Paris – September 24 to October 1

We really didn’t know where to go for the last week of September.  I know – good problem!  Thought seriously about going to Germany for Oktoberfest and a tour of the Black Forest, but then saw a listing on the internet for a Jimmy Buffet concert in Paris on September 26.  After calling AmEx’s travel concierge, I was able to get two face-value tix, so we decided to go to Paris before Germany.  Then, a week later, while at the El Pellicano pool in Porto Ércoles – with Gary and Kam – I saw that the Ryder Cup was being played in Paris from September 28-30.  And then, through some miracle, I saw that they had just released some tix for Friday Sep. 30 on the official Ryder Cup site!  BTW – I’m pretty sure this event had been sold out for about a year.  So, Germany was cancelled and a great week in Paris was on!  Guess we’ll get to Germany next time.

Although we had tickets to great events, we didn’t yet have a place to stay.  Unbeknownst to us it was Paris Fashion Week – apparently a really big deal – and that all hotel prices are essentially double that week.  We got lucky with a reservation at the Hotel Montecristo in the 5th arrondissement [http://hotelmontecristoparis.com].  It’s a chic, boutique style hotel that was literally only three months old.  For the first three nights, they put us in a very large suite with a huge steam room shower.  The last four nights were spent in a tiny room with just enough room to walk around the bed – but that is Paris!

On our first full day we made our way to the Jimmy Buffet concert at the La Cigale theater [lacigale.fr] in the 18th arrondissement – just below Sacre-Coeur Basilica.  Such a great place for a concert.  An old style Paris theater that seats about 900.  We had great seats in the second row of the balcony (and no one sat in front of us – five open seats).  So great to see Jimmy in such a small place.  The crowd was virtually all American Parrot Heads who knew the words to every song.  And the band seemed like they were in a great mood.  We learned that Buffet has been doing a week of shows every year in Paris for the past 14 years and that many in the crowd – including a lot of of U.S. ex-pats – make a special trip every year to see this show in a tiny auditorium.  Anyone want to sign up for next year?

The following day we learned that Paris St. Germain – the number one team in France – was playing a soccer match that night in Paris.  Again, we got lucky and were able to get great tickets in the field section.  Another really fun night.  Very nice stadium and great fans.  Especially those in the end zone that sang, banged drums and waved flags literally the entire game.  BTW, PSG won 4-1. So fun!

We spent the next day just walking around exploring the Marais and doing a bit of shopping, which by the way is really great in Paris.  Also did a bit of drinking which is also pretty good in Paris – especially after a trip to Beaune – which helped decode the mystery of Burgundy wine labels.  Fun fact – they are virtually all either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. And, for the most part, really good!

On another fortunate trip to the internet, I saw that the Ryder Cup had released a few tickets for the first day of competition – so I bought one.  (Shawn decided that one day of golf would be enough for her). I made a big mistake and took an Uber, when I should have taken the train (Uber was slow and expensive).  But after the Uber, a shuttle bus and a long walk, I was finally at the course.  The weather was spectacular.  About 65 degrees and sunny.  The event was really set up well with hills around each hole for great spectator viewing, large walkways for the massive crowd (about 60,000 per day) and a huge upscale food village with lots of picnic tables and giant television screens.  And a massive merchandise tent – probably 50,000 square feet.  

It was a really fun morning as the USA took a 3-1 lead.  But the jubilation quickly dissolved with a 0-4 drubbing by the Europe squad in the afternoon.  So great to see golf’s greatest players in a team competition. 

Was quickly Saturday night in Paris and our week was speedily slipping by.  We knew that Jimmy Buffet was playing the last night of his four night swing so we decided to see if we could get some tickets.  After cruising around the 8th arrondissement – super swanky – and doing a very necessary mailing of accumulated stuff back to Val’s house (thanks Val❤️), we headed back to La Cigale and fortunately scored two tickets within five minutes.  We were also fortunate that the Saturday night show was going to be standing room only on the floor, so no need to get seats together.  After stealthily making our way to the front of the stage (about 5 persons back) we saw another great show and had a really fun time.  Lot’s of fans from Virginia and the Carolinas, as well as a super rowdy group of guys originally from LSU that make a point of meeting in Paris every year at the Buffet show.  Although the “big songs” remained the same, the band played a very different set from the prior Tuesday night. Another great night in Paris.

Next morning we were back to Le Golf Nationale where the Euro’s took no mercy on the floundering USA superstars.  Although there were a few flashes of brilliance – Tiger made an eagle putt right in front of us – there was little drama as the USA team melted down against the Euro onslaught.  A great event, but no joy for the fans wearing red. Bravo to the Europeans, but looking forward to 2020 in Whistling Straits.  

In addition to the great events, we did manage to have some fantastic meals.  Au bon Coin in the 5th is a great French bistro [http://auboncoin-bistrot.com].  Casual setting, but fantastic fish and meat dishes – a world class gazpacho – and the best chocolate mousse in France.  So good that we went back another night just for the dessert.  La Dilettante is another great find in the 13th arrondissement [www.la-dilettante.fr].  We had a spectacularly good lunch there.  I had the beef with chimichurri which was amazing and Shawn had the sea bass.  All followed by vanilla ice cream with the best chocolate sauce ever.  Super decadent and our favorite meal this time is Paris! Semilla is another fine restaurant [semillaparis.com].  This one is located in a more touristy – and fun – area near Rue Bici and St. Germain.  It’s full of Americans, but is very good.  Another good restaurant is La Coupole [lacoupole-Paris.com].  Suggested by our great friends Henri and Joyce, this place is known for its giant seafood platters.  We had one and it was excellent.  La Coupole is big, bright and glitzy with a roaring 20’s vibe.  It seems to be a place that the French might come for a night out in Paris.  Our reservation was for 10pm on Friday night and the place was packed.  We still had to wait almost an hour.  But some good people watching in the bar.  

Overall, we had a terrific week in Paris.  People ask us all the time – “What’s the best place you’ve been to on your trip?”.  At this point, I’d say the best “city” is Paris.  The architecture is amazing.  So much fun stuff to do.  It’s pretty clean and the people, despite the stereotype, are pretty friendly – especially those under 40.  We love this town.  

Now we are on our way to Bayeux to tour Mont St. Michel and then Normandy. Time to mix in a bit of history with all the fun!