A bientot! Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Aunt Jeanne and I are happily sipping Sancerre, dans le salon of our 4-star boutique hotel in the heart of St. Germain, on the left bank (of Paris, which is no where near a SunTrust Bank).
We exhausted our welcome at Le Meurice, where we got ripped in the bar on our first night. 🙂 Well not ripped, but I decided nous avons besoin de deux Gris Goose martinis avec des moins olives, or: ‘we need martinis’ after no sleep, jet lag, dinner and beaucoup vin. Next thing you know, I was speaking French, we were on the phone to this couple (who were clearly playing hookie just to hang out apres-midi), and our cute bartender was telling us to say we were married to protect us from the big old, fat Portuguese guy who I think wanted to take us to Brazil. Somehow we woke up the next morning in our room, AJ in her PJs, and me, well… I was there, alright!?
The next day we walked the Champs Élysées down to the Arc de Triumphe, along the Illuminations 2011, which, if you read my newsletter you’d know was erected (our new word) in October for the holidays. We made it to the Arc and some dumbass (me) saw people on top of it as we were leaving. So we went back and 297 stairs later (in heels, mind you)… we joined them. Lovely view. Learned a little. I must digress though: I had the bright idea of wearing new boots on the plane from NY, so as not to pack four tall boots (along with five jackets). Let’s just leave it at the fact that I left them, purposely, at Le Meurice. They gave me a blister in the short time I had them on in transit. I needed a little bandaid for my heel. And they have magic bandaids in France!!! They healed me in one half a day. Weirdest thing. Compeed! I’m obsessed. I am now forever in hunt of la pharmacie avec Compeed.
I had to site a 5+ star boutique right off the Champs Élysées on Wednesday, where they insisted we enjoy the 1-star Michelin restaurant, of 3-star Michelin chef: Michel Troisgros. Aunt Jeanne was complaining that ‘I made her do this’, ‘why did I make her eat all this’. It was a lot, and took forever. (poor us, right!?) Our several courses, were all good (I had one exception) until the last dessert. It was so terrible we were almost gagging and seriously could not stop hysterically laughing for five minutes. Valentino, the hotel’s GM had just left our table, thank god, before we took our bites. We left a very generous tip for a fully comped €300 lunch and got the hell out of there. 😀
Thanksgiving dinner was at Les Bouquinistes, a Guy Savoy restaurant that we really enjoyed. No poop consistency soufflé to report. We head to Brussels tomorrow on the Thalys, which will be very interesting even though everyone I know warns how dull it is. We’ll stay in the infamous Hotel Amigo by the brilliant Rocco Forte and I will really love that. We will search for chocolates and some action while I (hopefully) drink my beloved Duvel. We are both looking forward to this experience.
I went for a run around les jardins Tuilleries, and realized I have the same feelings inside about Paris as I did New York. If you remember my notes from France a few years ago, this trip, for me, has just been a further reassurance I think I will live here one day. I’ve been saving up all our €2 pieces for the lotto. So all week we’ve been walking around with our ‘lotto money’. I’m not really a lotto person. Might buy once a year if I have a weird lucky feeling about me and a good horoscope. Regardless, the Paris lotto we will find. And more Compeed.
Happy T peeps. Je t’aime!!!
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arc de Triomphe
