Paris Girls Weekend Day 2

Day 2 of our girls weekend in Paris we spent the day shopping and eating well and ended the day at the Louvre. This post contains affiliate links. 

Day 2 of our Paris girl’s trip was Friday morning, and possibly my favorite day of the whole trip.

(more background on our girls trip and Day1 here)

One group woke up at the crack of dawn to head to Versailles for the day. Another group left around 8:30 for a packed itinerary of museums and landmarks. And I didn’t get out of bed until almost 9.

A small part of me wanted to pack as much as I could into this short time in Paris. But another part of me wanted to come home feeling rejuvenated. One day that meant packing in as many museums as we could into one morning and relishing in the fact that I could not have done that with two toddlers. But on Friday morning it meant sleeping in, taking a slow morning getting ready, responding to a few urgent emails, and then setting out a little later than anticipated, without feeling bad about it.

We set off to find the oldest bakery in Paris, that served croissants to King Louis the XV! The chocolate almond croissant and strawberry pastry we tried were delicious, but not THAT much better than the croissants we’d had the day before (better than other bakeries, but not by as much as I expected given the history of this one).

Pastries in hand, we wandered in the direction of Sezane, a french boutique I’d seen on instagram (targeted instagram ads before I left to Paris were successful! and the internet is a little creepy). The space was beautiful and the clothes were darling. It was like Anthro meets J.Crew with french flair and if it hadn’t been an 80 degree day, I might have done a little more damage with all of their gorgeous sweaters. In addition to the beautiful clothes, the shopping experience was top notch. The displays, the customer service, the ambiance, the packaging. If you’re in Paris, stop in here for sure.

We went around the corner to Cos next and spent too long browsing through their large sale selection before we realized what time it was.

Worried about our lunch reservation, we quickly paid and called an uber, with about half an hour to get across the city.

A group of us met for lunch at Pre Catelan, a gem tucked into Bois de Boulogne park on the west side of Paris (beware of the park, though.n An uber driver let a friend know it is a regular meeting place for transvestite prostitutes and there were a few sightings of people walking around in only thongs).

We left our purchases with the concierge and settled in for a few hours of decadence and luxury.

The food was incredible but above that was the service. And the cheese tray. And the dessert cart. And the company.

It was my first michelin star dining experience and such a treat. A few highlights of the meal:

• They brought a little stand just for my purse.
• Our server was this sweet old Frenchman who explained each course and how to eat it as he brought it out.
• The seven of us spent more in water than I did on any other meal in Paris.
• A few of us almost threw up after trying the foie gras. I guess if we didn’t like it here, there’s no need to try it anywhere else.
• The veal! And the mussels! And the mashed potatoes (that were 1/2 butter 1/2 whipped potatoes). The burrata salad!
• And the jasmine macarons. After we’d finished our dessert course they came by with the sweets table (it was these little unanticipated parts of the meal that were my favorite). All included with our dining experience, we tried everything on the table, I think. Hands down the best thing I ate the whole afternoon was a jasmine macaron. I’ll be dreaming about those for a long time.
• We were the last lunchers there and had the whole restaurant to ourselves by the time we left

After lunch we walked over to the Louis Vuitton Foundation museum and took in the interesting architecture and beautiful grounds. We didn’t have time to wait in the line for admission so we enjoyed the view before taking an uber over to the Louvre to meet the rest of the group.

We wandered the iconic museum through sunset and spent a little too much time in the book store checking out all of the fantastic children’s books.

For dinner we split into a couple of different groups and I found myself enjoying tacos with three friends in a small restaurant in between the Louvre and our apartment. Before you say anything about getting tacos in Paris, think about what the french do so well. Meat. Now imagine how delicious tacos would be with the best meat you’ve had in them? Add in the broken conversation we had with the two Mexicans who found themselves in Paris for love and studies, respectively, and it was a memorable dining experience.

Back at the apartment we stayed up far too late talking into the night, but what else could you expect when fourteen friends are under one roof?

Day 2 Pastry Count:

• 1 chocolate almond croissant
• and a bite of the strawberry pastry
• 4 macarons at Pre Catalan (and plenty of other desserts)

^the oldest boulangerie 

^how pretty is this pastry? 

^the displays in Sezane were so pretty

^before checking out with our purchases 

 

Pictures from our Meal at Pre Catelan: 

^starting with bread and butter

^an extra little course of mussels and a burrata salad 

^the foie gras and the perfect piece of brioche  along with some creamy emulsion (everything except the foie gras was delicious) 

^crab with some kind of asian twist that was also delicious

^it was perfectly done cod, but evenly when perfectly done, cod isn’t my favorite 

^the veal, though, was worth writing home about

^this cheese tray! 

^the group tucked into our own little room 

^velvet wallpaper on the way up to the bathroom 

^my partner in crime on Friday – on the grounds of Pre Catelan after lunch 

^the lunch crew (thanks, Channing, for finding this restaurant! )

^Louis Vuitton Foundation museum – just opened recently in Paris 

no pictures of the louvre or dinner – I’ll come back and add iphone pictures later!

outfit details:

black cropped jeans: Agolde (more agolde jeans here)

black sneakers:  Cole Haan – loved these for walking around Paris all weekend  (more cute sneakers here)

black flats: I can’t find the exact ones online but these are the leather version .

scarf:  Target

maroon shirt: I snagged this super soft mock neck tee when I realized the weather in Paris was going to feel like summer but I still wanted to look like fall

black crossbody bag: Rebecca Minkoff (more crossbodies here)