FRANCE pics- bling & food!

[ChargerGrrl]

DH and I love to travel and eat. So when it came time to make plans to celebrate our 1st Wedding Anniversary, the decision was easy- a trip to France!

We spent 10 glorious days in France, splitting our time between Dijon and Paris. We had a fabulous time! Although we''ve been back for over 3 weeks, i still find myself wondering what time it is in Paris, and daydreaming about our vacation.

Thought i''d share a couple of pics from our trip.

We took the train from Dijon to Beaune to meet our guides for a one day "Burgundy Discovery" wine tour. Domain Noellet was our first stop. We bought a bottle of their 2005 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru which we''ll enjoy in 2022 for our 15th wedding anniversary.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

DH is a much more adventurous eater than I. Here''s his dinner one fine evening in Dijon. Frogs legs.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

The Louvre was magnificent! sooo many treasures. The Mona Lisa is overrated.

French royal bling- the crown of Louis XV and some loose diamonds. Ooh la la!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

We had a lovely day on our anniversary. We walked around the Marais and checked out the Bastile market. Our mouths were watering from all the delicacies the vendors were offering.

Olives!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

We picked up some food items at the market and headed over to Place des Vosges to picnic.

Ahhhh, the life!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Later that night, we had a romantic dinner at Coupe-Chou. Check out my hubby''s smile as he''s ready to dig into his anniversary steak tartare.
Mmmmm. Raw meat.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Of course we went window shopping.

For 49k euros, this beautiful necklace from the Cartier store on the Champs-Elysees can be yours!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Bling in the window of the Chopard store at Place Vendome.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Last pic- here we are on the The Arc de Triomphe''s viewing platform with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. We had pretty good weather except for a 2-3 days... like this one.

 

[surfgirl]

Hey homegirl! Lovely photos but the frogs legs and raw steak I can do without! Looks like a wonderful trip. More photos please???

 

[Selkie]

Awesome pics, Charger! You guys look great, and it sounds like it was an amazing anniversary trip!

 

[Skippy123]

Charger, YAY awesome pics!!!!!! Hubby and I have tickets for Paris and Barcelona this spring. I was wondering if you could give me a list of your favorite restaurants in Paris pretty please.

I am in the "more pictures" camp please. You two look so happy and wonderful! Wowwe 3 weeks; what a dream!!!!! I love that picture of you sitting on the grass; very pretty!

 

[somethingshiny]

Lovely photos!! I want to go to Paris so bad, but my husband doesn''t AT ALL! Would it be an good place to go with a girlfriend?

 

[diamondfan]

Looks amazing though I am not a frog''s leg kinda gal...
Joke: Man to waiter, "Excuse but do you have frog''s legs?
Waiter to man, "No, I just walk this way!"

Had to, could not resist.

I agree, the Mona LIsa was underwhelming to me except for the historical significance. You imagine it will be large and when you get to it, it is not. Did you go to Taillevent or Tour d''Argent or Jamine? They were great back in the day, not so sure now.

Something, Paris is typically considered a place of romance, the City of Light. However, I am a firm believer that you should do what you want, so if hubby is not interested, go with a pal. Frankly, romantic or not, there is a lot of great sightseeing, museums and shopping, and men tend not to LOVE that, so you might have a ball.

 

[diagem]

Date: 10/30/2007 10:14:42 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl
The Louvre was magnificent! sooo many treasures. The Mona Lisa is overrated.

French royal bling- the crown of Louis XV and some loose diamonds. Ooh la la!

The French Royal "jewels" are pretty amazing:

Top: The Regent-Pitt Diamond..., 140.5 carats of exceptional quality cut in the early 1700''s.

Lower right: The Hortensia Diamond..., 20.53 carats, of pale pink shade..., purchased by Louis XIV in the 1700''s

Lower left: The Sancy Diamond..., a 55 carat, pear shaped, double rose-cut, it has a long complicated history, but probably originated in the mid 16th. Century since it was named after Nicolas de Sancy (1546-1627)

History!!!

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/30/2007 11:24:06 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Lovely photos!! I want to go to Paris so bad, but my husband doesn''t AT ALL! Would it be an good place to go with a girlfriend?

Paris is a really great place to go with a girlfriend. I normally go once a year (it''s only an hour and a half flight from Ireland), sometimes with D and other times with friends-it''s a great place to visit and the shopping is amazing.

Love your pics charger!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

THANKS for all the nice words! I''m just glad I was able to share pics.

I have something like 200 more, so let''s see what else I can dig up. I liked going the bling and food route, as you see the same France pics over and over again. Thought I''d make things interesting!

Skippy- How exciting that you''re headed to Paris and Barcelona next spring! I would love to share some restaurant recommendations with you. I did a ton of research on tripadvisor.com and compiled a loooong list. Of course, we didn''t hit them all up! I was planning on posting about our restaurant experiences over on tripadvisor, and will copy and paste it here so you can check it out. The restos on my list are mostly in the Latin Quarter (5th & 6th arrondissements) since we stayed in the area. Where are you staying? I really recommend going the apartment route. DH and I LOVED it and would work with http://www.vacationinparis.com/ again in a heartbeat!

Somethingshiny- Although Paris is known for being romantic, I can totally see how it would be a great destination for a trip with a girlfriend. There''s so much to do- sightseeing, shopping, and just strolling and taking in Parisian life. Go for it!

DiaGem- THANKS for the specifics on the royal jewels. Love that kind of historical info!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 11/1/2007 2:21:48 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl

Skippy- How exciting that you're headed to Paris and Barcelona next spring! I would love to share some restaurant recommendations with you. I did a ton of research on tripadvisor.com and compiled a loooong list. Of course, we didn't hit them all up! I was planning on posting about our restaurant experiences over on tripadvisor, and will copy and paste it here so you can check it out. The restos on my list are mostly in the Latin Quarter (5th & 6th arrondissements) since we stayed in the area. Where are you staying? I really recommend going the apartment route. DH and I LOVED it and would work with http://www.vacationinparis.com/ again in a heartbeat!

I am very excited! If you don't mind can you name your top 2 favorites restaurants. We will be half a mile from the Louvre; I've been before but getting your 2 favorite would be fab and yes more pics if you aren't too busy please! Was it scary going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe???

 

[door knob solitaire]

Mon Ami....Thanks for such thoughtful photos. You gave us a little taste of everything...and it was a treat!

DKS

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Aww, your pictures are fantastic! DH and I love Paris (were engaged there) and hope to go back for our first anniversary. Thank you for sharing the pictures, they''re lovely and it looks like you had a great time!

Frog legs--I grew up in the midwest where we would often gig frogs, so I ate them often--but we eat them with our hands, haha.

Food and travel are our two favorite things as well--luckily they go hand in hand!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

CG- what a fantastic place to celebrate your first year of marriage. I am so jealous

Looks like you had a great time.

 

[TravelingGal]

Love it! I can''t believe it has been nearly 5 years already since I have been to Paris. Thanks for sharing and allowing me to do some armchair travel!!

Happy Anniversary!

 

[San Diego Bride]

great pictures, charger! it sounds like you had an awesome time. my husband and i spent our 1st anniversary in paris this september as well. it''s a beautiful place.

oh, and skippy, i went to barcelona this spring and paris this fall. they are both fabulous choices. you''ll have a great time i''m sure.

 

[AGBF]

Charger, I absolutely loved the photo of the crown, which I saw in another thread and which made me aware of this thread. I have never been to the Louvre. On the other hand, no one told me that there was jewelry there!

Your photos are charming. I haven't been to Paris in so many years that I wonder if I will ever return! You certainly make me want to do so; the pictures fill me with nostalgia for it! Thank you for sharing them.


Deborah

 

[Rosebud8506]

I''ll take one of the Cartier necklace - thank you!!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Happy First Anniversary, ChargerGrrl!

Looks like you had an amazing time, and I find France so romantic - how could one not be happy and in love there?!?!?

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[dani13]

How fun, Charger!!! Happy first anniversary to you and your hubby!!!

France (Paris) is one of my absolute favorite places I have ever visited (so far)...Its so beautiful!! Glad you had such a great time!!!

 

[poshpepper]

Thanks for sharing the pics and congrats on your first anniversary!!! And I thought it was so cool that you bought a bottle of wine to drink on your 15th anniversary... just wonderful!

BTW, I have eaten frog legs before and they are nothing special... you didn''t miss anything.

My FI and I are the opposite of you and your DH (I am the more adventurous eater). The frog legs actually disgusted my FI... LOL!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

THANKS for the anniversary well wishes, everyone! I can't believe that we've been married for a year. Seems like just yesterday that I was walking down the aisle....

**Skippy**
I LOVED the views from the top of the Arc. I thought they were much better than the ones from the ET, as you're not as high up, and things look more "real". does that make sense? Have you tell you though, that going up all those stairs KICKED MY BUTT!!! I think there were something like 285 stairs. whew!

Oh wow, it's so hard to narrow down our restaurant experiences to 2 favorites. We really enjoyed everywhere we dined and would not hesitate to recommend them. So here's a couple for you:

Le Coupe Chou- 9 & 11, rue de Lanneau (5th arrondissement) http://www.lecoupechou.com/index.php This is where we dined on our anniversary. It's a romantic and unique place that won't break the bank, and it's open on Sundays!

L’ Auberge Du Champs de Mars- 18 rue de l’Exposition (7th arrondissement). The chef owns the place and his wife is the friendly server. Right near the Eiffel Tower.

Le Pré Verre- 8 rue Thenard (5th arrondissement). We had their "menu du jour" lunch for 12€. The place was packed with locals.

And I'll throw this last one in there as we LOVE crepes! La Creperie Des Canettes- 10 rue des Canettes (6th arrondissement) great little place.

HTH!

 

[eks6426]

Oh my gosh, you went to Dijon!!! I''d love to see some pics of Dijon if you have any. I went to college there in the early 90s. The whole burgandy region was just beautiful as was Beaune.

Charger--congrats on your fabulous 1st anniversary trip!