Paris for the Weekend!

So this past weekend, Doog was in Europe for various shows and business.  He was in Paris on Saturday and Sunday, so I flew out to meet up with him.  I had to get up at three in order to get to the airport but i did have this view out of my window by the time we took off, not so bad!

The rooms were not ready at the hotel, so we walked up and down Boulevard Haussmann at a antiques street fair.  The weather was great, it was a bit chilly in the morning but then warmed up with the sun.  I had forgotten just how much I love Paris,  It is such a beautiful and intoxicating city.  Much in part due to the man who the above boulevard is named after.  One of the papers I am most proud of in my college career is a research paper that described the ways in which Baron George Haussmann rebuilt paris block by block, street by street, underground to far above, into the city that it is today.

We had tried to go to Notre Dame but the line was absurd.  So instead we walked over to Berthillon which will be getting its own post!  On the way there we passed many crepe stands all decorated with guardian bottles of Nutella.  Yes that is a heavenly scent whisping up from that fresh crepe.

We then walked along the Seine.  All along the Seine, there are these green vendor booths.  On the right bank they contain mostly books and a few magazines.  On the left bank they have books, but there is art of all kinds, old postcards, La Belle Époque era advertisements, concert posters, even painted tiles.  At night all of the boxes are closed up and locked for the night.  We then went to Place Voges, its right by the Jewish section of the city.  There is a massive square surrounded by arcades that are populated by great cafés and art galleries.  We went shopping at Xoos and Doog and Mel were on the lookout for new fashions and designs.

While walking to dinner the first night we walked into this square, it has the Ritz Carlton as well as a number of ultra luxury stores.  The sky was perfect, I do not understand how anyone could feel anything but love for Paris.

One of Paris' chocolate shops.  Had I not had Berthillon earlier in the day I would have drooled all over the window.  For dinner we went to this great Italian restaurant.  There was a self serve antipasto bar that had all types of picked herrings, stuffed vegetables, prosciutto wrapped around goat cheese, all in olive oil.  For the main course I ordered a mushroom and asparagus risotto which was excellent.

We started the next day with the most amazing continental breakfast I have ever had (another post).  Then we were off to the Louvre.

We saw all of the essentials, Winged Victory.

The Mona Lisa, nice colors, but very anticlimactic especially when it is opposite the massive painting below.

I have been to the Louvre before but the last time I was here I did not notice the very modern architecture used inside the museum.

For instance look at this recessed light.

This escalator hall in the Richelieu section of the museum was incredible.  It was very clean and strong at the same time.  The straight and boxed escalators were perfectly juxtaposed with the circle cutouts in the marble.

The two sculpture halls continued this simple yet strong theme.  It made the museum feel very crisp and bright.

Even the railings for the staircase were intriguing.  There were round recesses cut into the wall from which a scroll of aluminum unfurled from the bottom.

After the Louvre we walked around the Latin Quarter, St. Germain and the surrounding area.  We did some heavy duty window shopping.  Doog and Mel had found the jackpot of interesting design features and trends in this area.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel lounge and had a drink before I had to head back to the airport.  The lounge at the Intercontinental was just as gorgeous as the rest of the building.  There were warm tones in the wood, in the marble, in the chairs, and the sculpture as well.

I had my favorite, a San Bittér.

Doog and Mel had Mojitos. (and I am starting to really get into this food photography thing)

There was a trio of olives, nuts and fruit, and blue potato chips.  The nuts and the chips were nothing exceptional, but the olives were bursting with flavor.  They were very garlicy and had a hint of rosemary.  The brineyness of the olives was very mild as well.

And finally here is Doog working hard in high fashion!  I had an absolutely terrific time in Paris.  It was the perfect weekend my only plan was to get ice cream and other then that I was just walking around enjoying the city and the company, allowing Parisian culture to seep in and relax and lighten my mind!