Day 4 July 13, 2007

Paris, France

Today, we woke up around 11am, showered, grabbed some pastries at the bakery next door to our apartment, then took the Metro to Avenue Franklin Roosevelt (off the Champs Elysees) for some shopping! Emma decided that her first major purchase was going to be an original Pucci dress from the Pucci store. Thank goodness the soldes (sales) were still in effect! We then walked down the Champs to see the incredible car dealerships then to Laduree for some nourishment in the form of macaroons and pastries! Yummy! After our snack, it was time to head over to the Boulevard Haussman for a fashion show at the Galeries Lafayette. The show was fun to see, but it’s not something I need to do again. The clothes were very interesting – some better than others. Shopping at Galeries Lafayette was crazy! Because of the sales, the crowds were insane – this place is like Bloomingdales on steroids! Every designer you can think of has either a department or boutique within the store. We went up to the rooftop to see the incredible city views, including a great view of the Opera Garnier which is right across the street. Matthew headed back to the apartment while Emma and I did some shopping damage in the store. Before we left, we went down to Floor -1 (yes, that’s “negative 1”) to get the proper forms to get a detaxe refund at the end of our trip. Emma and I eventually found our way on the Metro over to Le Grand Colbert to meet Matthew for dinner. We were all very excited to eat here, as it’s the restaurant featured at the end of the movie Something’s Gotta Give with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The restaurant was full of Americans – big shock! We started our meal with a glass of champagne, then Emma and I each had a bowl of Onion Soup au Gratin (huge portions!) while Matthew had a salad with warm chevre en croute. Emma and I shared the chateaubriand (which we ordered “medium” though it was served very rare!) with potatoes and onions. Matthew had a filet de boeuf with frites. The portions were enormous – so much for those small French servings! We ordered a bottle of Bordeaux from St. Emilion that was delish! Matthew had asked our friend, Melanie, to arrange an anniversary celebration for us, so the wait staff came out singing and carrying this amazing ribbon/flower arrangement with a lit Roman candle! After dinner, we decided to take a cab over to the Champs Elysees so I could see the night scene there. The Arc du Triomphe was gorgeous all lit up! The crowds were huge – comparable to Times Square in NYC – and many of the stores are open until midnight. We took a taxi back to our apartment for some much-needed sleep!