{a weekend in paris with an insider}

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Paris a few times before – but this was such a refreshing weekend getaway with perfect weather, hours of great conversation and discovering a side of Paris from the eye of a local. Ok, so Katie may not live there year-round, but certainly has spent enough time in the city to know her way around, speak impeccable French and to have discovered the best ice cream on.the.planet (more on that later…)

She greeted me at the train station on Friday evening where we hopped the Metro and ended up on her cute street, Blvd Montparnasse. We dropped off my bag and headed out for a late night bottle of wine at an outdoor cafe around the corner. Once the waiter (not so subtly) hinted that he wanted us to leave a bit after midnight, we took our time walking home and called it a night.

The next morning, we grabbed pastries and started our journey toward the Flea Market (Le marché aux puces de Vanves, Avenue Georges Lafenestre). The tables were lined with trinkets and treasures from every different time period imaginable. We both gravitated toward the old photographs, artwork and letters written in beautiful calligraphy  (I bought one from 1706!).

After a few hours of browsing, we took the tram to Jardin du Luxembourg: 

The gardens were beautiful, people were happy, kids were enamored with the little toy boats sailing in the fountain… it was someplace I could’ve been happy all day with a picnic and bottle of wine…I can save that for another day though, because the cute cafes lining the gardens were calling our name!

We had lunch at Le Rostand (rue de Medicis – Paris 6th) our salads, crusty bread, rosé and people watching made for perfect afternoon treat: 

After some wandering, we decided ice cream sounded just right… and I kid you not, this is the best you will ever eat (I’m going so far as to say this beats Ben and Jerry’s, authentic Italian gelato, or Dairy Queen Blizzards any day of the week). It’s called Berthillon ice cream and can be found at many purveyors throughout Paris,  you just have to look for the name! We both had a double scoop: salted caramel and dark chocolate…mmm

We decided a change of scenery would be nice, so we found ourselves in Montmartre seeing the sights and wandering through the charming, crooked cobblestone streets dotted with cafes, restaurants and shops…Our feet were starting to feel the hours of walking and the shaded seats (and chilled glasses of beer!) at Il Pomodoro (rue le Vieuville – Paris 18th) were calling our name:

As the sun started to set, we made our way to Canal Saint Martin for a pre-dinner bottle of rosé at Atmosphere (rue Lucien Sampaix – Paris 10th) and more people watching.

We enjoyed an amazing dinner at Hôtel du Nord (quai de Jemmapes) :The candle-lit restaurant, bustling waitstaff, crowded with diners cosied up to tables leaned in telling stories, plates of beautiful food being whisked by from the kitchen… it was a perfect backdrop for sipping ice-cold wine, savoring salty charcuterie, indulging in a dinner of steak and tuna… I think we were in heaven!

After our perfect day, Katie and I made our way home and called it a night! The next morning, it was sad to say goodbye, but she made sure I was headed home with fresh chocolate pastries and a baguette for Tyler…thanks for an incredible weekend, Katie!