For all the crap things that happened in 2017, the really bright spot in my life was traveling. Starting first and foremost this time around with Paris - somewhere I have wanted to visit my whole life. When a dream is fulfilled, it's a strange feeling to not have a longing in your heart that has been such a part of you for most of your life.
I've already written some about Paris, such as the amazing vegan food. And about a few of the fascinating places I visited such as Marie Curie's lab and office . As well as my visit to painter Gustave Moreau's home and workspace.
I wanted to write a little bit about where we stayed. We picked a beautiful little apartment off of Air BnB in the Latin Quarter of Paris, which was not far from a lesser known, very unique collection of museums you should visit to get off the beaten path, such as the Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy. There are more places we visited in this collection of institutions and I will write about them later this week.
The building we stayed in ended up being a landmark itself, on Rue Mouffetard, and it was from the 17th century, the oldest street in Paris. Some parts of the building it was evident how old it was, such as in the staircase, but in our rented place it was magical fairy tale space perfect for drinking champagne and eating baguette when your feet were too sore from the thousands of steps you've taken to drink in every bit of Paris you can each day. The neighborhood was filled with small, beautiful shops and a bakery right around the corner crowded with people as soon as the work day let out. There is something magnificent about the smell of fresh bread late in the day. Since I associate it with waking up it seemed as if the best part of the day was just getting started. Plus, you'd often have a crusty left over for the morning to have with jam.
It was just far enough away from all the main tourists' area to get a real sense of how people live in the city, but close enough that it was not difficult to get around. As soon as we arrived and dropped our things off we walked down to Norte Dame and had coffee and snacks as we drank in the atmosphere of the famous Shakespeare and Company. It took abut 30 minutes or so, but it was grand to stop and look all around the neighborhoods.
If you want a charming, petite place to stay in an old, lively, neighborhood I highly recommend this area. You're also never far from champagne shops, bars, and easy to shop grocery stores with gorgeous strawberries.
