of Rue Vielle du Temple and Rue de la Perle. A totally hipster bar in on a corner in the Marais where all of the chic edgy crowd hangs out it seems. Lots of attractive people in one very super casual spot.

Au Petit Fer à Cheval – Dinner at Au Petite Fer À Cheval in the Marais. This was one of AT’s favorite restaurants… not much to look at from the outside but the food is truly French, rustic, and delicious.

Aux Prés – Cyril Lignac – Dinner at Aux Prés a bistro on Rue du Dragon in the 6^th by award winning Chef Cyril Lignac. This is turning into a favorite for me and my mother. I love this little restaurant with perfect food, eclectic hipster décor, and wonderful drinks. This was my second time there. We’ve sat at the super high bar both times but there was also a nice dining room, and booths, as well. Love it!!!

Jardin du Luxembourg – Walked through my favorite place in all of Paris. It is a beautiful lush park with manicured lawns and crushed gravel trails. Mom and I took a long walk my last day there… spotting different kinds of trees, flowers, and enjoying the Parisians walk by, enjoy their city park.

What I missed out on this time… museums… I didn’t go to one museum or monument or cultural event (that is not entirely true… we stopped into a free exhibit at the Musée de l’Orangerie see the photo above). My mother, a college professor, was, of course, disappointed with my lack of cultural curiosity. I am in Paris annually… so next time definitely. As you see from future posts I had a lot of running around to do on this trip… so Paris provided the best recharge to get revved up for the rest of my whirlwind travels… to London, Athens, and Santorini.

Hope you all get a chance to make it to Paris soon too… send me your favorites, and I will check them out on my next visit!

Xo