From Dream to Suitcase

We'll be in Paris soon, and I'm already daydreaming about what we'll do while we're there...  First off, I'm trying really hard to look upon the whole flying process as positively as possible.  I can sit for 8 hours without a whole lot of trouble - I've done it at work for decades, so being on an airplane isn't that big an adjustment.  I can hold hands with Belovedest, relax, and listen to music or some of my favorite apps on my phone.  I've recently downloaded Insight Timer, which has dozens of guided meditations that are grand for relaxing... and then I can switch to Moz, which is just one long soundtrack of thunderstorms.  A bottle of water, some skin serum, and I'm good for the night!

image - USA Today

The last two dozens times I've flown, I've worn my black argyle cardigan, so this time I'm NOT wearing it.  This cardigan will be great if, in fact, the weather takes a turn for the pleasant, and if it's cold, I will be able to snuggle myself silly.  My Julie Egli scarf that I got over the holidays so terribly beautiful, and I'll wear it a lot in Paris.  My cross-body bag will probably be tucked into my briefcase for the trip...

Pearl stud earrings – Mikimoto, cardigan – Iro, scarf – Julie Egli, turtleneck – Merona, pants – Dorothy Perkins, cross body bag – Tumi, briefcase – Tumi, suitcase – Tumi, parka – Lands’ End,oxfords – Cole Haan (no longer available)

When we arrive, we'll head to out hotel across from the Pantheon!  Depending on timing, we'll either ditch our luggage and go out for breakfast, or head straight to our room and change clothes, because we've got a really busy first day planned.

Pantheon image - Wikipedia

We'll catch the train to St. Denis to visit the Cathedral.  It's chock full of French history (it was the burial place for many French kings), and it's considered to be the first truly Gothic structure.  I can't believe that we've never been there before.

St. Denis image - Wikipedia

And just a few hundred yards from the Cathedral is the Stade de France.  We do indeed have tickets to the Ireland/France rugby match - the final of the 2014 Six Nations tournament.

Stade de France image - Logis Hotels

So I'm wearing this:  spill beer on me or whatever, I will be ready!

Sweatshirt – Acne Studios, black waxed denimjeans – D RK SH D W by Rick Owens, turtleneck – L.L.Bean, shoes - Cole Haan (no longer available)

Sunday morning, I might make it down the hill to the Boulevard St. Michel, and crash into a cafe...  This will certainly be the worst jet-lag day, coupled with the excitement of the day before.  Leisure and people-watching is the order of the day.

Boulevard St. Michel image - Wikipedia France

So a cushy sweatshirt dress, a scarf, and some flat shoes will be perfect!

Hoop earrings – Yoola, scarf – Hinge, sweatshirt dress – Sacai,  tights - DKNY, flats – Thierry Rabotin

When we head out Monday morning, we'll give the staff a handful of pieces of laundry... Planning to have laundry done is one of the best ways to both minimize packing and give yourself some flexibility if the weather changes.

Musee Cluny image - Wikipedia France

Monday, we'll probably not go terribly far out of our neighborhood - I love to visit the Musee Cluny.

And we're going to try to get into Fish, La Boissonnerie, for lunch.  A wonderful restaurant, and it will then give us the opportunity to wander around St. Germain for a while.

Image - Paris en Photo

A sheer sweater with a tank underneath, some skirted leggings, and accessories...  Since this trip is for indulging the inner tomboy, I'm going to wear sweatshirt-inspired clothes, and my athletic shoes, as often as possible. 

Skirted leggings – Eileen Fisher, earrings – Majorica, sweater – M Missoni, Hermes Jardins des Metamorphoses (no longer available), bracelet – Majorica, black tank – Marc Cain

 In a few days I'll figure out what else we're going to be doing while we're in Paris, and I'll be able to finalize my packing plan!

Paris - planning again!

breakfast in one of the rooms at the Hotel des Grandes Hommes

Our 10th wedding anniversary is on the first day of spring, March 20, next year.  And we're going to be in Paris to celebrate - of course!  We booked our hotel and our flights yesterday.  It's not for six months, but I'm already getting very excited...

We're going to be staying at the lovely Hotel des Grandes Hommes (Hotel of the Great Men, NOT Hotel of the Big Guys), which is in the Place du Pantheon.  It's the hotel we stayed in on our very first trip to Paris, back in 1995 or so.  It's very lovely, and it is impossible to get lost getting back to the hotel because you can see the Pantheon from almost anywhere in Paris.  There is, however, that pesky bit about walking uphill at the end of a very long day...

"In this building, during the spring of 1919, Andre Breton and Philippe Soupault invented automatic writing, and gave birth to  surrealism by writing "The Magnetic Fields""
Not just any old building...

We're delighted to be able to secure a room here, because the first THREE hotels we tried were all booked full.  Six months in advance.  Gotta plan ahead, eh?  This is a neighborhood we know like the back of our hands, and the hotel is only a 10 minute walk (uphill) from the train that runs in from the airport - instant economies, the minute we're on the ground.  The cab fare saved will be spent on wine, I imagine!

Now we get to start the process of checking the schedules of all of the sports clubs in Paris to see if we will be able to attend any soccer or rugby.  And of course we'll need to know what art exhibits will be there. AND what concerts and operas....  Oh, the burdens!