I Love Paris

Now that we have talked about one hotel that is perfect for the winter months, especially around Christmas, let’s dive into our second one.  This is a hotel that is not only cute as heck, but it is a hotel that is perfect for a winter hideaway.  There is almost always a blazing fire in the salon that burns right into the glazed conservatory and I have to say that this hotel has some beautiful rooms.

The Hotel de l’Abbaye is the name of it and all of the rooms themselves are different – and if you are feeling rich, you could get yourself a duplex suite that has some fantastic paintings and some beautiful wallpaper.  With this place, the breakfast is included and it’s a good thing because the breakfast is awesome!

The Hotel de l’Abbaye is the ideal place whenever you are looking to get away for Christmas and experience Paris!

It has to be said that when you are looking to do a vacation around Christmas right, you need to do it in Paris.  Christmas is Paris is not only beautiful but I can tell you that there are some fantastic packages that you can get as well as some incredible restaurants and sights to see right around Christmas.

One of the first things that you need to decide however is where you are going to stay and I have two hotels that we are going to explore that are perfect to celebrate your Christmas holiday at.  The first up is the Champs-Elysees Plaza – this beautiful hotel has actually been beautifully redecorated in a contemporary period style that is beautiful.

There are tons of furry throws, a fire in the bar/lounge area and of course some of the rooms have a Jacuzzi bath inside of them, perfect to warm up in!

When you are looking for a cool, chic and hip museum to go to in Paris – the Musee Carnavalet is it.  This is a museum that has not only been around for quite a long time, but it actually is going to reveal secrets of the City of Light from prehistoric times to today!  The Musee Carnavalet is actually set up in two contiguous townhouses and you really do need a whole afternoon for everything.

There is so many different sculptures to visit, paintings to take in and pieces of furniture to really retrace and in a way – the Musee Carnavalet is truly the Paris exhibit and it is something that no one should miss.  All of the rooms are decorated to evoke different periods and you will see it all from the furniture.

The pieces in the Musee Carnavalet are beautiful and I have to say that this is a museum that no one … ever go goes to Paris should miss!

When you think about Paris, what is usually the first thing that comes to mind?  Well, it is not usually the tall buildings like New York, but I have to say that the Montparnasse Tower is certainly the first thing that comes to my mind.  This beautiful tower actually offers a fairytale view of the city and it is accessible via the fastest elevator in Europe.

The Montparnasse Tower elevator will whisk you away to the top in just about 38 seconds … from there, you will be about 685 feet up and there is actually a bar/restaurant on the 56th floor.  You can have some lunch or dinner or even breakfast there and see all of the city, which is fantastic!

Just by the restaurant is an exhibition that traces all of the history of Paris since about 1858 – which is really nice if you are a history buff!

Paris in December is a true experience. Strolling along the Champs-Elysees takes on a whole new meaning. Holiday lights sparkle along the streets, the buildings, and even the monuments, and along the avenue, they dazzle from within the trees. One thousand fir trees, freshly cut, go up around town.

Window shopping becomes a brand new experience as well — you can join the Parisians in this favorite past time, going from one window display to the next, each one wilder and more inventive than the one before it.

There are plenty of ice skating rinks as well — including one on the Eiffel Tower’s first level, a stunning two hundred feet up in the air.

There are Christmas carousels, Christmas Eve dinners, the arrival of Father Christmas — and so much more.

Paris is always a beautiful, sparkling city to visit, but in the winter, it is even more special. Not only are the crowds significantly smaller, but airfare can be much less expensive as well. It belongs to the native Parisians in winter, meaning that you can get a truly authentic experience — and yes, there is more than enough to do.

For instance, consider this: since winter is the off season, not only can you yourself feel like a native, but the lines to all those famous museums and theatres are apt to be almost non existent.

In October and November, the streets are adrift with colorful fallen leaves, and the barren branches illuminate the beautiful buildings and architecture. As well, mid November through mid December is the time for the Beaujolais Nouveau to arrive, leaving wine bars buzzing.

Now that we have talked about getting around Paris – what about food?  Honestly, this is what people will spend the most money on because why wouldn’t you want to eat right when you are in Paris?  There is a way around it though and that is by having a picnic. 

Think about it – getting some fantastic sandwiches and really sitting down in one of the many, many parks that Paris has?  How great does that really sound?

To me, that sounds like heaven and that is truly how I got around.  Baguette bread was definitely my best friend when I was in Paris and it is definitely a hearty and good treat.

Paris is the city of love … and money.  Face it, when you go to Paris, no matter how much money you save, you are definitely going to have to cheap it on some days and honestly, there are a ton of different things that you can do in Paris that are awesome yet inexpensive.  That is what we are going to talk about in the next couple blogs, how you can go inexpensive in Paris.

The first thing is not renting a car and just relying on your legs and also the public transportation.  While this is definitely going to take a while to get used to and you are probably going to get lost a heck of a lot, which is all part of the charm.

In the next blog, we will talk about how you can eat cheap – yet awesome.  Stay tuned guys, it is so worth it!

As mentioned in the last post, you will never have an easier time of learning French.  I also mentioned I had five years of it in high school.  I plan on going to Paris for my honeymoon, and guess what?  I do not remember all that much from my high school classes, so one goal of mine is to become as fluent as possible before I go.  So I have researched how I can, and lo, I am going to share my gleanings with you.

For starters, you can always take a class at your local college campus.  Community colleges are especially ideal because taking a class there tends to be less expensive.

Lacking that, you can look for a tutor who is proficient in the language; still look to the campuses in your area, because anyone majoring in French will likely be happy to help you.

Programs like Muzzy and Rosetta Stone are also extremely helpful.  Muzzy is a kids’ program, sure, but that is what makes it great if you are coming to the language as a novice.  You can learn French simply and easily, without all the clutter.

This is a new day. To really experience life in a foreign country, we need to let go of the old tourist stereotype of days gone by, when it was perfectly okay to go to another country and yammer away in a mix of your own language and a pidgin version of the language spoken in the place you are visiting.

French is one of the most difficult languages to learn, and having taken it for five years in high school, I speak from personal experience. However, when you can learn it, even if you learn just enough to get by, it is a very rewarding experience, especially if you can visit Paris and actually converse with the people you meet there.

And these days, it is much easier to learn another language. In fact, it is easier now than it has ever been before. Check back this week to see how!