Musée de Rodin & Midnight in Paris

The Thinker

My friends and I watched Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris the night before we went to Paris. It totally set the tone for our trip. It gave us this exciting, romantic feeling before we even got there. We were inspired to visit the Rodin museum after watching the movie. Some of the scenes were filmed with The Thinker in Rodin's garden.

The Musée de Rodin was a little oasis in the middle of busy Paris. We arrived just 1.5 hours before closing time and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere exploring the grounds and Rodin's former place of residence. The museum houses a large collection of his work and his contemporaries. The house was beautiful, but seeing The Thinker in the garden was the best part.

Before heading back to our apartment in Montparnasse we enjoyed a late lunch with pasta salad and a huge glass of white wine. A nice quiet way to end our day of busy sightseeing

A night to remember at Chez Paul

Ile flottante- heaven in a bowl

When my friends from Boston came for a visit this summer, we went to Paris for several days. Living three hours from Paris is still my favorite thing about being in Maastricht. We tried to be French for four days. That was a challenge, considering that only two out of five us spoke French.  Nonetheless, we tried to enjoy the yummy aspects of French life. Croissants, wine, and lekker eten. (This is an American's interpretation of French life). You know you're in for a good time when you visit a country where wine is sometimes cheaper than water. 

We were on a mission for typical Parisian cuisine. I read about Chez Paul from my favorite foodie, David Lebovitz. He has a section on his website about some of his favorite places to eat in Paris. We have eaten at several of his restaurant suggestions now and they were all delicious and usually an experience to remember. Our night at Chez Paul tops them all. 

We came to Chez Paul in search of a true Parisian "bistro" experience. Wow. It exceeded our expectations. The food is simple, but delicious. Several quotes of the night, "This is the best cheese I have ever eaten....This is butter is to die for..." My ile flottante dessert was possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. The lightest meringue I have ever had, topped with a vanilla sauce. This is another reason that I am forever trying to lose 10-12 lbs. Oh well. That extra glass of Côtes du Rhône and meringue are totally worth it. 

In the spirit of our Parisian adventures, I have ordered Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. My friend Michele (who was with us in Paris) bought it at Shakespeare & Company while we were there. She said it's a great way to keep Paris with us. Cheers to that! 

Jaap's macaroon & strawberry dessert

Visitors, Boston does Europe

Michele, me & Debbie

We've had a whirlwind of  fun over the past two weeks. Some of my closest friends from Boston came to visit. Together we traveled to Amsterdam, Bruges, several amazing days in Paris, a quick day trip to Monschau, Germany, an airport drop-off in Brussels (complete with waffels & beer) and of course, Maastricht.

I'm lucky to have to such great friends that travel across an ocean to see you and come with an adventurous spirit! There were so many times that I wanted to freeze time and hold on to the moment because we were having so much fun. Lots of great memories were made over the last two weeks.

There's too much to write about and too many pictures to choose from, but here are some of the highlights of their trip.

Drinking lots of beer...

 A bike trip to Eijsden & Eijsden Castle...

Celebrating Deb's birthday at one of our favorite restaurants on Rechtstraat in Maastricht, Eetcafé Ceramique and some drinks at a new wine bar...

 Day trip to Bruges...

An amazing four days in Paris...

We were inspired to visit the Musée de Rodin after watching Woody Allen's, Midnight in Paris the night before our trip. :)

Jardin du Luxembourg...

 Notre Dame...

 The Louvre...

 Exploring Montmartre...

 A day trip to Monschau, Germany...

 Last stop...Brussels, to drop Michele off at the airport.

What a great two weeks!

Paris with Jaap... & David Lebovitz

Our Parisian holiday continues with some more beautiful sites, romantic moments, and more importantly some incredible culinary adventures. Delicious food in Paris (and Europe in general) is just another reason why I am forever needing to lose 10 pounds. But, it's okay. I've tasted things I have never thought could taste so good! 


I did a lot of research before we left and planned much of what we did based on recommendations from one of my favorite blogs David Lebovitz: Living the sweet life in Paris. (He's an American pastry chef, food writer, and cookbook author who lives in Paris now). This blog has become one of my new favorite daily reads. There's so much great culinary information about the city on here. So, the subtitle for our weekend should be, Paris: A culinary tour with David Lebovitz. His recommendations did not disappoint!

After the cemetery, we hopped back on our bikes and cycled over to another neighborhood. It's so much faster to get around on bike and cheaper. I wanted to make sure that we had good, affordable French food on our trip. I just didn't want to go to Paris and eat at over priced touristy restaurants when you know there are so many amazing choices out there. It just requires a little time and research. :) 


We went to Breizh Café for some delicious gallettes, crêpes, and sparkling apple cider. We ate some savory gallettes made with really fresh ingredients followed by a sweet crêpe with rhubarb and strawberries. My favorite reaction of the meal was after Jaap sampled the fizzy apple cider and said, "I could drink a whole bottle of that." 

Galeries Lafayette

When my mother was telling some family friends that we were going to Paris, they recommended that we go to the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette. It's a large department store that  is a cross between Bloomingdales and Macy's at Herald Square...but French. 

The rooftop is free and open to the public. We were able to take some great pictures and see Paris from a different angle. I'm glad we took the time to go there. The beautiful views were definitely worth it. Not to mention the interior was quite beautiful as well. Here are some pictures of us in front of the Opera house. 

After a long day of bike riding we went back to the hotel for a little nap before dinner. Jaap made us a dinner reservation at La Petite Chaise. (Another great recommendation from David Lebovitz's website). He described it as a place to come for if you if you want classic French food done right. It's also the oldest restaurant in Paris. I was very excited for our romantic French dinner!

We enjoyed an amazing three course meal complete with some delicious white and rosé wine. This meal was incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. We both chose fish for our main course and mine was made with a beurre blanc sauce. Followed by a much too big portion of crème brûlée. Not to mention the service was great. Free carafs of water for everyone! We didn't even have to ask. You won't find this service in the Netherlands. The French know how to dine. The whole evening was special, not because of the food, but because I got to spend some quality time with my Jaapie.  A relaxed and slow paced evening full of good conversation, good food, and romance. 

Our third and final day in Paris began with some beautiful sunshine and stroll along the Promenade Plantée. It's a green walkway created from an old 19th century railway viaduct near the Bastille area. (Almost like elevated train tracks turned into a public park). It's full of rose bushes, arches covered in vines, various herbs and other flowers. It's really quite peaceful. Lots of benches to relax on and have a quiet moment. Walking along the promenade gives you some interesting views of the neighborhood architecture as well. 

Promenade Plantée

Fountain outside our koffiepauze café

Our last afternoon in Paris was spent at the Musee d'Orsay and walking along the Seine. The Musée d'Orsay is quite the site. Even though we had to wait an hour on line to get in, it was worth it. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to post here. They were pretty strict about no photography. I was excited to see some impressionist paintings of Monet and Renoir that I have never seen in person before. That' always exciting. 

'Romantical in Paris' ends with a lovely stroll along the Seine. We were kind of tired after our visit to the d'Orsay, so we enjoyed some lunch and wine first and then headed over to the river. We sat down on a bench to take it all in. I told Jaap that I wish we had some music to listen to at the moment. He pulls out his Ipod touch and plays some tunes. Haha! 

What a great trip! I can't wait to go back. :) Here's a little video of our rest on the river.