Paris Calling

keith and i spent an amazing nine days in paris last year as part of our slow down, relax and get knocked up plan. we had been battling with infertility for almost five years and it was starting to finally break me. i had always wanted to visit france, but it was never on the top of keith's travel wish list. paris was one of the few places we disagreed on. however, keith recognized that i needed to do something special that year and to my delight he suggested that we holiday in paris.

the year before i worked long days and many weekend for a special project at work. we had put off most travel plans that year so we were over due for some much needed time off. since paris can be on the pricey side we decided to travel off season and planned our visit for february. it was a gamble weather wise, but it payed off. most days were cool and sunny and lacked in heavy tourist traffic.

keith and i brushed up on our basic french and booked our plane tickets. keith watched airline prices starting about 8 weeks in advance and gave ourselves a window of arrival and departure dates to take advantage of the most economical fares. once we had the dates i booked a tiny studio in the neighborhood of montmartre via airbnb. i also started researching budget friendly things to do in paris.

in anticipation of our paris adventure we made a list of places we wanted to explore. we also had fun creating a mental list of movie locations we had hoped to find while doing some scouting on foot. at night after dinner and a few drinks we hunted for the foot bridge from inception, the cafe from amelie and the stairs from midnight in paris. prior to our trip, keith and i re-watched movies that were filmed in paris. it was really fun having our little french theme nights. my friends even threw me a french dinner party for my birthday before we left.

upon arrival we purchased, a carte orange now known as passé navigo, a weekly public transportation pass. the pass allowed us to get within walking distance to everything we wanted to do or see. keith downloaded some edith piaf to the ipad and we settled into our cozy room. keith and i had the best time in paris. we long to return soon.

view from the steps of the basilique du sacre coeur

we spent an afternoon walking pere-lachaise

the tree near jim's grave

it was oddly perfect

oscar wilde had the most interesting resting place with kisses and lipstick hearts

the first time we saw this sparkling beauty we were running by her in full sprint about to miss our pre-booked dinner cruise down the seine. we were in awe of her magnificence and finally understand what all the fuss is about. we never did make the boat that night. 

grande cappuccino

la halle saint pierre gallery is located right around the corner from the studio

wall of love in montmartre

record shopping

one of many nights walking 

paris sky

loved having breakfast outside under the heat lamps in february  

wish new englanders embraced outside dinning out of season 

best bakery

day at the louve

people get very pushy around mona. can't imagine what it must be like here in the spring or summer. 

preferred mode of transportation 

people watching

they let us take the boat cruise another night. that would never happen at home. 

pad locks of love on the bridge and the back side of notre dame. a wise friend advised me not to forget to check out the back. she thinks it is more beautiful than the front and i agree.  

vintage prints and books

more people watching

real estate at the nouveau casino

arts et métiers. my favorite station. how cool is it that the city commissions artist to do work like this.

musee des arts et métiers

love that he fell in love

french bread, french onion soap, french dressing and french fries. ha. 

agreed this was the street they drove up in midnight in paris  

dinner outside

pomodoro. best italian place. the owner served us late one night and it was so good. we went back for seconds later in the week.

lots of good street art

too many movies to name

not quite sure about the name but keith insisted. one of hemingways' favorites.

that red vest made him easy to spot

the cafe from amelie, cafe des 2 moulins

love the apple dish

xoxo

so happy

our last night in paris we were getting ready for bed. it was about 12:30 and keith says lets go see the eiffel tower one last time. my boots and coat were back on within seconds. we walked quickly to the metro station and just made it to the park for the finally show of the night. it was truly magical. keith and i slowly walked to passy station. on the way we spotted the familiar arches of the foot bridge for the film inception and luckily caught the last train home. until next time paris. merci.

the foot bridge from the movie inception, pont de bir-hakeim

xoxo, beth-ann

ps. this is a helpful reference guide