For our last full day in Paris, our last tour concept “Restaurants in Hotels” we would be visiting the Park Hyatt Paris, one of the gems of Hyatt International and lunch in Cafe Jeanne, one of the hotel’s casual restaurants.
We were lucky in that we got up later this morning than the other mornings because the morning was going to start with a walking tour of the Paris Opera House. I was not exactly thrilled by this and held off buying my ticket before I got there. There was no problem buying a ticket as they were sold at the box office it’s just that Galeries Lafayette was one block in the distance and I really wanted to see the store. I am glad that I went against this judgement because the self-guided tour was so outstanding. The building is truly beautiful.
The entrance to the Paris Opera House-Palais Garnier at Place de l’Opera
I can not describe the splendor of this building and the beauty of each detail of each room. This was a building that was meant to last the ages and meant to impress the people who attended the performances. Between the statuary, the gilding and the paintings on the walls and ceilings, the people who attended these performances were in a space that was meant to impress.
The entrance of the Opera House
The staircase at the entrance
The staircase at the Opera House
The opera was constructed in what Charles Garnier is said to have told the Empress Eugenie was “Napoleon III” style. The Napoleon III style was highly eclectic, and borrowed from many historical sources; the opera house included elements from the Baroque, the classicism of Palladio and Renaissance architecture blended together. These were combined with axial symmetry and modern techniques and materials, including the use of an iron framework, which had been pioneered in other Napoleon III buildings (Wiki).
The balcony
The ceiling at the entrance
The stairs and the ceiling
The self guided tour progressed to the second floor of the Opera House and the crowds kept growing. This is a very popular site to visit and I suggest getting there first thing in the morning for good picture taking.
The young woman modeling on the steps that morning
The second floor hallway
The second floor hallway
The second floor hallway
The details of the building continued on the second floor as I walked the hallways and the private rooms. There was even a small museum on the second floor with pictures, scripts, paintings of the stars and conductors who performed here and costumes. In the upstairs hallway, there was a display of the costumes of the ballet “Swan Lake”.
The “Swan Lake” costumes
A costume from the ballet “Swan Lake”
The museum was really interesting and had lots of information on the building and the shows performed here.
The museum
The second floor chandelier
The second floor hallway
The second floor ceiling
The second floor hallway
Performers and conductors got their praise here
The last part of the guided tour was the orchestra and stage area which was closed off as they were setting up for a performance. We were able to look in from the sides to see the grandeur of the seating area.
The seating area
The ceiling of the orchestra seating area
Exiting the Opera House
Exiting the Opera House
When I left the building, these two faces stared at me as I left. The symbols that I see in many theaters. There was a wonderful gift shop at the end of the tour and it is worth visiting when you finish the tour. We all met outside on the beautiful sunny, warm Spring day. As soon as we collected everyone from our group, it was off to the site inspection tour of the Hyatt Park Regency Paris and lunch at Cafe Jeanne, the casual restaurant in the lobby. It was would be an eye opening experience for me being a former Hyatt executive. Let me put it this way, the Hyatt Regency Monterey looked nothing like this hotel.
We got such a warm welcome from Guest Services Manager , Chloe, who was our tour guide for the hotel. It was such an excellent and through tour of the Park Hyatt Paris that I felt like I was a member of the team. She was so welcoming to our Graduate Class and was so upbeat I was impressed from the start. What was interesting about the tour is Chloe told us that since it is an American hotel, everything must be done in English including emails. Everyone on the staff was Biligual and that the hotel was very popular with American tourists.
We started with a tour of the public rooms, hallways and the kitchen. Then we toured the restaurants, learned about the menus and had a wonderful talk with the chef. We toured both the restaurants that were open for the day and closed for lunch service.
The Lobby of the Park Hyatt Paris
The Lobby
The first part of the tour after touring the lobby and it’s beautiful furnishings, then we toured the open kitchen and the back of the house rooms for Banquets, the Employee cafeteria and back rooms.
The open kitchen with everyone getting ready for service
I got to stop and talk with the chef, who could not have been nicer and was fluent in both French and English. I found him to be a very nice guy in the short amount of time we got to talk.
We got to tour the first of the restaurants. Pur’, that was closed for lunch. The staff in the kitchen was preparing for the meals and preparing lunch service for the other outlets. The kitchen was as clean as a whistle and that shows the sign of people who care.
The restaurant was gorgeous and so beautifully decorated. It looked nothing like the restaurant we had at the Hyatt Regency Monterey except I have to admit our views of the golf course were spectacular. The eye and the attention to detail were top notch.
Then we were off to the explore the rooms. This is where the hotel truly shines. The rooms were so beautifully decorated and elegant but contemporary in their feel. This was five star without feeling fussy or over-done. Chloe impressed us with the Imperial Suite, the Hyatt’s take on the Presidential Suite. It was a large suite with several rooms including a massive bathroom, office space, large bedroom and dressing room and a connection to another room if needed. I would not have minded staying here.
The Imperial Suite Living Room
The Living Room in the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The office in the Imperial Suite
Us touring the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The view from the Imperial Suite
After a tour of a smaller room, which was just as impressive but on a less grander scale, we headed back down to the lobby for a tour and lunch at Cafe Jeanne. That was very impressive. The Food & Beverage Manager came out to great us along with the Restaurant Manager. One thing I noticed about the management team at the Hyatt, they were all young under 30 years old and very good looking and well groomed. Not that we weren’t but we were an older staff at our hotel in the States.
Cafe Jeanne was located in the lobby of the hotel and had a very contemporary but casual feel to it. The two restaurants located here were both Cafe Jeanne and the
The food at Cafe Jeanne was excellent. It was plain bistro food that you would get at cafes in Paris but one notch up. The service was flawless and I could not believe the amount of staff they had running the place. When I ran the restaurant at my Hyatt, it was myself, two waiters, two cooks and a part time host. The server to guest ratio here was double that.
The artwork in Cafe Jeanne
At first they gave us a Prix Fixe with a lot of options that did not like but I think after meeting all of us, the chef let us order off the regular menu. That was something that I appreciated and enjoyed (Please see my review on TripAdvisor).
The menu at Cafe Jeanne
The menu at Cafe Jeanne. It was nice when they let us order off the full menu.
The meal was wonderful and so nicely prepared and served. I ordered a Croque Monsieur with a side of frites and a Coke. Everything about that sandwich was top notch.
The start of my meal
The freshly baked bread was amazing
The Croque Monsieur and frites for lunch
The Croque Monsieur according to the Food & Beverage Manager was based on the ones the chef was served as a child. It was spectacular.
Even the French Fries were perfectly prepared and served with elegance
What was nice was that both the Restaurant Manager and the Food & Beverage Manager stopped by to check on us and welcome us. I have to say that the staff here could not have been more friendly and welcoming to us. Lunch was excellent and we really had a nice time.
After lunch was over, we toured the rest of the hotel’s public areas and then said goodbye to Chloe and thanked her for a wonderful afternoon and tour. It is such a beautiful hotel and I can see why Hyatt takes such pride in it.
The hallway when we exited the hotel
The lobby of the Park Hyatt Vendrome
The detail of their public bathrooms right by Cafe Jeanne
The statue by the entrance of the Park Hyatt Paris
Our group shot with Guest Manager, Chloe of the Park Hyatt Paris
After the tour and that wonderful lunch, we continued to tour around the neighborhood. While we were touring our professor stopped at the Ritz Hotel Paris to see if we could confirm a tour of the hotel. Claudia, the Guest Relations Manager, another beautiful young French woman, came to greet us and take us on a tour of the Ritz Paris. Talk about contrasts in luxury. The Ritz is true old world luxury at its best.
We were only able to take a limited tour because they had a major wedding going on but Claudia took the time to take us through the restaurant outlets, the pubic areas and the shopping area called the “Hallway of Temptation”. The stores were amazing.
The Ritz Lobby and Terrace Restaurant
The lobby was old world luxury at its best. All the beautiful stonework and antiques in the lobby had an old world charm to it. This was the hotel many hotels after the Civil War emulated in major cities across the United States.
The “Champagne Tea” at the Ritz Hotel
We passed many of the Ritz’s restaurants but they were full and I did not want to look like the tacky tourist taking so many pictures so I took them of the ones that were not so crowded. It was tough as it was during the late lunch hour.
Here Claudia explained that at the Ritz, tea is not the emphasis but Champagne with the desserts is most popular. Here we see the champagne on ice in the front with the luscious pastries on the table. I would have liked to try that.
The Zodiac Bar at the Ritz Hotel Paris
The Zodiac Bar was at the end of the hall and was closed for the afternoon but we still got to glimpse of the beauty of the room. We did get to see the bar where Hemingway spent his time when he was at the Ritz but it was closed and Claudia asked us not to take pictures and we respected that. It is a tiny bar off the hallway and I did not think was as impressive as the other outlets in the hotel.
Our last stop before we left the Ritz Hotel was for Madeline’s at the Ritz Bakery. I did not know the hotel had this bakery but looking at the selection and the prices (which was three Euros per Madeline, I was not leaving without having one. I had three. One dipped in Chocolate, one filled with Lemon and another was a Caramel Cinnamon. I think that lasted one block before I ate all three of them.
Do not miss the delicious pastries and madelines here. They are well worth the money spent and are a real treat.
After we said goodbye to Claudia and thanked her for the wonderful visit, it was off to NYU Paris to present our project presentations. I had worked until 2:00am in the morning to get my powerpoint done correctly, get all my pictures and reviews downloaded and made my points on my tour of the specialty gourmet shops, bakeries and chocolatiers and then gave it my all. What annoyed me was that my classmates slapped together these lame presentations that looked like they had been done at the last minute and in some cases were and they were pretty bad in my opinion. This what annoyed me about the class, some of my classmates thought this was some type of vacation.
The pride and joy of my presentation: The group shot at the Statue of Liberty in Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Just what I wanted to represent the tour.
We spent the afternoon seeing each other’s Powerpoints and at least Bryan and Juan tried. The rest of them didn’t even put in any effort and Blaine, our film student didn’t even bother. He just showed a picture of the Eiffel Tower and explained his experience. This told me a lot about my classmates. At least I know that I put in the effort.
After we finished our Powerpoints, it was time for one final group shot that we took at the NYU Paris stairs. That was the last official shot we took as a class.
Our last official shot at the NYU Paris campus
After we left NYU, it was time for our Farewell dinner and my professor chose La Petite Periguordine at 39 Rue des Ecoles, near the Sorbonne University in the Latin Quarter. This was a typical French Bistro in every sense starting with the waiter who claimed he did not know English that well but talked like he was from Chicago. He had a Midwestern accent when he spoke English.
La Petite Perigourdine at 39 Rue des Ecoles 5th Arrd. was where we had our Farewell Dinner
It was a nice dinner but I did not think it our best. We had hit our budget so the choices on the menu that we had were limited. I had the Roast Chicken, which ended up being a leg and thigh, not my favorite part of the chicken but it was still good. We started off with a selection of Meat & Cheeses on trays with baskets of bread and for dessert I had the Grand Marnier Souffle. I had not had a souffle in so long and it was delicious.
Us waiting outside the restaurant for our table
The meal went by very nicely and we had a lot of laughs about the week. It had gone by so fast. I was leaving for Prague the next day so I was gone but most people were staying the extra day and they had planned a picnic for the next night on the green on campus. Some students were leaving to go to other countries and four of us were moving on to Prague for the next class.
My meal that evening:
The Meat & Pate Trays
The wonderrful bread we were spoiled with on our trip
The Roast Chicken was good but not great
The souffle was the best
After dinner was over (the waiter tried to push us along because he had another group coming in (and my professor told him we would leave when we were ready) and after my professor gave his farewell speech to us we left to explore the Latin Quarter for a bit before going back to the dorms. It was the end of a really great week experience in Paris. I guess I had been nervous for nothing.
Exploring the Latin Quarter after dinner
My class in Paris had been a real eye opener about culture, food, people, language and having an understanding on how people outside the United States live and their approach to life. It is a slower, more appreciative look at life that the French have about everyday experiences and they way they handle day to day living. I am not saying that everyone in Paris lives the same way but there is a behavior and routine that works for them.
I learned a lot about French living and I could handle it for a while. It was a great week!
What was nice about Paris was getting out of it for the day. The day after my presentation was over and I breathed a sigh of relief when my assignment was done was a trip out to Champagne country when my professor arranged a trip to the City of Reims to tour the Mumms winery. I could not wait for that. I wanted to get out of the hussle and bussle of Paris and it would be interesting to see how Champagne was made.
The weather cooperated the entire time we were in Paris (as it would in Prague too) and it was a bright, sunny and warm morning when we took the Metro to the Paris Train Station out to suburbs of Paris. The rail station Gare de l’Est is one of the oldest train stations in Paris and one of its busiest.
The Paris Rail Station, Gare de l’Est, that would take us to Reim, France for the Champagne tour.
The beautiful detail work at the Gare de l’Est built in 1849
Getting into Reims was not difficult as the professor had bought the tickets for us and we got to the station early so that we could tour the city and have lunch there after the tour of the winery was over. I would find that public transportation all over Europe was so much better than it was in the United States where we are so dependent on cars.
It was in the train station that I experienced my first (and only) French McDonalds and that was an experience ordering. First you had to use the touch machine which I hate.
No one spoke any English so I was not sure when the order was done and you only had options with coffee and nothing else. The food was a little different. They did not toast the Bacon, Egg and Cheese on the English Muffin, which made it dry and the bacon in France is different from American bacon. Also, it came with two pancakes that were wrapped in paper and came with a stick of American syrup. You ordered it by the ‘formula’ which meant you got a package of four items, the sandwich, pancakes, juice and coffee for one price. It was a cheaper way of doing it and you got a nice breakfast. We ate on the run because the train came quickly.
The ride out to the winery was really nice and it was fun to see the countryside roll by. Now I know why going to Reims is so popular for the weekend crowd. It is the perfect place to get out of Paris for a nice weekend away. It really did not take that long to get to Reims. When we arrived, it was a short trip to the downtown to start the first parts of the tour of the city.
The city is so compact that it is easy to walk from the train station to the downtown. We walked to the city square and our first stop was the Reims Tourism Office. The ladies had not prepared for a visit but did a very nice job promoting Reims and telling us about the city. I could hear the pride on their voices as they explained the sites to see in the city all within walking distance. The office was also very nice too stocked with all the latest information and all sorts of maps to get around the city.
Our first stop on the walking tour was the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims, a church that has been part of the community since the 1200’s. This beautiful church has had the community built around it and sits in a proud spot in the downtown.
Cathedral de Notre Dame de Reims at Place du Cardinal Luçon
The construction of the church predates the 1200’s but you could see that it has been added to and altered over the years but it never affected it beauty. I was in awe of the church, almost wondering why this beautiful building was in the middle of a modern neighborhood. It took a couple of minutes to realize how the town grew around it.
Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims sits proudly in the middle of the modern downtown
The inside of the church is breathtaking with its stained glass windows, gothic architecture and extensive statuary. I am in awe of the people who must have worshipped here over the last several centuries. It must have had a different meaning to all of them.
The beautiful stained glass windows of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims
The beautiful detail work of the stained glass windows
The inside of the church is just as impressive as the outside of the church. You can see the importance of detail that this architects and builders used to impress both the clergy and the people. Religion played such a different role in people’s lives back then and these buildings were meant to make a statement about God.
The inside of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims
Our group shot at the church
After the church tour, it was time to visit the hotel for a site inspection at the La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa at 18 Rue Tronsson Ducoudray. The hotel had been the original fire station for the town and its reflected that theme. The hotel was very popular with the weekend crowd and had quite the hipster reputation with innovative restaurants and bars. The Sales Manager it is a very popular hotel with Americans visiting the area since it is part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott.
La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa at 18 Rue Tronsson Ducoudray
After our site inspection of the hotel, we walked through town on our way to lunch. The ladies running the tour today had the theme of “Sustainable Culinary Tourism” and “Farm to Table” restaurants. They picked a wonderful restaurant for lunch, Les Cocottes du cul de poule.
Les Cocottes du Le Poule at 70 Rue du Cernay in Reims
Les Cocottes du cul de poule is a tiny bistro on a side street that you would miss if you were on a tour. It is located on a quiet street in Reims not far from the winery but to foodies I would later find out online is an extremely well known restaurant.
The signage and menus at Cul de Poule (which loosely translates to “From the mixing bowl to the dish)
The food and the service was very good. All of the staff including the chef whom we would meet later on that afternoon, mostly spoke French so the one waitress who spoke fluent English got to work with us and she was wonderful. She had such a nice personality and put a group of non-French speakers at ease ( at this point of the trip I was surprised that many of my classmates were not even attempting to know a little French).
The wonderful baked breads from Garance for Cul de Poule
The meal was excellent and so nicely displayed. We had a choice on the Prix Fixe menu and because we had to pay cash for our meal, I chose the Entree and Dessert menu at $23.00 Euros which was more than enough considering the amount of bread that we were eating at the table. I had the Poached Chicken with Spring Vegetables in a light sauce and then for dessert the Raspberry Tart. The food and the service were flawless and so relaxing. It was so nice to just sit back and enjoy a meal without rushing around.
The Poached Chicken with Spring Vegetables
Poached Chicken is not everyone’s favorite as I could see some my classmates did not like it. It had a very light flavor to it and the vegetables tasted like they had just been picked. For dessert, I had the Raspberry Tart special and talk about delicious. The tart was a sweet cookie base with a raspberry puree for the middle and topped with fresh raspberries and a scoop of homemade raspberry gelato. I thought the dessert was the perfect way to end the meal. It was very light and intense flavors from the gelato. The meal and the service that afternoon were wonderful.
The Raspberry Tart for dessert
After the meal service was over, I saw a man who I assumed was the chef come visit people at the table. Service at these restaurants ends at 2:00pm and does not reopen until 6:00pm so they have time in the afternoon to talk. He was having a glass of wine with his friends and relaxing when we asked to take a picture with him. He was amused but pleased that we enjoyed the meal so much. What a delightful afternoon.
Our group shot with the Chef
After lunch, we visited the Maison Mumms Champagne Winery tour. I was not sure what to expect from the tour but after an hourI found that it was a detailed and very intense tour of the winery down to each detail of how the grapes are grown and harvested to how it is packaged, sold and then marketed. The tour left no detail out of the business.
Our tour of the winery was done by our tour guide, Katie, who was excellent on explaining the process of how the wine was produced. She went through all the steps on how it is grown, the terrain of the grapes, the picking and pressing and then storage of the grape juice. Then we saw the fermenting rooms, where the bottles are riddled and stored.
Katie starting the tour with us on the terrain where the grapes are grown.
Then they went over the packaging, labeling and marketing of the champagne. It was an hour long tour that you will not be bored on. You can see the care in producing this champagne and making sure that the quality is perfect.
Katie explaining bottling procedures to us in the Bottling Room
Katie in the old Barrel Room when the wine was still being held in barrels
The oak barreling system has not been used for almost 100 years
Us touring the Barrel Room
Then we toured the cement barrel room before they went to steel barrels.
This barreling process was used until the stainless steel barrels came into use.
A tour through the Bottling Room
The God of Wine in the Bottling Room
A tour through the Bottling Room Museum
The history of the company was described in the Mumm Museum, which is the last part of the tour.
The Museum’s Rare Wine Bottles
Some of these bottles in the museum collection were over a hundred years old.
The Wine Bottling in space
Katie told us they were working on a new bottling concept that could be used at the Space Station and for future space travel.
The Showroom
The tour was really informative and was a real treat for those of us who studied the wine industry. We really had an excellent tour of the winery. We just relaxed outside in the sunshine after the tour was over and talked.
After the tour was over, we tried to see this famous little church but none of us had any interesting in paying to get in or seeing it after the tour of the Cathedral Notre Dame or after the extensive wine tour so we skipped it.
The Foujita Chapel at 33 Rue du Champ de Mars in Reims that no one wanted to tour
As we walked back to the train station, we had enough time to for a snack so we stopped at this cafe, Le Marche for Meat & Cheese trays and light soft drinks. It was the perfect way to end the trip to Reims.
We just sat back eating meats, cheeses and pates and reflected on the trip out to the wine country. I can see the reason why people from Paris come out here for relaxation. We got on the next train to Paris and then we all relaxed when we got back. We had another day of traveling around the right bank the next morning.
Me leading the Culinary Retail tour with a group shot in front of Lady Liberty in Le Jardin de Luxembourg Park on May 24th, 2023
Well today I lead my tour on the ‘Gourmet Retail Shops and Stores’ in the Saint Germain section of Paris on the Left Bank of the city. This is one of the best and unique shopping areas in Paris with all sorts of quaint and quirky independently owned and operated shops with some of the most innovative concepts that I have seen in a while. I really had to do my homework and learn this neighborhood online as best as I could considering that I had never been to Paris before. It took a lot of time to research these stores and see when they were open. I prayed to God every night that we would have perfect weather for the walking tour and my prayers were answered. It was a gorgeous clear and sunny day and the temperature hovered around 67 degrees. What a day to walk!
We started our day at the Cafe Cercle Luxembourg at 1 Rue Gay Lussac right on the northern section of the Le Jardin de Luxembourg and it had a beautiful view on the park. I had planned something else but was pleasantly surprised by the food and the service. When I asked my professor later on why he chose this place was because “the door was open and we walked inside.” It’s an interesting way to choose a restaurant.
The waiter was not prepared for twelve people to enter the dining room at once considering there was only three small tables in the restaurant but like all the French waiters I met on this trip handled it like a pro. They had an “English Formula” breakfast that consisted of Orange Juice, a Croissant, a Hot Beverage (I chose Hot Chocolate) and two fried eggs with ham. Even though the croissant were slightly better the day before, the breakfast was wonderful and it was a great way to start the tour. The waiter started to kid around with some of the women at the table and it was said by more than one person commented that they liked them speaking English with a French accent.
The inside of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg that morning
the entrance of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg
The start to the perfect “English Breakfast”
The Ham and Eggs were so good that morning
There is nothing like a great breakfast to start the day
After breakfast was over, we walked a few blocks and visited the Pantheon which was right around the corner from the restaurant. This was perfect because most of the stores did not open until 10:30am and it would give us a chance to see more of the city. The Pantheon is located in the center of the “Latin Quarter” of Paris atop the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve in the center of the Place du Pantheon (Wiki/Tour guide).
The Pantheon has originally had been built as a church between 1758 and 1790 and was designed by architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot for King Louis XV of France. The king has hoped to dedicate the church to Saint Genevieve. With the outbreak of the French Revolution, the king did not live long enough to see its completion and over the years it had many uses. It is now used as a mausoleum and religious services. It is also a major tourist attraction (Wiki).
Entering the Pantheon
I was impressed by the architecture and by the statuary all over the building. This was a church that was meant to last the centuries which it has. I wonder if Louis XV ever realized what it’s future would be almost three hundred years in the future. In each of the corners, there are amazing details to the building. Since we had plenty of time, I just walked the entire building and enjoyed it.
The inside of the Pantheon
After we left the building, our professor explained the significance of the building in film as the steps were used in the film “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen when Owen Wilson kept being picked up by the carriage. I had not even thought of that.
The ‘Midnight in Paris’ steps at the Pantheon
Then around the corner was the small park and restaurant used in the TV show “Emily in Paris”. I would not have known that since I have never seen the show. What I love about Paris so much is the small parks tucked into neighborhoods and the tiny restaurants and shops that dot them.
You see this only in certain sections of New York City and like Paris, mostly the older sections. It was such a beautiful little park. Right across from the park where the restaurant is located where her chef boyfriend worked. It really is a great little neighborhood.
“Emily in Paris” Park: Place de L’Estrapade
“Emily in Paris” Restaurant: Ristorante Terra Nera
The “Emily in Paris” trailer-you will see these sites
It was then off to La Jardin du Luxembourg to start my “Culinary Gourmet Stops and Store” with my class. I was really nervous. I knew what I wanted to do and the stores and restaurants that I wanted to visit but my professor wanted me to change the tour and flip it so that we started the tour at the gardens and ended at Bon Marche Department Store instead of starting with Breakfast at Bon Marché’s Gourmet Department. I was scared because I had planned and rehearsed the locations that other day (we would get lost twice).
The entrance to the fountains at Le Jardin du Luxembourg
We started the walk in Le Jardin du Luxembourg, which to has to be the most beautiful park in Paris. It is a place that I would want to meet Audrey Hepburn for a stroll. It had been a former estate and palace that was now one of the most beautiful parks in central Paris.
Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence, were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612. The gardens, which cover 25 hectares of land, are split into French gardens and English gardens. Between the two, lies a geometric forest and a large pond (Paris Tourism Office).
I can not tell you how in awe at the beauty I was of this park. It was more gorgeous than the pictures I had seen online. The fountains and the statuary and then of course the beautiful palace that was in the middle of the park. This blew Central Park away in a heartbeat and I still consider it one of the most wonderful parks in the world.
The beauty of the park was seen that morning by the palace in the park
The park had such amazing places to take pictures
The park is where I had originally wanted to end the tour with a picnic lunch from two of the cafes I had researched online. This was now the starting point after the wonderful breakfast and the tour of the Pantheon and the “Emily in Paris” sites. It is great when things work out in the end because it left us plenty of time to relax in the park and take our time taking pictures. Everyone in my class was floored by the beauty of the park as well as I was that morning. The pictures online do not do the park justice.
Our starting point in the park that morning was the Statue of Liberty located at the west side of the park. This statue I found out later on in my research is a copy of the original that has since been moved to a museum because of its age and maintenance but the statue has stood in the park since the original was created back in the late 1800’s.
The copy of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”
This version of the statue was created for the Exposition Universelle of 1900 by sculptor Frederic Bartholdi of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”-The Statue of Liberty. It was cast in 1889 and he then donated it to the Musee du Luxembourg. In 1906, the statue was placed outside the museum in the La Jardin du Luxembourg where it stood until 2011. In 2012, it was moved to the entrance hall of the Musee d’Orsay after it’s conservation and the statue we saw is a replica (Wiki).
This is where I wanted our group shot to be but we ended up having it at the beginning of the tour. With everyone in awe of the park and the beautiful weather on my side, I knew it would be a successful tour. I only got us lost twice (my Google Maps went down when my Internet service gave) but isn’t that the fun of a city like Paris? To get lost and see other wonderful things? It worked to my advantage as we were able to spend a bit more time at some stores and pass by others that had not been on the list. I learned a lot from the experience.
Our group shot at the Statue of Liberty in La Jardin du Luxembourg
After we left the park and all our picture taking, we started the door. The first time I took the wrong direction is when we left the park. They were landscaping the exit that I had planned right next to the statue and we had to go out of the southern entrance of the park. This is when we got lost for the first time. Google Maps was working fine and I got us on track immediately. We started the tour on the Rue de Fleurus with stops at Cafe Fleurus and Bread & Roses, two wonderful bakery/cafes right next to the park and two wonderful places to go to lunch.
Because it was so early, Cafe Fleurus was just opening up for a late breakfast/early lunch and we were able to take a peek inside this wonderful little cafe. This was one of the two places that I had suggested for lunch that afternoon for a picnic in the park. The food was highly rated on both TripAdvisor and Google and their pictures online were just amazing. The food looked so good and it was a small but very nice looking restaurant.
The Cafe was just getting really busy with people coming in for a late breakfast when we passed by so it was tough to get inside
The second bakery/cafe we stopped by that morning and my second suggestion for lunch for the original tour was Bread & Roses Cafe, another wonderful cafe just down the block from Cafe Fleurus. This delightful cafe was small also and is more for take out. This was another wonderful choice that had been recommended for planning a picnic in the park. I could see why with all the wonderful choices and the mouth watering pastries on display. There was a lot to choose from.
Bread & Roses Cafe at 7 Rue de Fleurus was also opening up for the day but their bakery section is opened early for takeout. Don’t miss their delicious pastries.
I led a quick tour inside the bakery section of the restaurant where the pastries were on full display. I was going to have the group stop but the bakery was getting really busy and I did not want to bug the staff with the lines that were there. Still it is place that I want to revisit again on my next trip to Paris.
The selection at Bread & Roses Cafe and the lines of people buying their delicious food
The selection at Bread & Roses. I was able to sneak a picture in of their savories in between the crowds.
The delicious bakery products were flying out of the store that morning they were so busy.
Even though we had just eaten breakfast and was still stuffed, I wanted to buy a few things here but I figured I would get back at another time. I will have to wait until that next trip to Paris to sample the delicious treats here. The sandwiches looked wonderful and their selection of beverages would have made the perfect lunch in the park.
We went on to our next and most popular location, Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, a excellent bakery at the corner of an intersection of Rue de Rennes and the Rue Notre Dame des Champs right off the Rue de Fleurs. It was a major intersection of many roads and the subway stop and came highly recommended on Google, TripAdvisor and the “Les Frenchies” videos as the “Best in Paris” for their croissants. I swear, no one was lying about that.
Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs
When I talked about Bakery Thevenin Saint Placide (there was another branch closer to campus that I ate at the last day in Paris), I explained to everyone that these were voted the best croissant in Paris and that we had to try them. No one seemed to believe me so I said “If anyone wants to try them they are on me.” That got everyone into the store.
The inside of the Bakery Thevenin
I explained to the sales people at the bakery who we were and that we were NYU students on a Culinary Tour. I explained to the three women that I had read that they were the best croissant in Paris. She replied in perfect American English, “They are the best in the whole city. You have to try them.” I proceeded to buy seven of them for everyone who wanted to try them and then all three women started to talk to me in English about the bakery. The croissant (in both locations) were the best that I had when I was in Paris.
The wonderful selection of baked goods at Bakery Thevenin
Everything else in the case looked amazing as well including all the pastries and the sandwiches. One of the women in my group commented she wished we could have had breakfast there. I agreed and said we probably would have loved it. The staff was so excited that we came to visit.
To any doubters, they were the best croissant I ate in Paris!
From here I got us lost for the second time by walking up the Rue de Rennes instead of the Rue Saint Placide and then we had to double back. It is hard to control a crowd of eleven people some of whom are walking so fast ahead that they are missing most of the talk. Even Blaine did not have these problems even with the changes to his program but he did not have as many stops as I did.
We finally turned around and we walked up the Rue Saint Placide to make our next stop, the wonderful little pastry shop L’Etoile du Berger at 56 Rue Saint Placide. Since I had just filled everyone up with croissant at Bakery Thevenin, I just showed everyone the colorful pastries and the merchandising concepts of the pâtissiers’ of Paris. Each one of these unique shops beautifully displayed their products so nicely.
The beautifully displayed desserts at L’Etoile du Berger looked mouthwatering
Our next stop was supposed to be Le Cafe Pierre Herme but we had already had been to the other store the previous day and they were so rude to us, I just skipped it. We had already seen their concept anyway and tried the pastries in the other branch. There was nothing wrong with the pastries but the service. Oh God!
Cafe Pierre Herme Paris at 43 Rue Saint Placide we by passed
I made another wrong turn and we missed La Maison du Mochi, a Asian rice inspired dessert concept but we were beginning to run a bit late and we did not want to double back to the store. Maybe the next time I am in Paris.
La Maison de Mochi at 39 Rue du Cherchi-Midi we missed because we were now on a time budget but their reputation was excellent online.
We continued up the road and stopped next at La Meringaie Cherche-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi and I stopped in to talk to the woman working at the counter. I again spoke in French to her asking her if we could come in and look around.
La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi
She only spoke French and let us come in. A couple of people came in to look around and I bought a bag of merianges to take out of the store so that we could sample them. I knew it would be tough on her to help us. She looked like she appreciated the sale.
The meringues were packaged so beautifully and there was a variety to choose from. I got a bag with raspberry crystals on them and passed them out to everyone. The group seemed to enjoy them. We would finish munching on them on the boat ride later that afternoon.
The beautifully arranged candies and treats on the shelves of La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi
Our next stop at the end of the block was Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, a high end chocolate shop created by famous French chef Alain Ducasse 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi. This is an extremely tiny store and we were only able to go in a few at a time but the store could not have been nicer and more generous to us.
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse at 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi
I explained to the woman who was working the counter that we were a group of students from NYU and I had not even finished the sentence when she said in perfect English, “Please have everyone come in and try a sample of the chocolates.” What a nice invitation from her and everyone in the group stopped inside and she gave each person a sample cube of the chocolate, which was very generous of the store since one piece is so expensive. They have me as a customer now.
The beautiful display of product at Alain Ducasse
The mild chocolate sample that I tasted was smooth tasting and was delicious. Since everyone got a taste and more people walked in the door after us, she got busy with them and I decided to head to the next store. Still I was able to look over their displays and they treat their product like a jewel in a jewelry shop. With such care and refinement.
The wonderful products at the chocolate shop
After everyone left the store very content after the light snack, we walked to the next store Mille & Un to look at their beautiful displays.
My classmate, Blaine in front of Millet & Un at 32 Rue Saint Placide
The wonderful sandwiches and quiches at Mille & Un
The bakery products like the other stores in the area were very impressive and I could see by this point in the morning, my classmates were getting hungry for more than samples and stopped in to get some baked goods. When I walked in, I was really impressed by the selection of baked goods and the way the products were displayed. I had to hurry everyone along as we had to head to the next store. Everyone was walking out with bags of pastries when we visited the next spot.
The delicious baked goods at Mille & Un
Our next store just down the block was Fruttini by MO and had another wonderful visit. This one was rather strange and proved to me that the Parisians like to test you. I stopped in and the talked to the woman behind the counter. I explained to her in my broken French that I was leading a group of students from NYU on a Culinary Walking Tour and could we come into her shop for a visit. She explained that she did not speak much English and I in return explained the same thing but with French and continued to talk in French.
The fun little dessert shop Fruttini by MO at 24 Rue de Saint Placide
I asked people if they wanted to try a dessert on me and that I wanted to treat who ever wanted to try something for a snack. That in turn had the whole conversation in English from then on. She really tested me but she and her partner were the highlight of the visit. One of the owners who pretended to give me a hard time Marie-Laure Pollet and her partner in the business, Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to everyone and joined us for dessert and pictures.
Owner Marie-Laure Pollet talking to our class and taking our orders for dessert
The beautiful display of fruit and ices at Fruttini by MO
We sampled the Passion Fruit ice, the Banana ice and the Strawberry Fruit ice and they were very cleverly scooped out of the fruit, mixed with the ingredients and then put back very carefully in the fruit shell and frozen and then put on display. It was very different from desserts that I had seen before. The quality and the amount of time these ladies put into their product is just amazing. The displays were so unique.
Where the magic happens at Fruttini by MO
Two of my classmates with co-owner Olivia Berdah after having the Banana Ice dessert
My professor and classmate Blaine sampling the delicious desserts
The co-owners Marie-Laure Pollet and Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to us and more generous with their time. They were both the highlight of the tour and I could not have been more appreciate of their kindness.
We had such a great visit with the owners of the store!
The “Les Frenchies” video that the ladies were talking about when I visited on their store
After the great visit and enjoying our wonderful desserts with the owners of the store, it was time to go to the last two stores. Our next stop up the block was Maison Paries at 9 Rue Saint Placide and I knew at this point, I was starting to lose the class as they were tiring of seeing so many bakery and pastry shops and wanted to head off to their lunches and take a break.
So we made a quick visit of it and looked at the displays of the store. No one was in the front of the store to talk to so we just popped our heads in the store and went to the last store before we got to The Bon Marche.
The selection of candies at the store
The selection of baked goods at Maison Paries
The wonderful chocolates at Maison Paries
We were beginning to run low on time before we got to The Bon Marche for our tour of the Gourmet Department so we had to bypass our last stop, a wonderful little chocolate shop Les Chocolats Yves Thuriès at 3 Rue Saint Placide.
Our last stop on the walking tour and one of my favorites that I had wanted to see for a long time was The Bon Marche, one of France’s leading department stores and home to one of the best gourmet grocery departments in the industry. La Grande Épicerie de Paris is the food hall at Bon Marche and was specially built to house the all the delicious foods and drinks in the department and on the upper floors all the houseware and decorative items of the store to complete your gourmet kitchen.
This is where I ended the tour for the afternoon. The store was crazy with customers as lunch hour in Paris was in full swing and everyone was coming into the store to buy their lunch for takeout.
I just concentrated on the very front of the store and told my group of the history of the store and how the department store built this particular section of the store because the department had outgrown its original department in the main store. We just walked around the entrance and the bakery and part of the grocery department because I had seen that everyone had had enough of the bakeries, dessert places and chocolate shops and wanted to get on with their lunch as well. I told everyone that this was a wonderful place to eat and they were now on their own for an hour before our boat ride. Everyone scattered to do what they wanted. I went into the store to explore the department more and have my lunch. What an amazing store!
The Bon Marche is nothing like its American counterparts, who got rid of the gourmet departments back in the early 1990’s during the recession. Macy’s and Bloomingdales led the way with their departments starting in the early 1970’s when both stores were renovated and Dayton-Hudson and Marshall Fields also once upon a time had wonderful departments as well. All of this ended in the 1990-1995 recession which between the buyout of American Department Stores by Campeau and the money crunch, the stores closed down departments with marginal profits.
At European stores like Bon Marche, it is part of the culture. This is part of the city grocery shopping experience. This department is not all gourmet foods but fancy grocery items that can be used in everyday cooking. It is a place you can shop for the weeks groceries but you would have to spend a bit more plus it is great for the tourist. Once department was more picturesque than the other.
The Bon Marche Petit Cafe where we ended the tour is perfect for coffee
The Bon Marche Prepared Foods Department where I started to look around for lunch options
The Bon Marche Fruit and Vegetable Department is colorful and well-organized
The Bon Marche Meat Department has its own butchers working cutting the meat in front of you
The Bon Marche Grocery Department
The Pasta Department at Bon Marche is extensive
The Deli Department at Bon Marche where you can get sandwiches
The Bakery Department where I eyed lunch
The Bon Marche Bread Department
The other Prepared Foods Department
The Bon Marche Cheese Department
Buying my lunch at La Cuisine was a tough choice
I had seen Anton Dupont eating the Croque Monsieur in the “Les Frenchies” video and I had to have that for lunch. They also warmed it up for me as well.
“Les Frenchies” Best Sandwiches in the winter-My inspiration for the stop
I went to the Bon Marche Bakery Department for dessert
I wanted the St. Honoré dessert but the woman took so long to come over and help that I ran out of time. She insisted that I order it at the Cafe next door and I did not have time for it. Well for the next trip.
The “Les Frenchies” video that I saw when I returned from my Paris trip
After lunch was over, I met the others for the boat ride on the Seine River. I finally decompressed after lunch was over as my tour was finished. I thought that everyone had a nice time and we had a good experience. We walked a lot of neighborhoods and visited a lot of stores and met many great people. We also sampled a lot of good food. I was just surprised that more people did not eat at Bon Marche. Their loss!
We walked around the Saint Germaine section of the city to meet up with everyone else who were eating a small bistro a few blocks away. I could not understand why they would spend that much money on lunch.
We met everyone else at Les Deux Magots who were finishing lunch
After we met everyone else, we walked to the boat ride on the Seine River. I like everyone else was exhausted at this point with getting up every morning and running around. I was coming down from a big high and I was just wiped out.
The Seine River sightseeing cruise down and around the city. We all were ready to fall asleep
Literally we were all blacking out on the cruise. I could see everyone nodding off. I knew I almost fell asleep a few times. If we were all not so nervous about pickpockets, we would have fallen asleep. Either that or had there been chairs, the whole group would have dozed off and missed all the sites we had seen on land. Still, it is an experience to see all of this from the river.
The Seine River is really beautiful
After we got off the cruise, it was time to start the other group’s tour of the Cafes. I have to admit it was not much of a tour. It consisted of them getting a reservation at a restaurant and confirming it. We walked around the Seine River again and passed the Eiffel Tower where we took more pictures.
Me after my tour, lunch and the river cruise. I was less stressed and could enjoy the rest of my trip.
We toured around the Right Bank for the rest of the afternoon and then prepared for dinner which I was not that hungry. We just kept eating. Dinner that night was at a classic French Bistro, Bofinger which was at 7 Rue de la Bastille and had been around since the late 1800’s.
There seemed to be a bit of confusion on the reservation and we ended up having a large table upstairs. Our captain was terrific and spoke great English.
The restaurant starts the meal not with bread but with pretzels that shows it German roots
They had a wonderful Prix Fixe menu and I decided to have the Fish & Chips, which seems to be a big bistro item and I started my meal with Escargots, which I had not had in years and they were excellent. They were loaded with garlic and pesto inside and as the sauce.
The Escargot at Bofinger was excellent
Thank God there was plenty of bread to soak that up. The fish and chips were perfectly cooked and came with a large side of French Fries. For dessert, I had the Floating Islands, which are Meringues in a Vanilla sauce. Some of my counterparts did not get them and didn’t want to eat them. I thought they were good.
The whole meal was wonderful and we had such a good time. The Captain and the back waiters did a good job at our table and the restaurant was not kidding when they said it would fill up. The place was packed by 8:30pm. The Parisians really do eat late in the evening. The restaurant was still going strong when we left at 9:00pm.
I collapsed when we got back to the dorms. It was a long day but a productive one. I could not believe the weather had cooperated so well and we had such a good tour. I was proud of the fact that I led a tour of a city I did not know where I did not know where I was going and it worked out so well. Later when we had the class wrap up at the end of the week, everyone in my class told me how much they enjoyed it and with all the sampling of the items we tried. People were still talking about the desserts at Frutti by MO and the croissants at Bakery Thevenin. I thought they were amazing too.
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