Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Je suis encore retourné (Paris)

Eiffel Tower at Night

I have returned from the first of the next three trips. It seems I'll be spending a lot more time returning encore and encore. ...but if it's from places as lovely as this conference's locale in Paris, then I won't be complaining!

Expectation Management.
Having been to Paris on family vacation in high school, I used my 2.5 non-conference days in a laid back manner: walking until my feet fell off, seeing the Louvre, and climbing to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. After my time in Japan I reject that MUST.SEE.ALL.THE.THINGS pressure.

Also, if everyone keeps telling you that the Mona Lisa is smaller than expected, she will end up being larger than expected.

Faire du Shopping.
I found this guide to Parisian souvenirs to be particularly useful for my short time in Paris, and I've returned with Bensimon sneakers, honey made by monks, cheap Dijon mustard, fancy macarons, and not a single Tour Eiffel keychain! While I resist the must-see-all-the-things way of life, I'm still fully subscribed to must-buy-all-the-things.

Noms Away.
My friends and I noticed a very peculiar thing: anytime we used a Lonely Planet restaurant recommendation the food was mediocre to poor, but any time we chose a random brasserie off the street, the food was satisfactory to excellent. Sometimes the restaurants we thought were tourist traps were excellent, and sometimes they really were just tourist traps. I've eaten enough chocolate mousse, macarons, and duck confit to last me awhile.

More photos up on my Flickr page.

L'Arc de Trimophe from the Champs Elysees
Eiffel Tower from Les Invalides
Paris Sculpture Garden
Pantheon
Jardin du Luxembourg Over the Top Louvre Hall
Photographing the Venus de MiloCrowded Mona Lisa
Laduree Macarons
Lonely Tree Champs Elysees at Night
Down the Arc de Triomphe Stairs
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7 comments:

  1. missrisMay 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    The two LP-recommended restaurants we visited in Italy were only ok, and every single other one was amazing.

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  2. hMay 15, 2013 at 6:19 PM

    Anywhere else, when I use LP recommendations, it's fine-to-great. All I can figure is that the Paris travel writers are bribed or something. Or the restaurants know they're from Lonely Planet and serve them better? I don't know.

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  3. AmandaMay 16, 2013 at 12:44 PM

    This makes me want to go back to Paris soooooo much! I'm glad you savored your time there instead of pressuring yourself to do and see it all :)

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  4. roothMay 18, 2013 at 10:42 AM

    Paris looks lovely in the spring time - now I really want to go

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  5. AlieMay 18, 2013 at 11:58 PM

    Wow... did not realize that the Louvre was so packed! Glad you had a nice time there :)

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  6. Why Girls Are WeirdMay 20, 2013 at 10:14 AM

    Yes please, I want to go to Paris!

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  7. AmandaMay 20, 2013 at 10:45 PM

    It's been 5 years since I moved home from living in Paris and I am getting a major itch to go back to my second "home"! Thanks for the mini reunion :)

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