Bonjour Paris! So nice to see you again...

Will & I have both been to Paris before so we had already gotten all of the siteseeing out of the way during out past trips.
*If you want more info on that, look for old posts under the "Paris" label.

We considered going to some new places via day trips like Mont St. Michel but ultimately, we used this time to just relax and enjoy the city. While we revisited some tourist spots just to take a new quick pic, we spent most of the time eating, shopping, exploring neighborhoods and doing more eating!  The only main difference was the time of year we went.  Since I'm a teacher, we typically travel in the dead of summer where Paris (and most places) are in the midst of their busiest and hottest time of the year.  It was pretty amazing to get to go over Thanksgiving and during the fall.  We both commented several times at how great it was not to be sweaty and have your hair in a ponytail dripping from the heat and humidity.  We found that we actually liked wearing jackets and fall clothes.  Also, since it is towards the end of November, it's officially Christmas season and everything was so fun!  They have tons of fun Christmas markets everywhere and there are lots of festive lights and Christmas decor.  We loved it and highly recommend going to Paris this time of year! Since there's nothing super noteworthy to remember in terms of where to go, I'm combining our entire 4 days in Paris in one MEGA post with lots of pictures and more simple captions. Prepare yourself!

Our AirBnB was tiny but in the best location in Marais!  You just go out the big blue doors and they were tons of restaurants, high end stores, ice cream places, etc.  It was the perfect location near the metro but also walking distance to almost everything!  There was even a huge Paris subway map on the wallpaper which made for helpful planning. :)

 

 

 

First, some revisits of some of the famous sites...

 Notre-Dame Cathedral

 Sainte Chapelle Chapel

 

The Eiffel Tower

Sacre-Coeur Basilica

 

Our favorite part of being in Paris- the CHRISTMAS MARKETS!
They were all so fun and festive!  We went to multiple on this trip but our favorite was at the Champs Elysee!

Roasted chestnuts and mulled wine!

 So many treats!  I had to try them all!

 

They had all kinds of "fair food" but this was my favorite.  Freshly melted FONDUE with bread and charcuterie!!  I died and went to heaven! J'adore fromage!!!

Lots of silly but super nice vendors at the Christmas Markets!  The Parisians were especially nice this trip and feeling festive!

This guy sold us the charcuterie that would later get confiscated at Customs on the way home.  SUCH sadness to watch them throw away our delicious meat!! I almost risked just not declaring it but when I saw the sniffing dogs, I was glad we were honest.

And really, just relaxing and LOTS of eating...

delicious cream puffs at Odette

At the Bon Marche-Epicure which is basically a really fancy grocery store that I wish I could go to on a regular basis.  They had the most amazing cheese and charcuterie selection and look at the selection of butter behind me!  Also, General Mills cereal is quite pricey over here!  What?!

 Delicious ramen in Little Tokyo where you could pick the fat content of the broth?! Super busy and limited seating so while you're eating (on a bar stool, mind you), people are literally standing behind you waiting for you to finish eating!

 Other deliciousness/other random eats...

Le Voltigeur- cutest cafe!

 

amazing pizza at East Mamma!

This store was Julia Child's favorite cooking store!  I wanted to get something as a fun souvenir but I legimately didn't need anything!  I should have gotten a wooden spoon!

 

 Stohrer- the first patissierie in Paris!

This trip to Paris was our favorite yet and we still can't wait to come back.  A bientot!  (pardon my missing French characters!)