Today I arrived in Paris. It was a beautiful, sunny day. (My imagination means that every day will be a sunny day).

There’s no need to book any accommodation but hell, it’s Paris and you may as well stay in the best it has to offer. So I headed to Place Vendome by a personal taxi service to stay at a suite at the Ritz Paris. Driving through the streets I saw the Christmas decorations were out and similarly, when I arrived at the luxe hotel, they had all the Christmas decorations on display.

Trés jolie I say to the Ritz staff. They smile and nod their head.

Let’s explore the Hotel Ritz a bit….

So I’ve only got one night here before I head off to the Champagne region tomorrow and rather than have dinner at the Ritz, (I’ve eaten there before – not really, let’s pretend I have), I decide to go to a Brasserie instead in the 13th arrondissement near Place de La Bastille called Brasserie Bofinger. It’s in the Belle Epoque style which dazzles me as soon as I entered the place (ahem, clicked Play on YouTube).

I wanted to try some Alsatian dishes because the last time I was in France in 2019 (for real) specifically, in Strasbourg, (before the Learning and Development Convention that I was speaking at in Karlsruhe), I enjoyed some lovely Alsatian dishes so it was a chance to recall the memory and toast this time for inspiring me to return to Australia and learn the French language. Who would have thought now, after 4 years, I’m considered fluent (and can’t get to the actual country but anyway….)

I ordered Flammerkeuch and the Onion Tart and admittedly thought the prices were quite reasonable. They’re known for their Sauerkraut. They say the best restaurant for sauerkraut in Paris. The waiter offered me a glass of this wine with my meal. Not bad.

The meal turned out to be a lot cheaper than what we would pay in a typical Australian upmarket restaurant….

After the meal, I thought I’d do a Night River Cruise along the Seine. Usually, when I travelled alone in my younger years, I didn’t go out at night. (For safety reasons).

Now, virtually, I can go anywhere and do anything so it’s high time I get out at night by myself and check out the Illuminations of the buildings – and the Eiffel Tower which looks like a sparkling jewel in the night skyline. Just watching it gave me goosebumps and it wasn’t because it was cold or windy (because I was actually at home on the sofa) but nevertheless, it was….spectacular on the big screen ahem, in front of me.

After the cruise, I was feeling a tad tired (not by the flights because there were none – mainly because I was sitting on my arse on the sofa and I needed to move and start preparing dinner for my husband who was due to arrive home soon from his work).

After gorging on beautiful photos of the meals at Bofiger, I felt a bit deflated in all honesty. Not exactly Flammerkeuch or Onion Tart, my husband will need to just accept he’ll be getting a bowl of spag bol tonight. C’est tout.

Bon.

Tomorrow for Day 2, I decided to head northeast to the large town of Reims and see what’s happening there as I explore the Champagne region….

À demain mes amis!