Paris and Susan Shea

Continuing with responses from friends who love Paris as much as I do.


When I asked Susan Shea what she missed most, or what she might want to do when first returning to Paris, she said - 

Paris Encore

What do I miss about Paris? Pretty much everything except trying to walk on cobbles in kitten heels, a mistake I made only once. I’ve stayed in Paris in every season and there’s always something to love, even in August when the restaurants are closed (Bien sur! The chefs and staffs must have le vacance, mais non?) I agree with everything Kaye’s other guests have noted and won’t share the same photos. Here are a few more to relish.

Every time I return, I visit the Eiffel Tower, an iron lace masterpiece that never gets old. If you go early, you miss the crowds.

But I’ve never eaten at the fancy restaurant high up in the tower because my French friends assure me it’s not great – just for tourists. Instead, my sophisticated Parisian friend and I ate one time in a wonderful little place near the Trocadero.

I have stayed near Les Jardin du Plantes several times. I love roses and they have a magnificent rose garden. The gardeners, some of whom have a little English to match my little French, love to talk favorite roses, which is such a treat.

There’s also a shady allee, a perfect, quiet place to enjoy a jambon beurre (ham and butter on a baguette).

And, speaking of food – and how could one not in France? – I’m like everyone else. I drool in front of patisserie windows, shop at le chocolatier, love the finesse of French dinners, and always pick up a new food idea.

I always seem to wind up at Palais Garnais, the original Paris opera house, because it’s a major Metro stop, near Galleries Layfayette, an upscale department store with an atrium that climbs to the stars and Café de la Paix, where I once got stuck in the loo. Last year, for the first time, I went for the inside tour and a dance performance and had my iPhone camera loaded the pictures I took, you would be amazed at the ultra Baroque interiors. (for now, I’ve borrowed a shot from the web.) But the exterior is pretty nice too.

The trip before this last one was in December, and it rained a lot, so I walked along the long covered area opposite the entrance to the Louvre, the Rue de Rivoli, a great place to find little souvenirs for the family and friends who didn’t get to come along. But even better are the many passages, where I found a shop that sold vintage clothing.

Oh, there’s so much more. Paris never gets old, there’s always more to explore – the Marais, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, the museums…. And one day we will be able to visit again. In the meantime, two landmarks, one before the fire, one more recent.

Susan C Shea writes two series, one set in Burgundy. She loves France and loves writing about it.

DRESSED FOR DEATH IN BURGUNDY, May 2018
LOVE & DEATH IN BURGUNDY, May 2017

“…a pleasant getaway from hard core killers.” - NYTBR