paris walk no. 4 – the last day

August 8th, 2010

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I DON’T WANT TO POST THIS POST!!! It means the trip to Paris will really be over, all like a dream!

My last 2 trips out of the country prior to this were in 2003 to London and 2004 to Tokyo – all very fast, very intense trips for work. This trip to Paris has made me realize how much I MUST travel. I’m a Sagittarius, for cod’s sake, I need to figure it out. There’s never enough time or money, but – it needs to be a priority in my life plan.

For the honeymoon we’ll be flying out of the East Coast, so prices are drastically less (2/3rds the cost of the flight to Paris for just me will cover both of us to Ireland!) & once we move home to Vermont, I think travel to Europe will seem less impossible.

Mathyld and I started my last day with breakfast at Ladurée, of course! There was no line, magically, so we decided to sit and eat there. Everyone talks about the macarons (sorry ladies, Miette wins World Macaron Championships) but there are so, so many more treats to enjoy.

treatsladureeme_morningMorning face and wet hair! There was a strange couple next to us pretending to be American, as if they were rehearshing a play. Or perhaps just batshit insane.

violetI love love love violet and rose flavored things. My coworkers think I am gross and often accuse me of feeding them ‘grandma soap.’ They know nothing. This religieuse was !*^&*^!!!

We walked up the Champs-Elysées to the Petit Palais after breakfast. I’d already seen the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the DeYoung, so we ducked past the line (and the very rude man at the front) & went right to the Mucha.

muchaThe brooch my tattoo is based on is here, and I almost fell over, seeing it in real life. Ohhhh, how my greedy goblin fingers itched to break the glass in this case.

earrringsThe security guard who was watching us freak out over the beauties seemed a bit flirtatious, and told us he’d seen us on the metro earlier that day! Maybe we could have snuck some jewels past him, after all…

drownPaul Albert Steck.

ladyWe were hoping she’d hop off her pedestal and walk around Paris with us.

scales2Dragon windows!

palaisAfterward, we sat in the gorgeous courtyard and ate some of the macarons we’d gotten to go at Ladurée. Rose is my favorite, but shockingly, I love the black licorice & I usually hate licorice!!! I think my grandma’s spirit was secretly traveling with me & decided she had a hankering for licorice.

macarons

garlandstripespalais2Meanwhile, they’re setting up the Chanel fall show across the street at the Grand Palais! Mad jealousy!

toureiffelLa Tour Eiffel, over Pont du Alexandre III.

We tried to go to the Musée d’Orsay – but the lines were unbearable. Luckily, the DeYoung (I’m wasting my membership never going!! Who wants a museum day!?) is doing a Musée d’Orsay exhibition right now. CHEATING.

asteri2I really wanted to find my mama something at Astier De Villatte, but they were out of lily of the valley patterns and everything was vastly vastly expensive. I do love the white glaze over dark clay so, so much. Are there any local ceramicists doing this?

astierThe shop was worth visiting though – ship chandeliers, handmade wallpaper.

wallapepershipWe walked around St Honore, peeked into the 1st Chanel storefront, sighed and cried over windows filled with the most glorious, gleaming, stunning antique jewels. Pretty, but a bit torturous!

ferrisLa Grande Roue!

green

This green color is all over Paris and so inspiring. I want to paint my entire world verdigris & gold.

After much zig-zagging in the city center, we went to the Marais and back to the Musée Carnavalet, I spent the rest of the day wandering alone and absorbing Paris before meeting Mathyld back home for a canal tea & tarot session. The sun set at 11pm as a punk marching band was playing over the canal. Perfection! (The Map!)