Happy Bastille Day!

Happy Bastille Day, or Joyeux Quatorze Juillet for you Francophiles! Today brings back a food flood of memories of our time in Paris this past fall. Mostly, it brings back delicious memories of pain au chocolat and gelato, traipsing around the Marais, feeling blissfully lucky to be alive, with a croissant in one hand and my dear husband’s hand in the other.

Sweet memories of strolling the charming Ile St. Louis for Berthilion ice cream (good), but discovering the best gelato in the world, Amorino Gelato.

Of course, we did more than just eat (barely). We also shopped. We had to after all that eating, as our previous clothing suddenly shrunk (must have been those kooky European laundry machines).

Speaking of silly (and celebrations), we were treated to an impromptu Halloween parade from our apartment window.

Which, no doubt fueled by fabulous $4 wine, promptly inspired us to join in. Can you guess what I was? That’s right! A fashion victim (I simply threw on EVERYTHING I had bought that day).

Now, we’re more than just silly Americans. We’re serious people who like to follow the rules. Which is why we rode our donkeys. Paris has a fabulously dangerous free biking system, which we took full advantage of  — for nearly a full hour, which was just enough time to curse each other, be cursed at by a local, almost get run over by a taxi and a bus (brilliantly, the bike lane is shared with buses and taxis because it would be super dangerous to share the lane with, say, a Fiat), and escape to the cobblestone-lined Seine (i.e., run for our lives) and be treated to a (free!) derriere massage.

Though memorable, we decided traveling by foot was best (for our survival). We frolicked in the fallen leaves and made our way to the largest and most famous cemetery in all of Paris, Pere Lachaise.

A beautiful, hauntingly romantic sight established by Napoleon in 1804, many a famous folk rest in Pere Lachaise. Frederic Chopin. Marcel Proust. Jim Morrison. Edith Piaf. Oscar Wilde, to name but a few creative souls.

But, what would a trip to the City of Lights be without going underground at least once? An art deco delight of black and white, if Kelly Wearstler had to live in a train station, I think she would choose this spot.

There was yet another sight to see. You may have heard of it, the name escapes me currently, but it’s tall and lights up at night. Hmmmm. If you peek between these croissants, you can just make it out. Oh yes, the Eiffel Tower. Merci.

Speaking of Merci, the best shop in all of Paris (according to expert sources, me), Merci, was right next door to our apartment.

Everything from clothes to bags to books to sofas was as artfully displayed as these pretty, poppy pencils (read all about Merci here).

All of that shopping and eating, eating and shopping eating, really wipes a non-elite athlete out. So, we said au revoir, Paris. Until we eat meet again!

Have you traveled to Paris? Have any favorite neighborhoods, sights, shops, cafes or secrets to share? Please comment below!