Ah, Paris

The nicest thing about our trip to Paris was that we didn't have any specific plans, and no tourist attractions were on the agenda. Well, besides shopping and eating, of course. It made for a very relaxing time, just enjoying Paris for what it is. It was supposed to rain the whole time, and in fact, we never got a drop until we were boarding the plane to Lisbon! Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

This is how we started off every morning. Yum.

Heather and her family lived in Paris for a few years after she finished college. We went to her neighborhood, and visited the places she used to frequent. The first stop was the local bistro, where one of the waiters Heather knows well gave us free kirs and served us a wonderful lunch. (Warm goat cheese salad and steak frites was had, so in my opinion a pretty perfect meal...)

We stopped in the local chocolatier beneath her family's old apartment. The guy there remembered her and her family and gave us a tour of the kitchen and chocolate-making facilities. And yes, we received plenty of free samples!

Then we stopped by the local bakery, fromagerie and wine shop to buy our dinner. I love buying everything from the individual local shops. At the wine store, we showed them our cheese and they selected two different wines that would complement them.

Cutest cheese shop ever!

Dinner of cheese, baguettes, fruit and wine

Shopping!

General street cuteness

Buddha Bar - chic but expensive

A break at Cafe Angelina for their world-famous hot chocolate and desserts

I had visited Paris a few times before this trip, but it wasn't until this trip that I felt that cheesy, from-the-movies, "Paris is the best city in the world" sort of feeling. I think it's because we just enjoyed it the way a local might. And the crepes didn't hurt. Or the croque monsieurs, or the salted butter caramels. Or the falafel, the croissants, the cheese, the baguettes, the wine, the......

À bientôt, Paris!