We found out that our friends Jess and Koshi would be arriving in Paris on our last night there, so we made plans to meet for dinner and celebrate. We made a reservation at Le 6 Paul Bert, which is the hip and modern sister to the classic French bistro, Paul Bert.
We have been in the tiny town of Vence in the French Riviera for the past few days. It is very “charmant,” as they say here.
We wanted to let you know that while you’ve been reading all of our fascinating and groundbreaking posts on this page, we’ve also been working on a new section of our blog. Wander Gear includes posts about what we brought with us on our trip, links to those items, and our impressions so far. If you are one of the people who has been interested in what we’ve packed for nine months in Europe, this is your page. Posts on Wander Gear won’t typically show up here on the main page, but you can visit that section for updates. So far, you can learn about the clothes Tiara packed and our travel adapter. Also, if you have specific gear questions or requests for posts, leave us a comment. We love comments!
Aside from the mosquitos, our time in Marseille was exactly what we hoped it would be: a beautiful and relaxing retreat to the coast. Some highlights included visiting Notre Dame de la Garde and seeing the views from the top of the hill:
Marseille fireworks were legit (and impossible to capture on film).
As fans of the game, we had to visit Carcassonne on our way to the South of France. It surpassed our expectations. We thought the medieval city would be crowded with tourists, and it sort of was, but there were a lot of quiet places along the perimeter of the city where we could feel like we were all alone in a two-thousand-year-old fortress.
Another day, another museum. We went to the Fondation Louis Vuitton, on the edge of Paris, to check out their modern art exhibit, which included Munch’s Scream as well as some great pieces by Monet, Mondrian, Warhol, and others. The museum just opened last year and was designed by Frank Gehry. It looks pretty awesome:
We met Edwart, an up-and-coming chocolatier, at Le Syndicat. He had brought some treats to share with his friends at the bar, and we got to try his amazing tonka bean caramel and tomato pastilles. We promised to visit his shop before we left Paris and a few days ago we did.
I think our most memorable meals in Paris will be the picnics we’ve been putting together almost nightly. This has been a great way to try amazing French products on a budget and to feel like we are living like locals. I like shopping for picnic items at the covered markets because they have pretty much everything you need in one place (sort of like SF’s Ferry Building). The closest one to us is the Marche Saint-Martin.
We like to stop by the boucherie to get some cured meats (speck is a favorite). Some boucheries also have deli items, like tomato tartare and marinated artichokes.
Today we ventured out to the 1st Arrondissement to visit an often overlooked museum: Musee de L’Orangerie. The Orangerie houses two large oval rooms that display a collection of Monet’s water lilies, and it also contains the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume collection, which is a small and beautiful collection of works by Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Cezanne, and others.
