bishop&holland

Happy Friday!  This week has not slowed down in the least.  Being back to reality means: work, laundry and catching up on our neglected to-dos.  Vacation is officially over, but we still have a fun weekend in store!  This weekend, we are celebrating a very special birthday (although the celebrations started at the beginning of the month!) with a fun family dinner, and attempting to make French macarons for the first time.  We’ve heard this can be a bit touchy, so please wish us luck!  We planning to share our recipe next week if it’s not a flop…or even if it is!

While we were in Paris, we took a day trip to Reims, a city in the Champagne region of France.  When we learned that the Champagne region was just a quick 45 minute ride on the high-speed TGV train, we jumped on the idea.  Although on the one hand,  we hated to leave Paris for the day, it wasn’t too hard to convince us, considering we would be sipping champagne all afternoon! Reims is a charming city, with its art deco facades, relaxed atmosphere and its 800 year-old Gothic cathedral, Notre-Dame de Reims, where there have been 33 French kings crowned.   We arrived in Reims around lunchtime and found a darling little café to get lunch for a picnic in the park prior to our first tasting.  We ended up visiting three Champagne houses: Taittinger, Pommery & Mumm.  We were able to tour the ancient chalk wine caves, which go underground up to 60 feet deep (160 steps down!) under the city. At Pommery alone, there are over 20 million bottles of Champagne stored in their caves! And, the best part of it all – beneath the streets of Reims are 150 miles of caves filled with bottles of champagne! After learning that we were walking on all that bubbly Champagne, our step definitely got a little lighter!

Enjoy our pictures from Reims & have a wonderful weekend!

Quick lunch prior to Champagne tasting

 First stop: Taittinger Champange House featuring 100,000 bottles of Champagne on the wall

Jeroboams of Taittinger Champagne

 This way to Europe (we thought we were already there!)

 Next stop: Pommery Champagne House

This blending barrel at Pommery holds the equivalent of 100,000 bottles of Champagne

 Caves at Pommery

 Ending the day at Mumm

Cheers,

Thursday morning we woke up early to catch the Eurostar to Paris.  Thanks to our sweet family in London, we had a delicious picnic lunch to enjoy on the train.  We were in Paris in just over two hours! Once in Paris, we found our apartment and settled in. It was the perfect Parisian apartment! It had classic French interiors coupled with state-of-the-art modern updates and everyday conveniences. Located in Le Marais, on the right bank, our apartment proved to be the perfect location for walking to most major sights, charming restaurants, museums & great shopping.  We started the evening with some bubbly and a lovely cheese plate provided in the apartment.  Thank you, Cobble Stay! Dinner was just a few blocks down our street at Le Quincambosse, a charming restaurant hardly bigger than a Texas-sized walk-in closet. Food, wine & company was fabulous.

Production line of lunches for the Eurostar. Thank you, PC!

Le Marais

Apartment 101 in Le Marais

Our first full day in Paris was Friday.  First stop was the Pont de l’Archevêché, the love lock bridge, where we left our lock of love, tossing the key into the Seine, along with millions of others! From there we walked to Saint-Germain-des-Prés to start our shopping.  So many wonderful boutiques, brasseries, and history filled the rest of our day! Our dinner reservations at Reed, had us near the Eiffel Tower, so a stop there was in order.  If you find yourself in Paris, you must make reservations at Reed.  Again, another tiny space (just seating 16 guests) with an open kitchen and the chef/owner Catherine Reed also acting as sommelier, server & greeter in one.  Next time we would love to take one of her cooking classes she teaches on Wednesdays.  The evening was a great experience!

Pont de l’Archevêché aka Love Lock Bridge

Tossing our lock in the Seine

No comment needed! Tour Eiffel

Catherine Reed preparing dinner

Dinner at Reed

Saturdays in Paris are much more relaxed.  What a difference the European lifestyle is compared to the fast-paced life we live.  After coffee & croissants, we made our way to Sainte-Chappelle to see the exquisite stained glass.  It was a bright, sunny day in Paris and the stained glass glowed!  From Sainte-Chapelle, we walked back to the Marais and explored the Centre Pompidou.  Its high-tech architecture is in such contrast to the classical French buildings.  Riding the outdoor escalator to the top you’ll find amazing views of the city.  Next stop was what is said to be the oldest market in Paris, Marché des Enfants Rouges where we found a variety of local foods, fresh seafood, produce and gorgeous flowers. Dinner was at a local Paris pizzeria, La Drogheria, where we enjoyed pizza and wine elbow to elbow with the local Parisians!

Stained glass at Sainte-Chapelle

Centre Pompidou

Modern Art at Centre Pompidou

Fresh Fleurs at Le Marché

On Sunday, we decided to spend most of our time at the Louvre wandering the different wings and floors of the museum.  From ancient Egyptian art, to sculpture & painting (Mona Lisa’s eyes followed us) & finishing with the Napoleon III Apartments, we tried to fit as much in as we could.  After a quick afternoon break for some wine and beer at the brasserie, we took the Metro to the Champs-Elysées. We exited the Metro and landed right in front of the Louis Vuitton flagship store. Coincidence? We don’t think so! The window displays were incredible and so was the line to get in the store, but that didn’t stop us! We had a little retail therapy and felt revived.  Finally, we ventured down the street to the Hotel George V .  It’s a classic French institution, beautiful interiors and the most stunning floral arrangements.  A fabulous end to a beautiful day!

Louvre

Napoleon III Apartments at the Louvre

Metro to the Champs-Elysées

Louis Vuitton Flagship

Fleurs at the Hotel George V

Cheers,