30 Hours in Paris
30 Hours in Paris
The Opportunity
It all started when Anders, my manager of 15 plus years, emailed that he and his wife Jennifer would be in Paris for a couple of days. Not one to miss a stellar opportunity to connect with important people in my life, a plan was hatched for dinner in Paris.
Hall Pass.
Russ opted out – he correctly predicted a lot of shop talk – and my absence opened up poker playing time.
Zoey and Coco didn’t get a vote on me leaving them for a weekend but dad was there to make sure important items on their agenda, like meal time and snacks, continued to be staffed.
Thanks to the fantastic train system in France, I left on a Saturday morning and three and a half hours later arrived in Paris. It was 11 am and I had an action-packed agenda before my dinnertime rendezvous with Anders and Jennifer. First, drop suitcase at my hotel and begin my adventure.
Hôtel Thérèse
Hôtel Thérèse is Russ and my chosen place to stay in Paris. In no small part this is due to the presence of Fanny, who to us is the epitome of gracious service. Fanny has guided our visits in Paris for years with helpful advice and multitudes of calls arranging taxis. And more importantly, she can talk Shih Tzu with us as she has the delightful Nokie in her life.
Le Nemours
After checking in and enjoying a visit with Fanny, I was off to explore. First destination, Le Nemours, Russ and my favorite people watching café located on Place Colette, near the Colonnes de Buren, the black and white columns in in the inner courtyard of the Palais Royal.
Colonnes de Buren
Mission Possible
My mission to Le Nemours was two-fold; eat lunch in a favorite setting and run into Russ and my favorite server. My last couple of trips to the café had come up with a blank on the visit with him, but voila I was in luck.
Russ had given me clear directions to provide our contact information and to get his name. We for years felt for some reason it would be an intrusion to ask but finally decided we needed to get over ourselves.
His name is Xavier. And if you go to Le Nemours and have the honor of being served by him, you’re guaranteed a delightful experience. Not only is he a professional at his job, Xavier is an all-round great guy to know.
His name is Xavier. And if you go to Le Nemours and have the honor of being served by him, you’re guaranteed a delightful experience. Not only is he a professional at his job, Xavier is an all-round great guy to know.
Russ had given me clear directions to provide our contact information and to get his name. We for years felt for some reason it would be an intrusion to ask but finally decided we needed to get over ourselves.
Russ had given me clear directions to provide our contact information and to get his name. We for years felt for some reason it would be an intrusion to ask but finally decided we needed to get over ourselves.
Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
Next up, the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa for the exhibit Azzedine Alaïa et Christian Dior, Deux Maîtres de la Haute Couture. The designer Azzedine Alaïa worked at Dior for a short period of time but was influenced by the work of Christian Dior throughout his career. Alaïa collected Dior gowns and the exhibit displayed works of both designers side by side. Oh La La.
Printemps & Galeries Lafayette
After such viewing such tantalizing creations, what else could one do but head to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette to spy today’s couture. Skipping the high end, I haunted the attainable displays in search of the perfect summer shirt. Alas, not my day for the kill but the hunt was great fun.
And then off to the premier eve
Dinner
And then off to the premier event of the day, dinner at Bofinger with Anders and Jennifer. Jennifer wins the patient spouse award, because not only did she put up with the shop talk, she flat out gave us permission to do so.
One of the first comments I made was “we have to remember to get a picture.” Famous last words. No picture, hence this group photo from the last meet-up of our full team will have to suffice.
Sunday
During our correspondence setting up dinner, Anders mentioned that they would be exploring one of his bucket list items, the Marche aux puces de Saint-Ouen on Sunday. I managed to invite myself to join Anders and Jennifer for the experience.
The Marche aux puces de Saint-Ouen is the quintessential flea market in Paris. It’s humongous. People hire tour guides knowledgeable about the market to target their preferred interests.
We saw everything from comic books to high end antiques with some mid-century modern classics thrown in, including the “George Jetson” display of the living room of the future.
Marche aux puces de Saint-Ouen
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Over in a flash…
It all ended too quickly. I found that I could take or leave the flea market but the day gave me something much more special. Time with two really great people. It reminded me how fortunate I had been to have Anders as my manager for the majority of my time at LexisNexis and gave me the opportunity to know Jennifer on a deeper level.
Great jaunt. Always wonderful to spend time with people who were important to your makeup. Solid memory.
How fun!
Hôtel Thérèse needs an English website!
What a fantastic 30 hours you had! I’m always so glad to see your blogs, because I get a great glimpse of France from here in SC. So great that you got to see Anders – he always finds the most amazing restaurants! Keep blogging- can’t wait for the next one.
Leslie, what a delightful adventure! Thanks again for allowing us a glimpse into your life in France. XOXOX!
Thanks for sharing the details about your journey to Paris. I love that you talked shop with Anders and that his wife gave you both permission to do so.
Rick is back in the statutory group. Maybe now Brian will feel better. He keeps telling me he misses me a lot.
Glad you are doing well,
Linda