This is a continuation of our honeymoon recap in Paris. Read part one here.
May 27
On our fourth day in Paris, Dan and I woke up early and took a day trip to Disneyland Paris! We live in Orlando and visit Walt Disney World regularly, so we weren’t sure if Disneyland Paris would be a worthwhile experience for us. However, since this was our longest stay in Paris yet, we figured there was no better time to give it a shot! The journey took a little under an hour by train, making this an easy day trip from the city center.
I have a post dedicated to all things Disneyland Paris in the works, but for now, I’d like to share a few photos and first impressions from our visit. First of all, the resort includes two parks: Disneyland, and Parc Walt Disney Studios.
Disneyland Paris is gorgeous, with candy-colored buildings and tons of greenery everywhere.
I was especially enchanted by the flowering walkways in Adventureland, and the fairy tale world of Fantasyland. I found Disneyland Paris incredibly charming, from its romantic pink castle to rides like Phantom Manor and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Parc Walt Disney Studios, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment. At best, it felt like a lesser version of Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. At worst, it felt like a desperate, half-baked attempt to get visitors to spend more money on a two-park pass. The park was tiny, with very few rides and even less to see. The only thing I did really enjoy was Ratatouille and the surrounding themed area. Since those things are coming to Walt Disney World very soon, I don’t think I would pay to visit Parc Walt Disney Studios again.
Overall, I enjoyed our visit and would love to come back to Disneyland itself, especially now that we have a baby on the way! Read more about our day trip to Disneyland here.
I was sad to leave the park, but eager to get back to Paris and spend our money on a memorable French meal rather than overpriced theme park food. By the time we got back to our hotel, rested up a bit, and went out in search of food, however, most places were closed or about to close! We tried grabbing sandwiches from a nearby market (all sold out), as well as settling for snacks at the hotel bar (also all sold out). After a glass of wine at the bar and a dramatic cry in the hotel room, we swallowed our pride and grabbed burgers and fries to-go from McDonald’s to top off our super-touristy day.
May 28
On Tuesday, we visited the Atelier des Lumières to see Van Gogh: la nuit étoilée, a limited-time exhibition on the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh. This was one of the only things on my must-see list this time around, and it did not disappoint!
While I was primarily interested in the Van Gogh exhibit, Dan and I also enjoyed the other two shows on rotation: Verse, and Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World. We stayed to watch everything twice!
For more photos and details, be sure to check out my full post on the Atelier des Lumières here.
We had a fabulous little lunch at Les Cuivres, one of the restaurants listed in the local guide provided at the Atelier des Lumières. It looked closed from the street, but once inside, we discovered a charming little place with a bohemian farmhouse vibe. Think macrame wall hangings, cushy pillows, and distressed wooden shutters. Dan had a burger, and I had pasta. I don’t know what it is, but every burger we’ve had in Paris has been delicious. Don’t be afraid to order one next time you see it on a French menu!
After lunch, we took a walk in the rain through Père Lachaise, the largest cemetery in Paris. Several famous figures throughout history are buried here—some of the most well-known among visitors are Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Gertrude Stein. We enjoyed looking at the various headstones, sepulchers and statues, and reading the names and dates inscribed on each one.
We spent an hour or so in our hotel’s glorious pool and sauna, then went back out to enjoy the rest of the evening at the Esplanade du Trocadéro. We grabbed wine around the corner and sandwiches near the Eiffel Tower, and settled in to watch the sunset and wait for the Eiffel Tower to sparkle for the first time that evening. It didn’t get dark until nearly ten o’clock!
As we lingered in the gardens afterwards, we received a text from our realtor back home with the first signs of construction on our new home! It was a magical moment for sure, and we felt incredibly giddy as we made our way back to the hotel for the night.
May 29
Our final day in France was easily my favorite of the entire trip. We took a day trip out to Giverny to see the former home and gardens of Claude Monet, which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Paris. I expected to love the gardens, of course, but Giverny as a whole really won me over. Much of the main road is pedestrian-only, and lined with an assortment of laid-back galleries, boutiques, museums and restaurants. While Giverny has clearly capitalized on its proximity to Monet’s home, I never felt like we were in a tacky tourist trap. Everything felt very organic, and Dan and I found ourselves longing to spend more time away from Paris on future visits. We loved being able to just wander around and take things as they came.
We visited Monet’s home and gardens first, which were beautiful. There are three primary areas to visit here. First is the home itself, where you can tour reproductions of Monet’s kitchen, studio, bedrooms, and more. The second area is the Clos Normand, the garden in front of the home. There is an especially beautiful view of this section from one of the upper bedroom windows, so be sure to take a peek inside! Last is the water garden, which provided the inspiration for some of Monet’s most well-known paintings. It was a little crowded at points, but Dan and I made a point to just sit down on one of the garden benches and try to imagine what it would be like to wander the gardens alone. I imagine it was very peaceful to sit there alone, listening to the birds and watching the sky move across the water.
After leaving the main attraction, we stopped at a little outdoor cafe for some flan and espresso. There were plenty of cute foodie gifts in the cafe—mustard, truffle goodies, wine, coffee, candies, macarons, you name it! I wanted to buy a little bit of everything, but didn’t want to carry it with me for the rest of the day.
We visited a mechanical museum, which Dan loved, admired the homes and hotels in town, and even got to visit Monet’s grave before heading back to Paris. I am bursting to tell you more about Giverny, and will do so in a dedicated post very soon. If you are thinking about visiting Giverny, do it!
Read more about our day in Giverny here.
Back in the city, we made a quick pit stop at the hotel to drop some things off, then went right back out, determined to make the most of our last night in Paris. I came into the trip with visions of relaxed picnics in the park and drinks along the Seine, so rather than waste hours at a fussy restaurant, we decided to grab sandwiches and wine and spend some time in the Jardin des Tuileries. As we approached at twenty minutes to closing time, however, an employee shooed us away, saying that the gardens were already closed.
No worries! Just around the corner was the Place de la Concorde, with its gold-plated obelisk and grand fountains. We love to toss coins and make wishes in spots like this—Dan even proposed to me at a wishing well!—so we took the time to throw some shiny one cent coins into the fountain before continuing on in search of sandwiches.
In retrospect, I wish we had gone across the river to the left bank, an area I haven’t spent much time exploring. I guess that’s something to look forward to on future trips! Since it was getting late, however, we took another walk up the Champs-Élysées, where we knew at least there would be plenty of food available. More importantly, I could finally buy a few French macarons from Pierre Hermé! I was overwhelmed by the variety of creative flavors on hand, including some that were specific to this location.
We grabbed dinner sandwiches from Pomme de Pain, and took a seat outside to sample a few macarons. Then it was off to the shops! Neither of us are big shoppers, but it was fun to peek into some of the stores and browse for last-minute souvenirs. I wound up buying a few more beauty products. My favorite French brands are so expensive back home in the States, but tend to cost far less in Paris, even after converting the cost from Euros to U.S. dollars.
Finally, we paid another visit to the Arc de Triomphe to see it all lit up for the night. We did not buy tickets to revisit the top of the monument, but probably would have popped up to take a look if we had Paris Museum Passes this time around. The Paris Museum Pass was such a convenient and inexpensive way for us to sightsee on during our 2016 visit, and included unlimited admission to over 60 sites. Check out my review of the Paris Pass here. One last look at the city by night would have been the perfect way to top off our final evening in Paris.
Around midnight, we decided to head back to the hotel and prep for departure. We walked despite our burning feet, happy to admire the city streets a little longer.
The morning of our departure was pretty relaxed. I wanted to get up early and spend a couple of hours checking out the nearby churches and maybe stop at the department stores to buy gifts for friends, but sleep won out and we spent the morning lounging at the hotel. There’s always next time! We were sad to say goodbye to our beautiful hotel, but will certainly be back in the future. After a quick stop for espresso and pastries across the street, we caught the RER A from Auber—the same line we took to Disneyland!—and transferred to the RER B at Châtelet. The metro system in Paris is so convenient. I wish we had something similar here in Florida. We picked up souvenirs for friends at the duty free, grabbed a quick lunch near our departure gate, and we were off! Until next time, Paris!
CLAUDINE says
Une pensée particulière pour vous, en ce jour tant attendu !
Big kisses
Léa et Claudine