Paris Recap - Day Three + Four

On Saturday morning, we got up and met one of Sammy's cousin's at Laduree. He used to work there when he lived in Paris (he's actually moving back because he's been officially accepted to sing in the Parisian opera!), so said he'd be able to get us a great table.

And that he did. We were upstairs in one of the gorgeous salons. I thought we just got a big table because they knew him and we'd be able to spread out and all that. Right as we sat down, he said he would be right back and I figured he was going to say hi to people he used to work with or something. But after about thirty seconds, he comes back around the corner with his parents and Sammy's grandma! She has been traveling throughout Italy for the last few months and she surprised us and came to Paris. It was so special.

I almost felt guilty about being here without my mom because it is SUCH a her kind of place, so I took pictures of every single detail to show her later haha.

We all got tea, had their brunch selection, and split a few other plates.

Even the butter! I can't.

Just absolutely stunning. His cousin said that each room is inspired by one of King Louis's mistresses. 

 Again, it was SO special to spend the morning with Sammy's grandma. We went our separate ways after breakfast since we had somethings we had tickets for and it was our last full day there, but we snapped a picture before we headed off.

We made our way to the Rodin museum, which was a hit with Mr. I Pretend to Hate Museums.

As one does...

The museum is two parts: the outdoor sculpture/rose garden and "the hotel" which is where Rodin created his art and met with his models and other artists.

Everything was so impressive, especially The Gates of Hell, and we could have spent more time there if we had it.

I love, love, love this sculpture.

The back of the estate is so lovely and gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer to soak it all in.

We went to D'Orsay only to realize L'Orangerie (where I actually wanted to go) is down the street and not connected to D'Orsay. Don't ask me why I thought they were connected... 

 So we hightailed it out of there (I've been before and LOVED it, so highly recommend, we just didn't have the time) and walked across the Seine to L'Orangerie.

The Catacombs was at the top of Sammy's list, but seeing Monet's Waterlilies in 360 was mine.

I absolutely cried and can hardly describe what it was like to be in that room. It's unbelievable. Monet is my favorite artist, so to be totally surrounded by his genius was so amazing for me.

I took about 97 photos at various angles before we left to see the rest of the museum (which is really small actually, so I'd recommend it for people you may be traveling with that have short museum attention spans ;) ).

Must note: all weekend long we got pictures sent to us from people watching our boy. LOOK at that guy. I was so relieved he was so good for everyone.

From there we walked over the Luxembourg Gardens because we wanted to make it before sunset when they close. The walk there was so lovely.

On the way, we passed the main street where my mom and I stayed when we were in Paris together. That's one of the restaurants we went to. It was so fun to see some of our old spots.

 The gardens were packed, but I was anxious to get a seat somewhere and have Sammy experience all its beauty. I knew he would love it like I did the first time I came.

We got a little treat before dinner and found a spot on one of the lawns to rest our feet.

Afterward, we stopped for dinner. And like two Italian idiots, we got pasta in Paris.

We kept on walking after dinner, found a sweet little striped dress for our niece, and got ourselves on river cruise to end the evening.

My mom and I did one when we were in Paris and I enjoyed it a lot, so I suggested it to Sammy as a way to cap off our trip.

We got another treat after the cruise and walked down some happening streets late into the evening.

It was a little overwhelming how busy these streets were, but it was also kind of awesome to see.

Before heading back to the apartment to get ourselves packed and ready for a day of traveling the next day, we sat on a bench near the Eiffel Tower and waited to see it sparkle one last time.

Our flight the next day wasn't until the afternoon and we didn't need to check out until 10 a.m., so we slept in and then wandered over to a bakery before getting a cab to the airport.

Us two dorks were incredibly happy to get us some extra leg room in the exit row haha which was much needed since I got stuck in the middle seat on the next flight which was six hours long and could barely move haha.

I got a better picture of Iceland! Haha

We had to circle O'Hare for a while because they didn't have a gate available for us, so we ended up meeting my mom a little after 7 p.m. and then we waited for my brother who was also coming home from Europe that night. We visited with some family before heading back to CL to see our boy!

Even though our trip was amazing, it was so nice to come home, especially when your best friend and her husband leave your house spotless and wash your bedding for you. Like who. Oh and leave doughnuts. OKAY.

We got ourselves together a little bit, unpacked, and played with Henry before calling it a night.

It's been so nice to get back into our routine after our trip. It was only a few days, but it felt much longer. I've loved getting to relive these moments though in this recaps 'cause it feels like we were there so long ago even though we've only been home a few days haha. Time is so wonky! 

I hope to be back in my favorite city soon. There is truly no place like it. xo