Y’all better read this about Paris…

Paris….a place to feed the mind, body and soul.  Love it!
I am a gal pal traveler who wants to head back to Paris each year with the gals, but I am not a frequent a flier like our friend Priscilla – too much going on to commit each year and I am married to a guy who thinks there is no oxygen above the Mason/Dixon line.  You will never see him hop the pond over to Europe.  But I will!

I want to comment on a few things about Paris that the regular gal pal travelers have probably taken for granted at this point.  In terms of satisfying the palette, obviously there are hundreds of fabulous restaurants from which to choose and all of the places we ate at are already listed on Priscilla’s website  But, I want to comment on one well-known café that grabbed my attention.  It’s on Saint Germain de Prés – Les Deux Magots.  Y’all cannot find better people watching anywhere in the world!  From us gal pals to the famous locals, all can attest to the fact that beautiful people cross your way when you sit outside at this café.  One thing you will never find in other places as good as at Les Deux Magots, at least per my travel companion Christine, is the hot chocolate (chocolat chaud).  On one of our visits to Les Deux Magots, our group settled into some chairs outside ready drink some vin rouge, when Christine said, “ No…we MUST have the chocolate.”  I said, “I like chocolate, but I like vin rouge more.”  Her response was, “No, it is better than sex.”  Hmmmm!  Now don’t you want a chocolat chaud now too?  Yes, we all jumped on the hot chocolate…pun intended… and it was indeed quite satisfying.

Lest you think our trip was not full of substance, we visited many great museums and sites.  As for my way of thinking, I find it incomprehensible that back in the day, people were able to construct such beautiful and architecturally complicated buildings.  Like gal pal Christine, churches are a particular favorite of mind and I tour them whenever I travel to new places.  And, might I say, Basilica St. Denis absolutely took my breath away!  Upon entry into the church you see that it contains the sarcophagi of numerous French aristocrats.  At one point their actual remains were in the church, but the little guy, Napoleon, threw a temper tantrum and had the bones dumped in the fields.  Sigh!  Not to worry, there are plenty of sarcophagi to interest you and hold your full attention.  Each piece is artwork in its own right.  Everyone from Clovis (465-511) to Henry IV (1503-1610) and others have been interred at St. Denis.  Like Christine, I highly recommend this excursion to the northern suburbs of Paris.

In general, I feel like the other gal pals that Paris feeds my soul………..the fruit and flower stands, the food and wine, the slow flow of the Seine, and the energy and memories of past times all combined gave me a wonderfully soulful experience.  I miss it and long to visit again soon!

Au revoir and see y’all later,

Clare

Gal Pal Clare was born in Georgia, grew up in Mississippi and has been living in Texas for decades. She was a blast to have on our trip!