For my half-milestone birthday we spent a whirlwind romantic, fun-filled, food-filled, music-filled weekend in Paris, my favourite city. What initially precipitated the trip was the announcement that One Republic would be doing a short tour in Europe at small venues, beginning with an intimate concert at L'Olympia (a classic old opera/ballet/music hall) in Paris the night before my birthday. This was our first time visiting Paris off-season, and we had no agenda to visit any tourist attractions, so we took it easy and lived like locals for a weekend.
We stayed in St Germain in a quaint boutique hotel, Relais Christine. It is tucked away on a tiny quiet street, but a quick stroll away from the heart of St Germain. Within 5 minutes we were at Paul grabbing a cappuccino and a beignet as we began our journey each day.
A little further down the road is Les Deux Magots, a cafe famous for once being a popular hang-out for Ernest Hemingway, among many other writers, artists and intellects who either lived in Paris or made it their home away from home. We took advantage of the sunshine and relative warmth and sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed cheese and green bean salad with red wine. Although it is a popular destination for tourists, the outdoor patio was filled with locals. (If you're feeling playful, why not play "Where's Matt?").
It was a simple pleasure to sit outside, watch the hustle and bustle of people walking by, feel the energy, and listen to the live music that was coming from across the street.
We came to realize this window of time when the sun was shining and the sky was blue was a rare gift in the weekend because it rained cats and dogs during a lot of our time there. So what did we do to stay dry? We shopped! Well, mostly we browsed. We visited Bon Marche (this recent article published on CNN is worth scanning) and Galeries Lafayette, where we browsed the latest fashions and did some people watching. I discovered a new (to me) French designer with chic bags and clothing, Vanessa Bruno, and we had some fun trying on sunglasses with questionable function and style.
On Saturday night we had dinner at our favourite restaurant in Paris, Philippe Excoffier, which is tucked away on a quiet street in the 7th arrondissement within walking distance of the Effiel Tower. We discovered this restaurant years ago on a recommendation from one of Matt's friends from high school who lives in Paris and is friends with owner/chef Philippe. We've enjoyed some of our most exceptional meals here over the years. After chatting with Philippe, we indulged in a five-course tasting menu which was as delicious and creative as always. Crab and caviar on a red pepper coulis, lobster with Israeli couscous and a caramel and brandy-flamed souffle for dessert were our favourites. Of course we also indulged in the wine pairings which were every bit as good as the food.
Another of our long-standing traditions in Paris is to visit Bistrot Vivienne. About ten years ago Matt and I stumbled upon this bistrot, and because we absolutely adore our niece Vivienne (then aged 4) we had to stop in. We took a photo of it, framed it and gave it to her for her 5th birthday. We now go back every time we visit Paris. The last time I was there was two years ago with my girlfriend Patti, serendipidisly on Vivienne's 13th birthday.
Stopping in at bistros and cafés is our favourite part of Paris (arguably any European city). We enjoyed many delicious meals on this trip, some at places we scoped out in advance and made a reservation for, others we selected on a whim walking by in the afternoon. French onion soup, warm lentil salad with a perfectly poached egg, leeks cooked in vinegar served with chopped hard boiled egg, oysters, and a first for me, I even tried (2) snails!! The buttery garlic smell was too irresistible not too. Pretty Woman? "Slippery little suckers!".
That is all fine and dandy, but the moment we were really waiting for was the concert! On Monday night, after another fabulous day of strolling (under an umbrella), eating, drinking, and a little gift shopping, we got dolled up and headed to L'Olympia concert hall. It was even smaller, nicer and more intimate than I'd hoped. The ground floor was general admission (we saw people lined up for their spot for hours in advance), but we had tickets for seats on the balcony. Lucky us. We couldn't have asked for a better view!
The concert opened with new talent, like REALLY new. This young girl came out on stage and said into the microphone with a somewhat nervous voice, "Hello, my name is Allie Sherlock. I'm fourteen. I'm a busker in Dublin. Ryan Tedder (lead singer of One Republic) saw my YouTube video that my Dad posted and immediately flew me out to LA to record music in his recording studio. This is my first time singing on a stage." And she busted out a legit beautiful remake of Etta James' "At Last", among several Adele songs and a song of her own that she wrote. The songs she recorded with Ryan Tedder were recently released on Spotify.
To have the attention and endorsement of Ryan Tedder is a really really big deal, as his talent and contribution to the music industry goes way beyond One Republic songs (having written songs for Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Jonas Brothers, etc.). He is an incredibly talented and accomplished musician. It is a real treat to see him and his band perform live. Those who read our blog post from the Kaboo music festival back in September might remember how much we enjoyed their performance there.
They sang some of their new songs like Rescue Me and Wanted, and many of their older songs like Secrets, Good Life, Love Runs Out and I Lived. We sang and grooved the night away, loving each song more than the last. Matt can whistle louder than anyone and Ryan definitely heard him! I didn't want the concert to end. But eventually it did, and since it wasn't raining we opted to walk the 30 minutes back to our hotel, stopping for a chocolate strawberry crepe on the way.
Before I sign off on this sunshine and rainbows version of our time in Paris, let's keep it real for a moment. Paris, a city I love so dearly, steeped richly in romance, culture and history is having a hard time. And it's hard not to feel the pang of its suffering.
The Eiffel Tower, the quintessential Parisian romantic dream, can no longer be experienced without armed guards, a security wall, and turn styles at a secured entrance where visitors wait in a queue. I'm all for safety and precautions, and I understand the need for heightened security today, but it makes me sad that we need it. I cherish memories of wandering under the Eiffel Tower from any direction (24/7), and walking out the back into the sprawling green space. Those days are gone, hopefully just for a time.
I thought we could have a more cheerful, nostalgic experience if we crossed the street to ride the carousel (I adore my memories of the girls on this gorgeous carousel), but it is now surrounded by an ugly chain link fence, and I'm not even kidding when I say we saw a rat run underneath it.
Of course Notre Dame is undergoing massive reconstruction after the fire.
And the Louvre was closed due to Coronavirus.
I've considered what wisdom I could drum up to explain why all of this did not take away from our enjoyment of the city, but it simply did not. It helps a lot that visiting these sites was not our reason for visiting. All the things we love about Paris, the city, the architecture, the food, the way of life, was all there thriving in spite of the circumstances.
The locals still inspire me with their way of life, stopping at a café for a Cappuccino or a baguette sandwich and taking the 15 minutes to eat it there, even if it's just standing at the bar. The city has so many flower shops, paper shops and children's clothing and shoe shops - commodities that Europeans value so much more than North Americans (in my experience). And champagne - available everywhere by the glass for a reasonable price! Busy streets are lined with cafés where you can stop at a table, with all seats facing outward, and watch the world go by with a coffee or a glass of wine, or while sharing a slice of cake with your sweetheart as we saw many locals do. In Canada we have social rules for how we make space for each other on the sidewalks and always ensure each other's speed and efficiency, which I have to admit I value, but Parisians just take their time. They love their food, they don't count their calories, and simplicity is often their key ingredient. Rain or shine, it doesn't matter, everybody is out walking, socializing, riding their bikes and running. Even in spite of security threats, mass destruction, and pandemics the city of lights still shines.
Until next time, merci Paris!
Laura & Matt 👩❤️👨
PS-As a follow up, if it had been one week later the concert would have been cancelled due to Coronavirus.
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