Hotel de la Sorbonne

There are many great places to stay in Paris, but I picked and enjoyed Hotel de la Sorbonne, a boutique hotel located in the Latin Quarter.  It is a well-located charmer with free Wi-Fi and iMac computer TV in the rooms.  It is price-right, friendly, recently-renovated and clean and I love its stylish and modern design (for starters, bold wallpapers and quotes from French literature woven into the carpets).  From the 2,000 hotels listed in Tripadvisor, I chose this hotel based on these criteria: $200 or less, in the 5th or 6th arrondisement.   It gets great reviews, which accurately points out the very tiny rooms (which is sadly, very common in Paris).  But I was okay with that since I knew we wouldn't spend too much time in our room.

Paris at night

Ode to Latin Quarter

During this trip, we opted to stay at the Latin Quarter (5th arrondisement), and we did not regret that decision at all. There is really no bad area to stay in Paris as I think all of its 20 arrondisements has their positives and negatives, but the Latin Quarter was a great option for us simply due to its central location with convenient access to RER/metro stops, great eateries, and tourist attractions. Besides the location, we saw plenty of locals as well so it did not feel like we were detached from the real Paris. Here is a photo tour of this area:

Velib station (Velib is Paris' bike rental scheme, about 1,500 stations citywide):


Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the city's most beloved parks (technically located in St. Germain de Pres, but it borders the Latin Quarter):


St. Michel fountain (a popular meeting spot in Paris):


Mosquee de Paris, the city's art deco-Moorish mosque and a slightly off-the-beaten tourist sight:


Sorbonne's main university campus is located in the Latin Quarter (area is named so because university students here communicated in Latin until the French Revolution and to this day, Paris' academic center):

What I'll miss most...

Our trip to Paris was pretty much perfect (my only complaint: a couple of rainy and partly cloudy days). We had delicious meals, stayed at a great hotel, explored areas I did not get a chance to during previous trips, got away from work and other responsibilities, and best of all, enjoyed quality time together celebrating our third anniversary. Here is what I'll miss most about Paris (for starters):

A sweet treat, like a Nutella crepe, mid-afternoon:


A leisurely breakfast consisting of delicious coffee and croissant:


Reliable mass transportation (we rode the Metro a lot in Paris, and it never failed us, longest waiting time was 5 minutes):


Gelato in the evenings during our after-dinner stroll (so delicious and much better than the gelato we get here):


French pastries:

A new favorite museum

One afternoon during our trip, it rained like cats and dogs. I was hoping to explore the Jardin des Tuileries, but with the rain, it would not have been that much fun hanging out at a park, so we decided to visit the nearby Musee de l'Orangerie. What a great idea that turned out to be! I now have a new addition to the list of my favorite Paris museums, which includes the Rodin and Musee D'Orsay.  This museum is perfect for me as it contains a significant amount of Impressionism, which I am a fan of.  In addition, I think I enjoyed it due to the museum's small and manageable size (optimal for those with short attention span like me!). The museum is simple and fuss-free in the way it displays works from artists such Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, and more.  Upstairs, it is an inspiring Monet showcase, where the painter's eight, tapestry-sized water lilies paintings are displayed in two oval rooms.  Downstairs contain stunning collections by the above-mentioned artists. The visit was definitely a treat I will remember for a long time.

The Seine

One of my favorite activities in Paris is a cruise down the Seine, which in my opinion, is the city's most beautiful boulevard.  I have been to Paris 3 times, and each time, I made time for this cruise. It is so serene and you get a chance to see the city's major monuments (such as the Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre) and watch the river activity.  Plus, visiting Paris means for most people, lots of walking.  The cruise can thankfully provide a much-needed rest for tired feet. 

Macaron

I admit with a little shame that one of the things I was most excited about our trip to Paris is to finally have a macaron, my favorite cookie invented by the French, in France. I love its moist, chewy interior and crunchy, egg shell-like exterior. It comes in a wide variety of flavors from the traditional (e.g., vanilla, chocolate) to modern (e.g., rose, jasmine). Based on a brief internet research, the best macarons are to be found at Laduree and Pierre Hermes, so we went to both while in Paris (sidenote: here is an interesting blog post from Hipparis.com about the rivalry between the two).

I loved the macarons at both places. My favorites were the coffee and the caramel with salt ones from Laduree. What I would do for some right now!