Babymoon in Paris

There’s nothing better than Paris in the spring. After all, Audrey Hepburn did say, “Paris is always a good idea”. How about a babymoon in Paris in the spring?! As soon as we found out that we were expecting Remy, we knew we had to do a major trip just for the two of us. We decided on Paris because we love that city so much! We also found an amazing deal that we couldn’t pass up: $499 per person for a 4-night stay in Paris, including airfare and a room at a 4-star hotel!! I would definitely recommend checking out Travelzoo, since they scour the internet for the best travel deals.

This is our 1-year anniversary of our trip to the City of Light and I wanted to do an overview of the highlights! This is our second time in Paris (the first time was right after we got engaged in London <3), so we explored the path less traveled. It was a great experience and the perfect way to celebrate our love before we became a family of three.

 

Montmartre, Paris, France

The first time we went to Paris, we stayed in the city center, just a block away from the Arc de Triomphe. This time, we decided to stay away from some of that hustle and bustle and stayed in Montmartre, located in the 18th Arrondissement. It is home to the Bascilica of the Sacré-Coeur and is known for its artistic history, upscale cafes and shops, and old village charm. We loved strolling the brick-paved streets, holding hands and watching artists at work or people sipping café au laits.

 

 

Wall of Love (Le Mur des Je T’aime)

The Wall of Love is located in the Jehan Rictus garden square in Montmartre, Paris, France – right down the street from our hotel! It’s a love-themed wall where the phrase, “I love you” is written 311 times in 250 languages. The red splashes on the wall represent parts of a broke heart, which makes up a whole heart when gathered together. It was fun to people watch and try to find “I love you” in English, Vietnamese and Tagalog!

 

 

La Cuisine Paris – French Macaron Cooking Class

When you first walk into La Cuisine Paris, your nostrils are overwhelmed by this amazing smell! You smell roasting duck, baking baguettes and rising French macarons. It was heavenly! Prior to this trip, I’ve attempted to make French macarons and have had more failures than successes. So Chris thought it would be a great idea for me to actually learn from the French!

This class was taught in English (macarons are already hard enough without the class being in the French language lol) and it was an intimate setting of about 10 people and 1 instructor. Each pair of students made a different filling while the instructor demonstrated. We made pistachio filling, but also learned how to make chocolate ganache, pineapple jam, and vanilla buttercream. Even better, we learned BOTH methods of how to make macarons: the French and Italian method.  

At the end of the class, you go around the table and choose from the macarons that your classmates have made in order to fill your bakery box so you have a good variety of colors and flavors! Overall, the class was fun and easy to follow along. I’ve made French macarons since then and even though they look the same, they don’t taste quite the same.  Maybe it needs some French air or something. 😉

 

 

Angelina – the BEST hot chocolate

Imagine a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Melted. In a cup. That’s your hot chocolate from Angelina’s. Drool. This hot chocolate is TO DIE FOR. If you have time, we definitely recommend dining in. The line is a little bit long, but nothing beats the experience of sipping the superb hot chocolate with a side of fresh whipped cream, taking in the Art Deco decor and classic ambiance.  

 

 

Palais Garnier – Paris Opera House

When you enter Palais Garnier, you feel like you just entered a castle. Or the set of Phantom of the Opera. It is so grand and ritzy with sweeping marble staircases, luxurious chandeliers and painted ceilings. The architecture is breathtaking and can rival the Palace of Versailles (we went in 2014) in terms of its opulence. We saw a ballet here from our velvet box seats and it was an amazing experience!

 

 

Musée de l’Orangerie

Since we did the major museums the first time we went to Paris in 2014 (like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay), we focused on the smaller, yet still impressive Musée de l’Orangerie for this trip. This museum is known for its impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. Everything about this museum is like walking into an impressionist pain