paris in the fall - day 1

Outfit Details:
Zara Overcoat , Francesca Scarf (old, similar here) , Joes Jeans ,
Forever21 Crop Sweater (old, similar here) ,Adidas Sneakers

I was so excited and thankful to be able to take another trip to Paris but this time I got to experience Paris in the fall with all of the gorgeous leaves changing and the crisp cool weather. It was truly the ultimate fall vacation for Patrick and I since we do not get to experience a fall/winter season that much in Los Angeles. We had 5 1/2 days in Paris and I am going to start with our Day 1 itinerary. 

We traveled from LAX to CDG airport flying Delta for this trip and had quite a pleasant experience. We booked our flight and planned out our trip using this travel post here. I always like to plan our flights as best as possible to beat jetlag and I have found that after some horrible trial and error, literally Patrick and my trip to the Mediteranian coast was the worst jetlag I have ever felt, I swore I would never do that again! I have found that booking a flight closer to late afternoon/ night time to leave and landing in the afternoon is the best. We left around 1 pm Los Angeles time and landed around 11 am Paris. So after landing at Charles De Gaulle airport, we took an Uber to our AirBnb. I find that Ubering is the easiest to use when landing because you do not have to find out how to speak with a taxi driver in a foreign language, and you do not need to get cash exchanged right away when landing at the airport. And plus trying to navigate public transit when just landing from a 10+ hour flight is miserable. Trust me, Uber if you can! As soon as we arrived, we checked into our AirBnb located in the 2nd arrondissement. I prefer the 1st, 2nd, and Le Marais areas the best because of the access to tons of cute shops, cafes, and it is close to a lot of the attractions and spots that I end of love visiting while in Paris. I also prefer AirBnb because I like having a locals view of living in an apartment in Paris. It just makes me so happy to experience cities the way locals get to. 

Since we landed in the afternoon and my husband's parents were joining us did not land until later that afternoon the first half day was spent just lounging and enjoying being in Paris by way of the infamous cafes. I threw on my big coat and scarf over my airplane attire, and we went to District 80 MM and had a glass of wine and their yummy bacon macaroni. We then just took the time to walk around our little neighborhood just exploring and taking everything in because, hello we were in Paris!! Later that night we spent time catching up and chatting with the family over the BEST meat & cheese board  from Le Cafe Noir.

THINGS TO KNOW:
- Most all of the cafes in Paris will have a posted menu outside. It is very normal and common to look over the menu outside to decide if you want to go in
- Also if you do not understand French and the menu has no English, then use Google Translate to translate the images (instructions here). It was a lifesaver!

the louvre museum

So for our official "first day" we woke up and got coffee and breakfast at a local cafe on our walk to the Louvre Museum. It was forecasted to rain most of the afternoon so this was the best way to spend our time, getting lost in the museum. For the Louvre, I suggest buying tickets online beforehand at this website. The past two times that I have been to the Louvre, I have bought the tickets that morning or the night before to secure a spot in the "I have a ticket line" (on the left side when looking at the entrance) which is always wayyyyy shorter than the other line to get in the museum. Show up about 30 minutes before your time slot starts to get some good photos and admire the glass pyramids outside the Louvre. Depending on how much you love art and museums, you can spend as little as an hour or you can plan an entire day out of it. The most famous piece is the Mona Lisa. 

However, here are the top spots I loved seeing at the Louvre:

• Covered courtyard featuring incredible sculptures (Level 1 - Richelieu Wing)
• Galerie d'Apollon (Level 1 - Denon Wing, Room 66)
• Grand Salon of Napoleon III (Level 1 – Richelieu Wing. Room 87)
• The Wedding at Cana Painting (across from Mona Lisa (Level 1 - Denon Wing, Room 6)
  
• Mona Lisa (Level 1 - Denon Wing, Room 6)

THINGS TO KNOW:
- Buy your tickets beforehand to get in the shorter line (phone tickets acceptable)
- The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays
- There is a coat & bag check in the front lobby
- There is a cafe on Level 1, Denon Wing if you need a snack,
​   coffee, or the cutest chocolate pyramids

arc de triomphe

After the Louvre, we got on the metro and it popped us straight out at the Arc de Triomphe. You can buy tickets to go up to the top, but honestly it was pretty cool to just see while walking along the roundabout admiring it from multiple angles. We got to the Arc right at sunset. Then we strolled down Champs-Élysées, which is one of the most famous streets in the world. Kind of like Rodeo drive in Los Angeles. After the Arc, we headed back near our AirBnb in the 2nd arr. to get dinner at the cutest little French restaurant, La Brigout. It was very cozy and small and served authentic French cuisine. You can make a reservation online to help make sure there is a spot. I recommend a bottle of red wine with the ratatouille and duck. I had to get the ratatouille in Paris because I am a big fan of the cartoon movie Ratatouille lol!