Woot woot! I am super excited to get back in the zone and start sharing with you the many treasured moments from our 2 1/2 week honey-cation in Europe last summer! As I mentioned before, I’ve got about 16 posts coming your way (we squeezed soooo much into 2 weeks) and plan to share 1 Europe related post every week on Quaintrelle to keep things dynamic.
One last note before we jump into today’s sweet post… I’ve finally locked down a posting schedule for Quaintrelle to keep myself sane while I’m juggling grad school, full time work, blogging and life this semester which means you can expect to see new posts here on Tuesdays, Thursdays and sometimes Saturdays or Sundays. But mostly Tuesdays and Thursdays. 2 posts a week… I should be able to handle that, right? Anyways, back to Europe :)
Today we’re going pick up where I left off in Paris (you can catch up my previous posts here). After a jam packed 1st day that had us walking allllllll over the city of love, Charles and I decided to play it low key on our 2nd day in Paris. The itinerary for the day? To see the view of Paris from Montmartre and to taste the macarons from Ladurée.
If you follow other travel bloggers who have visited Paris, the general recommendation is to watch the sunset from Montmartre, a hill area located in the north side of Paris overlooking the city. Unfortunately, our schedule didn’t allow for us to visit the hill top perch during golden hour as we had plans to meet with friends for dinner later. On top of that, the morning we went to visit Montmartre, the sky was overcast and rainy…
Nonetheless, we were blown away by our foggy city view as well as with the impressive Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. We also promised each other to visit Paris again just so we can experience the view from Montmartre at dusk.
^^ The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
After spending a couple hours wandering around, people watching and bargaining with street vendors for souvenirs for our family, we headed back to the metro and made our way across the city to walk down Champs-Élysées, a major street in Paris that is pretty much the equivalent to 5th Avenue in New York City. We passed soooo many high end boutiques and restaurants as we walked down this street in search of Ladurée.
And let’s not forget the Arc de Triomphe, which is situated in this area as well. I swear the architecture in Paris is like no other. Such beautiful monuments everywhere and the Arc de Triomphe was no exception.
^^ Watch out for the bus babe!
^^ Got my shot. My hubba hubby and the Arc De Triomphe :)
When we arrived at Ladurée and found ourselves waiting in line for about 45 minutes before we were able to place our order for macarons, Charles asked me, “So what’s the big deal about this place again?”
My response, “Remember that time Peach and I went on a chocolate tour when I lived in NYC? Well during that tour, I had my first taste of a macaron and loved it. And Ladurée is an established bakery that is known for their macarons, they pretty much invented them. Our trip is not complete if we don’t get some macarons because it’s more than just about the macarons. It’s about the experience and I want to get the Ladurée experience with all the cute packaging. Pretty please be patient?” (insert my puppy eyes and pouty lip face)
Charles, being the awesome husband he is, responded by giving me the funniest look that I interpreted as, “I could really care less so this wait better be worth the hype” lol. Oh, how I love that man and how he indulges me.
The minute we entered the bakery, we were awed by Ladurée’s interior design. It was almost as if we were being transported back in time to the grandeur of the early 20th century. Gold accents, copper statues and warm lighting all came together to create an intimate environment that made us forget all about our long wait. Before we knew it, it was time to choose which macarons we wanted to try…
^^ Our box of delight: We got the pistachio (my favorite!), chocolate (my second favorite! *gasp*), Lemon, Raspberry, Salted Caramel and Mango. I must admit that we were a little surprised by how pricey our 6 macarons were when we arrived at the register to pay (about $26) but hey, we were on vacation and a little splurge here or there never hurt nobody. :)
^^ Visual Proof of Purchase (Rima I made it!)
Charles’s reaction to trying his first ever macaron from Ladurée = “Why are they so fluffy? They just disappear in your mouth. Did we just pay to eat some air?” Me = “You’re supposed to breathe them in one nibble at a time, not gobble it up in one bite.” Charles = “Oh. Well give me another one so I can eat it the right way.” And so I gave him another one to try. After nibbling it down, he proclaimed that macarons are too dainty for him and that as a man, he prefers a more “hearty” dessert which was fine with moi because that meant more macarons for me, myself and I haha. #happywifehappymarriage
Have you ever tried the macarons from Ladurée? Which flavors were your favorite?
Linking up with Travel Tuesday and Treat Yo Self.
