I am very excited to report that my niece, Jade, came to Paris this summer. On a whirlwind tour of Berlin, Paris and London, she traveled with a group of art students from her high school. I am amazed at how much ground they covered in three days. She visited Versailles, Giverny, the Tour Eiffel, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Tuileries garden, the Palais Garnier and Notre Dame!
She and her friends saw the sights on foot, by métro and motorcoach with their art teacher and a private guide. In addition to all of this, she spent half a day with me. I was thrilled to see her and show her the parts of the city that I love so much.
We met in the courtyard of the Louvre and headed directly to the Jardin du Luxembourg. Or, I should say, we headed directly to Dalloyau (at the northeast end of the garden) for an assortment of macarons – everyone who comes to Paris should experience macarons! We tried a few flavors, including Champagne and chocolate.
From there, we toured the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Latin Quarter as we made our way to Les Deux Magots for a much needed break and an apératif. As I suspected, Jade had never had a Kir, which is white wine with a dash of crème de cassis. I had my first Kir in Paris and I wanted Jade to do the same.
Like so many tourists, we sat at the café, soaked up the atmosphere and talked about how much we love Paris.
For dinner, we chose another historic spot in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. Founded in 1686, Le Procope is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris. There, we enjoyed an absolutely delicious three-course meal. During dinner, Jade we discussed her experiences in Berlin, her French heritage and when she may have an opportunity to return to Paris.
I was hoping to end the day with an evening boat cruise down the Seine. At night the monuments along the river are beautifully illuminated. Unfortunately, Jade was very tired and she needed to return to the hotel before curfew.
At six o’clock the following morning, she and her friends were off to London for the final leg of their tour.
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