Paris Bittersweet
The last day of my trip in France was my birthday, I decided to end my trip in Paris. I couldn’t think of a better place to spend my birthday. I arrived to Paris a little before noon on Monday, April 15th. I took a taxi to my Airbnb which was lovely! It was in a gorgeous courtyard; the bathroom was stunning and it was perfect for my stay. I settled in quickly then walked to my cheese tasting experience with Fabrice that I booked through Airbnb. It was about fifteen minutes from my apartment and a nice walk.
We met in front of the Fromagerie La Saisons. It was myself and a family of a mother, father and son from Boston. The tasting took place in the basement of the cheese shop. There was a nice table set up with six cheeses, several types of sliced bread, an apple and walnuts. Quite the spread! Fabrice had us all introduce ourselves and gave us a tasting book where we could enter information about the cheeses. I have to be honest, loving cheese as much as I do, this tasting made me realize I know little about the cheese that I eat. It has never occurred to me to learn more and I’m so happy I did this experience. We had six cheeses that he paired with six drinks; white wine, red wine, cider, grape juice, beer and a Porte. I tried everything except for the beer as I don’t enjoy beer. Everything was delicious, even the blue cheese which I am not normally a fan of.
I had told Fabrice that it was my birthday and when we were getting ready to have our final cheese, he put a candle in the cheese and lit it, then they all sang happy birthday. Then he let me cut the cake, the cheese-cake. It was very sweet and something I will forever remember.
Once the tasting was complete I set off to find the Galeries Vivienne. I had seen many pictures of it and had been wanting to visit. When I found it, I was underwhelmed. There was a lot of construction happening so not much was open. Maybe it would have been better at another time. I am still happy I stopped by though as it has been on my list for some time.
After walking through the Galerie Vivienne went to see the Umbrella Sky Project located at Le Village Royal. There is a lovely passageway here and above are eight hundred colored parapluies (umbrellas). I’m happy I stopped to see this, there were a lot of people and it was well worth the look.
After the Umbrella Sky Project, I decided to have tea at Ladurée. They are known for their macarons and tea. Anytime I have tea here, it feels very fancy and of course French. I had a The Marie Antoinette tea that they are known for and a Millefeuille. It was the perfect treat and a nice break.
I was doing really well with time and decided I could stop by the Jardins des Tuilieries for a bit. This is my favorite jardin in Paris and truthfully in France, so far anyway. I love the fountains, statues, view of the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre, the little cafes and flowers. It is all stunning. After walking around for a bit I sat by one of the fountains and did my best people watching. I walked around for a bit more and stopped for a café au lait. The flowers were gorgeous in the jardin on this day, it was stunning. I was thinking as I had my café that the day was perfect and that it was a wonderful birthday. I was doing all of my favorite things in Paris and it was great.
After the jardin, I was going to walk over to the Eiffel Tower and visit her for a bit before my dinner reservation in that area at Le Petit Caillou. When I left the jardins, I stopped on the Léopold Sedar Senghor bridge and took some photos down the Seine of Notre Dame. I thought of sitting on the bridge for a bit and decided not to and began my walk to the Eiffel Tower. Eleven minutes after I took this photo, Notre Dame caught fire.
I was on my way to the Eiffel Tower and noticed some smoke in the sky, I came up with a conclusion in my head as to why but it didn’t really make sense. When I arrived to the Eiffel Tower, I received an alert on my phone that Notre Dame was on fire. I was trying to get more information but my phone was not working well. I was nervous to the cause of the fire and began to walk away from the Eiffel Tower in case it was an attack. Several people were texting me and I was trying to piece together what was happening. I went to my reservation as I wasn’t sure how to proceed with the day. I sat and read news that people were sending me and tried not to cry. Dinner was okay, I tried to make it quick and then went back to my Airbnb.
When I arrived back to my Airbnb, I was able to watch videos and really see the devastation. I chose not to go watch it burn as that was not the last image I wanted in my head. I have been to Notre Dame several times, inside and out. My favorite part of the church is the gothic architecture in the back along with the spire. When I watched it fall on video, the tears streamed down my face. It saddened me that the church will never be the same. It can be rebuilt and can be replicated, but it will never be the same. It makes my heart a bit sad.
My birthday in Paris was bittersweet. I had such a wonderful day until Notre Dame caught fire. It is a day I will never forget for the good and the bad. I adore this city and keep it in my heart.
Note: The picture of Notre Dame in the cover of this blog post was a picture I took in two thousand and fourteen. It was the very first photograph that I took of the church. This is the way I will remember Notre Dame.
