Paris, Part Deux

We celebrated Brian's birthday by taking a trip to Paris and Zermatt. It was a big birthday and deserved to be celebrated in a big way. We started the journey by taking the red eye from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul, with a connection to Paris. We arrived at 10 AM into Charles de Gaulle and were greeted at the airport by our driver and his big black Mercedes. There's nothing better than arriving in a foreign country and not having to deal with transportation or the logistics of getting to your end destination.

We rented an apartment in Marais in the 4th Arrondissement of Central Paris. It was such a beautiful apartment with a great location. Over the next 4 days, we wandered around Paris shopping, eating, and drinking our way across the City. As this was our second trip to Paris, we felt pretty comfortable getting around and visited some of our favorite shops. A must in Paris is to stop into Pierre Herme for a box of macaroons, La Dernier Goutte for a fine bottle of red wine, and Le Grand Vefour for dinner. One of the unexpected surprises was the Salvador Dali and Eileen Gray exhibits at the Pompidou Centre. We also had one of the best meals ever on the rooftop restaurant, Georges. The views overlooking the City were breathtaking. And our new favorite spot for an afternoon glass of bubbly is Le Bar at Hotel George V, just off the Champs Elysees (thanks for the tip Jane and Greg).

And now off to Zermatt, Switzerland...