It's the holiday season, "the
most wonderful time of the year". I love listening to Christmas music and looking forward to all of the fun events and activities. I also love me some Christmas movies, and for me,
Home Alone, written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus, is at the top of the list.
It is so adorable, silly, and sweet. The music by John Williams is awesome, too. In
Home Alone, the whole family leaves poor little Kevin at home alone while they go to Paris. He survives the ordeal, but no one really gets to enjoy Paris because they are all worried about Kevin! So, in honor of
Home Alone, for this imaginary trip, I choose
Wishful Vacation #9
Paris, France
Why I imagine I would go to Paris:
I actually have been to Paris before, back in high school. It was pretty amazing then, but I didn't get to spend enough time in the city. Now, I'm married to an awesome man who hasn't been to Europe. I want to go back to Paris with him and explore! I love French food, so that would be another huge reason to go.
Paris is the capital of France and a very stylish city. It has a long history (the area has remnants of settlements from 4200 B.C.) and some really cool landmarks.
The Eiffel Tower,
Notre Dame cathedral, the
Arc de Triomphe, the
Avenue des Champs-Élysées (pictured above), and the
Louvre are all spots I was able to visit the first time I went to Paris. I'd like to visit those again and add to the list! Paris around Christmas-time must be totally gorgeous, too.
Where I imagine I might stay in Paris:
If I'm staying in Paris, I want to stay somewhere with a very classic French style, somewhere like the
Plaza Athénée. Built in 1889, the hotel features guest rooms with
Louis XVI and
Regency-style decor. It's so beautiful! I know that I would feel very fancy staying there.
Depending on which side of the hotel my room is on, I could have a view of the
avenue Montaigne,
La Cour Jardin (one of the hotel restaurants' courtyard), the rooftops of
Montmartre, or a side view of the Eiffel Tower! I guess I choose the tower. Check out this view!
A special feature of the Plaza Athenée is their pillow menu! I would have my choice of six different types of pillows, including wheat or de-stressing (whatever that means, I'm sure it's lovely). I want to stay in a room that looks like this:
Perfectly Parisian, don't you think? I think staying here would be quite a luxurious experience, which leads me right to my next topic.
What I imagine I would eat in Paris:
The Plaza Athenée hotel is also home to
Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée restaurant. Chef
Alain Ducasse has many renowned restaurants around the world, but the closest I've been to eating at one was going to Las Vegas and
not eating there. He has a restaurant in Vegas called
miX, but it was too expensive! Being this is a dream vacation, and his restaurant is IN my hotel, I think I'll just go ahead and eat there, no?
On the website, there is a link to his
New Year's Eve dinner menu. It sounds pretty delightful. It includes sea scallops, prawns, turbot, and lobster, and you know what a fan of seafood I am! For dessert, there is truffle brie, chocolate, champagne, and citrus. Yummy!
While I'm in France, I want to eat the way the locals do, too. I love French bread, cheese, pastries, cured meats and pates. When I went to Paris in high school, we ate at some random bistro, and I was amazed by the delicious (and simple) roasted chicken and fries. The fries were round potato slices, which just seemed so much better than any fries I had eaten before!
I want to find a bakery like this:
and a bistro like this:
and I want to eat what they have to offer. I think it would be great fun to eat in Paris. They seem to place a bigger emphasis on food quality and meal-time than in America, and I like that a lot. From my experience, they also include chocolate in their breakfasts regularly. Awesome!
What I imagine I would do as a fun activity in Paris:
I think a fun activity to do in Paris would be a walking tour! There are many amazing sights within walking distance, and I have found that walking tours really allow you to take time and
see things. Being in another country, it's also nice to be walking among the local people, to get a feeling for the place. In a car or bus it can feel more like a show than a real place. Many companies offer walking tours in Paris.
Paris Walks looks like a nice one.
Have you been to Paris? What do you suggest I do there? Do you love Home Alone as much as I do? I didn't think so, most people don't. That doesn't stop me from loving it, though. Let me know where you think I should go next on a wishful vacation!
Happy travels!
xoxo - Erika
