On our way home, we snuck up on the Sacre Coeur from behind and marveled at its majestic beauty.
We went around the front and took in a beautiful view of Paris from the top of the hill, and I snapped this sweet photo of Mom & Tom gazing at the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
The next day we took a stroll through the Champs-Élysées, did some window shopping (or "window licking" as they say here) and stopped over at a few cafés in the process. We were definitely flâneurs.
No problem with a little Renault 2-seater to scoot around Paris in!
The next day we started off at Jardin du Luxembourg, with some sunshine and macarons from Jean-Pierre Hévin. YUM.
We walked north to Shakespeare and Company...
Where Tom tickled the ivories...
And I tickled the typewriter keys.
Just across the river is Notre Dame, which my mom has waited her whole life to see.
I kept taking Mom's-head-on-Tom's-shoulder shots, which I thought were romantic, and eventually my mom said, "It's more fatigue than anything." Walking around all day will do that to you! I still think it's sweet.
That night Tom and I picked up a quick bite at a hidden-away, delicious and authentic pizzeria in the 18th.
After not getting to spend Mother's Day or my mom's recent birthday in April with her, I declared July 2nd to be her Unbirthday. I planned the day to make her feel as special as she is. We spent the day, just the two of us, on a Jenna-guided Amelie Tour. I met her at the train station (at Lamarck-Caulaincourt, where Amelie drops off the old blind man before dashing up the stairs) and I came down the stairs singing (loudly), "A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You."
One of the big landmarks to see was Les Deux Moulins, the café where Amelie worked. We ended up sitting in the very spot where the jealous guy sits every day in the movie.
(don't we look exactly alike here?)
Mom had a mid-morning super hot chocolate.
Another fun landmark in Montmartre is the front of the Sacre Coeur, where Amelie leads her love around guided by blue arrows.
That night, I had tickets for the three of us to see a string concert of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" at Sainte-Chapelle. To see and hear this was... indescribable. The sun began to set during the concert, pouring powerful late-day light in through the cathedral of stained glass.
And the string ensemble was amazing. So beautiful, I can't really even do it justice on this blog. I cried for half of it. If you're ever in Paris, that is the most underrated activity you should DEFINITELY do.
Afterwards we went in search of nourishment.
We settled in at a beautiful little restaurant in the 2nd arrondissement. While we awaited our very, very delicious food (and the best white wine I've ever had), Mom and Tom silently drank their entire glasses of water, and looked at each other, and kept drinking.
Tom ordered the Baba Au Rhum, a common dessert in Paris, and I guess nobody realized (except me) that it would be a cake drenched in booze. With a bottle of extra booze just in case it wasn't enough. Mom and I took over the reins, but it did not get finished!
Tuesday I let them have a romantic day alone in Paris together, and Wednesday I met up with them for a special dinner for Tom's real birthday, the 4th of July. I said to him, "This may be your first birthday without fireworks!" We went to Gallopin, a beautiful art deco brasserie with sweet waiters, a reasonable prix-fixe menu, and the best foie gras I've ever, ever tasted.
I finally tried escargot, which was actually pretty tasty. I happen to love garlic.
I had told the waiter it was Tom's birthday, and by surprise they brought out his dessert with a fiery sparkler on top. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I've never, ever seen a French restaurant do this before! So he did get some fireworks after all.
We walked a bit after dinner, through the lovely neighborhood near the restaurant.
And I gave the birthday duo some parting gifts from Arnaud Lahrer.
I had a fabulous and fun week with my parents - an experience I'll never forget! They're masters at traveling. I'm so glad and grateful they were able to make the trip happen, and that we got to share so many adventures together in France.
