Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Holy Merde!  It’s been five days and time is speeding by.  In three days, we head back home.  But let’s make the most of our remaining time here.

Sunny and brisk, we took some back streets to walk to the museum.  Vincent always looks so elegant in his topcoat!

On this day, the sun was shining and the weather was brisk.  Not too cold, but brisk.  A fine day to walk from our hotel to the Musée d’Orsay.  And might I add that this is one of my favorite museums.  The crowds are always quite manageable.  The artwork is curated very pragmatically and the museum isn’t overwhelming.

A view from across the river! 

We had reservations for 11 AM. (Maybe a bit earlier) and even with reservations, waited about 15 minutes to enter.  It’s weird because the first time I came here, 16 years ago, there was no line. We walked right in.  Same up until a few years ago.   Ahhh.  The good old days.

Luckily, our line wasn’t this bad!

Once inside, and it was quite a pleasure to admire the works of great artists, we soaked it all in at a leisurely pace.  I was happy to see works by my one of my favorite artists, Gustave Courbet and discovered that I really really love the paintings by Gustave Caillebotte—I never gave his works much thought until giving them a good look this time around.  Hmmmm—I wonder if it is the first name Gustave that had me?

Ahh. the Gustaves.  Courbet painted himself as saddened after his girlfriend left him.  He was an emotional wreck.

This painting is a bit crooked.  Blame it on my crossed-eyes. Gustave Caillebotte is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists!

My Vincent is a huge fan of Van Gogh and so we headed up to see some of his works.  Truth be told—I find Van Gogh’s paintings to be unsettling.  Not saying that they aren’t great paintings but they make me uncomfortable.

One of the few Van Gogh paintings I don’t find too disturbing.

We stumbled upon a Jorn  Sargent Singer exhibition.  We’ve both seen his work at the National Gallery in D.C. and love his portraits so we decided to enter. Whoa!  We did not last long.  Although the Orsay was not crowded, the crowd was at this exhibit.

Honestly, I wish this exhibit was not crowded because his portraits are wonderful.

One exhibit that we did see and wasn’t crowded at all was the Paul Troubetzkoy exhibit. He was a sculputor and, quite honestly, I had never heard of him but we spend a lot of time admiring his sculptors. I was somesmerized that I took only one photo!

Oops! I took two photos of his sculptures.  I hope this exhibit comes to NYC because I would love to see it again!

The Singer exhibit was wall-to-wall people and we couldn’t get a good look at anything so we headed out and spent time looking at paintings, sculptures, and furniture!

Liberty Enlightening the People is such a special structure. Now, standing in the NY harbor she means nothing anymore.  But here, her scaled-down version gives me hope.

It was crowded for the most part but not unbearable.

Ha ha on me!  I got photobombed trying to take a pic of this art nouveau mirror.  I love this photo!

The art nouveau furniture was beautiful.  I was ready to move in!  Dinner anyone?

It seemed like forever to get a one-second snap of the clock.  Every tourist in France was taking selfies.

Next,  up we walked over to the Serge Gainsbourg Maison and Musee.  The walk was a few blocks but in the same area.  I have waited two years to visit.  Last year, and the year before, we could not get reservations but luckily, this year we did.

I’ve waited years for this and it did not disappoint!

Gainsbourg isn’t for everyone. And I realize that, but as a fan of his music (and of Jane Birkin), I had to see his house and the museum.  Now—the museum is a few doors away and across the street from the Gainsbourg house. And it is a very organized tour.  You first go to the museum and get your wrist stamped.  Then you walk up to the house and stand on a line to gain entrance—and there’s a reason for this. The house isn’t large—it’s warm and cozy and only a certain amount of people are allowed entrance at a time.  As soon as you enter, a guide explains the process.  You receive headsets.  English for me.  French for Vincent.  The walk-through tour of the house is narrated by Gainsbourg’s daughter, Charlotte, the actor.  Her voice is so perfect for the narration because it is filled of love for her dad and her voice is incredibly soothing.   Photos, at the request of the family, are not allowed—which was a disappointing pleasure-disappointing because I loved the house but a pleasure because nobody was taking selfies!

View of the stairs leading down from the second floor. I did not take these pictures. They are from the internet.  The dark walls and sending me.

The house is dark.  And I mean the walls are painted dark. I absolutely loved it. The living room/parlor was exquisite.  A blend of beautiful furnishings with papers strewn around. It was a tastefully done beautiful blend of untidiness and perfection! It is a Bohemian and Classic blend in one and now I want to paint our walls the darkest colors I can find.  My husband will not have it.

The kitchen was surprisingly small but nonetheless charming.  The quarters upstairs were a library, bedrooms, and bathroom.  And everything was left as it was when Gainsbourg passed.

Surprisingly, the kitchen was small but I fell in love with it!

Honestly, whether you liked him, I highly recommend this tour.  It took a full 30 minutes to get through the tour and then it was over to visit the museum.

For me, the museum was so freaking interesting.  Tons of memorabilia.  Short films about his life and his music.  I could have spend a good two hours there just being turtle-slow in looking at it all.  And as you finish looking at all the treasures, there is a bar area where you can sit and enjoy a cocktail or three.  We passed on that simply because we cannot day drink.  My weekend aperitifs have me falling into an early slumber.  I do not want to do that in Paris!

A small sampling of items in the museum.  

Our busy day continued with a walk back to the hotel and venturing out to buy a tart for dessert tonight.  We are heading outside to the suburbs to have dinner with Vincent’s family.

Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner!

Dinner was fun and wonderful.  Note—I didn’t take photos because I respect the privacy of his relatives.  But I have to say, I had the best-ever Beef bourguignon. Marie-Claude does it better than any restaurant in France and I was thrilled to see her serve it!  We stayed until around midnight and by the time we were back in Paris Centre, it was mere moments before going to sleep and dreaming about how wonderful it was to be back in Paris!

Thursday, December 4, 2025

A touch of rain is falling this morning.  Considering the weather forecast for the entire week was rain and this is the first day precipitation is with us, that isn’t too bad!  By the time we were finished with breakfast, the rain stopped but clouds remained.

Oh Noooo!  I forgot to write about how great our breakfasts are at Hotel Buci! It’s a serve-yourself and the offerings are plentiful.  Fresh OJ.  Salmon.  Blinis.  Breads.  Croissants.  Pain au Chocolat.  The best scrambled eggs ever.  Sausage and bacon.  Yoghurt. And all so well-presented.

The breakfast area was the perfect start to our days!

The fancy coffee machine systems offers way more than just coffee and the staff is incredible!So, after copious amounts of coffee, we were ready to start walking!  First stop was Bon Marche.  The Christmas décor was beautiful, and, as usual in the French fashion, incredibly tasteful!  I picked up more ornaments for the tree and then we headed across the street to the Épicerie.  If I was an heiress and lived in Paris, I would do all my food shopping there.

Yet another tasteful tree Christmasing it up at Bon Marche!

And Santa looks awfully tasty!

The Louvre.  Unpopular Opinion here and I’m not gonna lie!  I cannot stand the Louvre. I have never liked it.  Even back in the early 2000’s—I couldn’t stand it.  And  with every visit back to this monstrosity, I would “give it another chance” and that chance never made me like it.

There are paintings that are housed there that I absolutely love such as Eugene Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” and Jacques-Louis David’s “The Coronation of Napoleon.”  And, the section that houses furniture is phenomenal I’ll give it that.    But the museum is a shit-show. Way too crowded.  Too many school groups at one time.  And the f*cking selfies.  I can’t even.

That said, we did see the Jacques-Louis David exhibit which was fine but the crowds were ridiculous.

David was quite the looker–he resembled George Harrison a bit. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah!

I have to say, David’s paintings are just “Louv”erly!

Then we headed up to see “Liberty Leading the People” and “The Coronation of Napoleon” both of which we practically had to fight our way through to observe, and study and admire.

“Liberty Leading the People” is one of the most dramatic paintings of all time. I wish Eugene Delacroix had a bigger house so this could be taken from the Louve. What REALLY bugs me is that so many people taking selfies didn’t even turn around to study just how epic and wonderous this painting is.  

David’s “The Coronation of Napoleon” is another epic painting. What a story it tells. And with every view, you catch something new.

NOTE TO WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE OF THE LOUVRE:  Please practice crowd control.  Yeah.  Everyone and their next-door neighbor needs a reservation.  But LIMIT the amount of people coming in.  As for school groups.  It is a wonderful thing to have field trips as students need to be made aware of how important art and culture are.  But set aside a couple of days each month during the year and open only for school/camp groups.   You are closed on Tuesday.  Well…open the museum on Tuesdays for school groups.  You can hire more staff, and tourists can enjoy the rest of the week without the many school groups you allow every day. 

In addition, put a “NO PHOTOS” rule in place.  People and their damn selfie-taking have ruined every site.  Let them learn to appreciate the beauty of the art and not their over-filtered faces.

After making a serious attempt to enjoy our Louve fiasco, we left.  Call me a jerk but museums should be for enjoying the works of art.   Admire the works at a slow pace. Savor the styles of each artist and sculptor.   Museums should not tolerate those who hold others up while they snap 100 selfies to get that perfect duck-lipped pose in front of a painting the don’t even appreciate.

And no.  Neither of us has had or have any desire to see the Mona Lisa.

Back at the hotel, we started packing for our trip home.  I didn’t want to wait until the last minute because packing and repacking is stressful enough.  Better to get it out of the way!

Too far to walk, we took a cab to the restaurant, passing the only view of the Louvre I want to see.  From afar!

Dinner was at La Bourse et la Vie.   We had the greatest dinner here last year. And had an equally wonderful on at the sister restaurant in NYC Le Coucou.  We seriously could not wait to get back.  Again, the food was off-the-charts outstanding.  Atmosphere is intimate.  Service is excellent.

My apologies for my thumb being in the way but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this food.  From the bottom, Leeks with Hazelnuts. Ohh mommy! These were incredible.  The bread was excellent.  The oysters, delicious.  The foie gras with the jam–made me a very happy woman. The Oeufs mayonnaise were incredible. 

We enjoyed an incredible array of tastings for starters.  Again, Vincent had Steak Frites and I had Ris de veau (Sweetbreads).

Vincent went with the Steak au Poivre

He also had fries. That makes six nights in a row. I had the Sweetbreads.

For dessert, I had chocolate mousse but it was too much. I couldn’t finish. It tasted great, I was just becomming fooded out.

Vincent had creme brulee. He ate it all.

One thing was questionable which annoyed Vincent.  He didn’t care for the way the wine list was organized and for a €90 bottle of wine—he said it was not good.  (Do not ask me anything about wine –if it tastes like dirt, I am good)  Wine notwithstanding, it had no effect on whether we will be back because we will!

Off to sleep and to look forward to tomorrow!

Friday, December 5, 2025

Today, on our last day, we are headed to my favorite Christmas Fairyland!  Vaux le Vicomte!  This Chateau is my favorite.  It’s owned by a private family, of which every year I mentally try to break into their home quarters for a friendly visit.  I would be arrested and my dad’s NYC PBA card would not be able to save me.

Vaux le Vicomte has a rich history, and every Christmas season is decorated to the nines with a different theme. Over the past five Christmas seasons we have been visiting, 2025 put forward the most breath taking, stupendous, and magical décor ever.

We got in the car and this time, didn’t do the country-road route that we did when we visited Pierrefonds.  We did a half-country route because we stopped at Vincent’s mother’s grave then drove on to the Chateau.

It was a foggy morn…

The weather was eerily foggy and as we drove into the mist, it was like driving into a dream.  It was raining but not raining. Foggy but not pea-soup foggy.  It was seemingly appropriate weather for heading to a centuries-old chateau and that just led into the mystery of what kind of decorations we were about to see.

Dreary but with visions of a dream!

When we arrived, it was still foggy and misty, but lifting.  And then Vincent spotted the sign.  The sign that mentioned the “r” word:  Reservations.  Since it was on the early side of the day, around 11:00 AM, I held out hope.  And let out a sigh of relief when we had no problem getting in.  Vincent paid the admission and we were off.  I think the reservations are needed for Le Grand Noel, which allows one to enter and watch an evening light show and ice skate.  For me, I can’t see and I’m clumsy AF—I can barely walk over a rocky terrain in flat shoes.

That look when you know that today is gonna be a great day!

When you enter, it’s through the massive carriage house.  The selection of antique carriages never gets boring and this year, the enormous Christmas bulbs made it delightful.  This place outchristmasses Christmas!

The Carriage House which holds transportation one would question now but back then was supreme!

This dates way, way back

Carriages on display dressed up for Christmas!

The ornaments were huge!  I love this picture with Vincent and I in the bulb!

Then comes the walk to the Chateau.  The chilly air, mixed with the fog and mist that hadn’t quite dissipated, gave an aura of being back in time.  The sheep were happy to be grazing on grass instead of being served as chops for dinner.

Look at these cuties. So happy to be eating instead of being eaten!

And the lead up to the entrance of the chateau was inviting and warm with the columns of fir trees that were festooned with lights.

Here we go! Ready to enter into a Christmas Fantasy!

inside, we started our tour and ohhhh..it was just gorgeous!  Every fireplace was a working one and Vincent encountered one of the workers carrying a load of logs for one of the rooms.  It was a nice surprise to be in a room with a huge fireplace that kept everything nice and warm!

We came at a great time because there was no crowd at all.  A good number of visitors but not enough to call it a true crowd.

This is the one scene that stays the same year after year.

Back for a walk outside and a goodbye!

And afterwards we walked the grounds and headed back to the car.

Okay. It has now also become a tradition with us to head to Chateau Blandy les Tours.  A medieval castle that we’ve tried to visit for the same number of years we’ve been going to Vaux Vicomte.  Only—get this, it’s never been opened.  We thought that perhaps this year our luck would change.  It didn’t.  We were one day short.  The Christmas spectacle started December 6^th.  Although, every year we get closer and closer….maybe next year!

The signs were up but nobody was home!

Perhaps next year!

We took out time heading back to Paris Centre by driving through a few villages before getting on the highway.  Traffic was on our side and we arrived before twilight.  What a lovely time of day to see Paris.  Not dark yet so everything is still visible but just dark enough that the lights on the shops and through the streets start popping up.

It’s always nice to pass by Hotel Lutetia. It’s the hotel that Vincent’s grandmother arrived at after being liberated from Ravansbruck.

One last drive around.

Goodbye Arch-ie!

Au Revoir Eiffel!

I’ll miss you!

We said farewell to our car and headed back to the hotel.  But I needed to make a stop at Louis Vuitton to see if I could get my hands on a refill for my agenda.  I love the location in St. Germain.  Everyone is very nice and helpful and the manager is the greatest!  She remembered me from my last visit and was asking how I was……..I felt charmed!

Sadly, they didn’t have any agenda refills left in stock but my husband gifted me with a pouch.  I’m telling you, I hope I remember what I’m keeping in all those pouches!

This MM pouch fits perfectly into my bags!

The weather was getting colder and windy as we made our way beck to the hotel.  We enjoyed aperitifs in our room and reflected fondly on our trip of 2025!  Then we got our coats, gloves, and scarfs on and walked to dinner!

This restaurant is sooooo good!

Our last dinner was at La Jacobine.  It’s in the passage at St. André des Arts or, more formally, The Cour du Commence St. André.  We had dinner here last year and fell hard for this restaurant.  We were looking forward to our last meal of the week here.  La Jacobine is a small but excellent restaurant.  It is lively, and the menu is short and sweet with home-style, with an edge fare.

A like the logo: A French, Fresh, Freckled Femme!  Say THAT three times fast!

Always good to take time to peruse the menu..

Naturally, we started off with Kir Royals–especially since I was feeling like royalty this evening.

This salad. Gizzard Salad. Hands down, THE best salad I have ever had. If I lived in Paris, anywhere near La Jacobine, I would order this for takeout every single night. I’m not kidding. This was incredible!

More escargots for Vincent!!!

Holy Moly! He didn’t have steak. He had chicken!

I feasted on lamb shank!

Same wine as last year. This was the greatest way to celebrateour last night in Paris.

And, Vincent was happy to order the same wine we had here last year.  It was inexpensive and excellent.  No dessert tonight.  We just wanted to get back to do last-second packing and get sleep for the trip home.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

God-willing we get to return next year, same time.  Well…perhaps a day longer so we can see the Christmas spectacular at Blandy les Tours!  How appropriate that we should leave in the rain.  We were fortunate during this trip to have the weather on our side. And for November-into-December, the air wasn’t freezing.  Chilly to cold, yeah—but not freezing. It was comfortable for the most part.

It was still dark when we left the hotel.  And raining. But it all cleared up before our flight took off.

Our cab picked us up at 7:00 AM. And our flight was at 1:30 PM.  We arrived at CDG a little after 8:00 AM which gave us ample time before our flight—provided our flight left on time.  As usual, CDG airport was a mess. It wasn’t even a good mess.  It was a horrible mess.  And I cannot, for the life of me, wrap my head around how Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  It has beauty, history, fashion…yet the airport is disgusting.  We did arrive too early to check in but we did find seats and entertained ourselves by people-watching.  We were entertained by the drama at American Airlines.  Apparently, people flying to Dallas arrived at the airport late and there were announcements to allow those flying to Dallas to scutch to the head of the line.

At 9:30 AM we were able to check in with no issues.  The real fun was getting through TSA and Border Control.  The lines for TSA were incredibly long and since it was Saturday, the staffing could have been just a bit better.  But it was Border Control that was ridiculous.  In case you are not aware, CDG has these mechanical “doors” that allow you to pass through with the scan of a passport and your photo is taken.  Sounds like a quick thing to do.  Nope!  The “doors” kept breaking down and it took over an hour to get through.  By this time, it was after 11:00 AM and my goal, other than getting on the plane was spending time at Duty-free.

My husband watched my stuff as I entered the Louis Vuitton boutique in search of my agenda refill.  Again. Nope.  None in stock.  I mentally called BS because I swear the staff wanted only to make a big sale.  So, when I headed back to the boarding area, I ordered one online. It was easier.

With a few purchases—i.e. Guerlain lip balm and Meteorites, we made our way to wait for our return home.  As we were waiting, I was struck with that feeling I used to get after spending weeks with my Grandparents and Aunt Terry.  I dreaded going home.  I loved being with them and loved my visits back to the city to be with them instead of Long Island.  Truth be told. I will always be a city person at heart and have never cared for suburban life. I tolerate it but would much rather live in a city.  Paris does that to me.

As we boarded the plane for the flight home, I silently wondered how time can fly by so quickly.  But once the plane took off for the friendly skies (wait—we flew American—not the friendly skies of United), I couldn’t wait to just get home, unpack, take a hot bath and be in my own bed.  No matter where you travel, as soon as you get home and into your bed, everything is fine.

The airport was so unorganized. Why is that? Why are airports so poorly run?

Ready for takeoff!  And to look forward to our next visit.

Besides—with three weeks until Christmas, and heading to Cincinnati, there was a lot to do. Baking. More baking.  Wrapping gifts. More packing.  Driving with Vincent and Roman to Oona’s.   It was all good!

Back home toour trees. And to lookovermy baking books. And to prepare for Christmas!

****NOTES:

• Cab drivers can be fun! We had a driver on the way back from dinner who was listening to French pop music. He spoke English and we had a lively and animated conversation about French pop stars. He was thoroughly impressed with my knowledge. It was fun!
• Got grandchildren? Or children in your life?  Know sizes.  The French sizing goes by age—and I’m talking about when a child is out of toddler clothing into regular clothing.  I know the sweaters I bought Owen and Bennett are probably too big and will fit them next year.
• Renting a car? Make sure you have a charger with two “c” ends.  French autos take only two sided “c” chargers.
• Wear what you want. Nobody cares what you are wearing. Social media is fake. Never forget that.  The influencers you see across social media are full of shit.  Most locals wear normal clothing. Wear the leggings.  With boots and a long coat, nobody will know.
• Always carry an umbrella. Always. I know this from my life in NYC.
• Bring Band-Aids. Even if you are wearing the most comfortable shoes and socks, after walking all day, you might get a blister and the band-aids will be your friend.
• Always say “Bonjour” upon entering a store. If it’s evening say “Bonsoir” and upon leaving/exiting say “Au revoir”.   In America we are not, collectively polite.  The French, collectively are very polite.
• Don’t try to see everything at once. Take your time. Don’t be overly ambitious in your itinerary.
• Eat something old-school such as escargot, or sweetbreads, or kidneys, or frog’s legs. You would be surprised at how wonderful they are.
• STOP WITH THE SELFIES in museums, or restaurants, or public places. We all love a decent selfie of ourselves but for the love of God, people want to see photos of your trip. Not you! Besides, it is annoying.

And that winds up the Paris Chronicles for 2025!  Hope you enjoyed everything from the good to my complaining!