Paris!

June 22, 2007  •  Europe, France, Paris, Travel

I’m not much for spontaneous travel – I plan my trips 18 months in advance, I book my hotels 9 months in advance, and I have my touring planned 3 months in advance. So my husband was both surprised and delighted that we decided to end our tour of the Normandy countryside and head into Paris for the weekend.It was about a 4 hour drive from Mont Saint Michel, but we made it without any problems, and even managed to read the map and navigate our way into the 1st Arrondisement to our hotel Le Relais du Louvre.We wandered around, had some snacks and drinks before getting caught in a deluge of rain which did us in.We returned to the hotel drenched, showered and went to Le Fumoir right next to the Louvre for dinner. It was nice to have a non-smoking dining room (new in Paris – although the non-smoking section is usually small and relegated to the back of the restaurant) and we relaxed and savored a quiet and very French bistro type of dinner of green salad (there’s something great about salads in France and I’m pretty sure it’s the simple vinaigrettes and fresh greens), chicken on polenta that was outstanding, and lemon and thyme sorbet.