Jetlag is real, y’all.
It took nearly a full week to feel like a normal Californian again – including 7:45pm bedtimes and dreaming of Parisian pastries and Swiss muesli.
I am excited to share photos from the trip of a lifetime with you all here on the blog. It is a vacation/adventure that I will never forget. If I could, I’d snap my fingers and be back in Paris to start the trip all over again. It was that good.
All smiles — Europe, here we come!
I have 1,362 photos on my camera card to review (not including those on my phone nor the 900+ photos my mom took with her camera). Send coffee… or better yet, a cappuccino — many, many cappuccinos.
We left my apartment at 9:00am on Saturday (90-minute drive to the Sacramento Airport for a noon departure) and arrived in Paris on Sunday around 2:00pm. No, it did not take 24+ hours (we jumped 9 hours ahead); but, it surely felt as if it had. We didn’t fly direct: Sacramento — Seattle — Iceland (!) — Paris. Yes, I was tired and slightly cranky by the time we arrived at our sweet rental in the 4th arrondissement (after a 45ish minute shuttle from Charles De Gaulle Airport).
The shuttle dropped us off at the Place Sainte Catherine. I think we both looked at each other with sleepy smiles, “Oh my gosh, we are really here!” Within minutes, our greeter, David, arrived to show us our rental where we’d stay for the next four nights. My mom and I sighed silent sighs of relief when David spoke fluent English (an American from Pennsylvania).
David spent the next the next two hours (What time is it!?) introducing us to our quaint Parisian abode. He was an enthusiastic and informative greeter, doing his best to make us feel at ease, fresh off the plane, in a foreign city.
After our detailed “tour” of our petite room, David graciously guided us on a brisk walk around our new neighborhood – Le Marais district – giving us a history lesson of Paris as he showed us the closest metro station and recommended few of his favorites (ahem Berthillon Ice Cream). A wealth of information he is!
The rental we stayed in is called the Studio on the Square by Cobblestone Paris Rentals. I came across this adorable sleeping space early on during our Europe trip planning. I immediately fell in love and booked it months in advance. The reservation process was quite simple, and the owner, Jennifer, was prompt to respond via email to any questions I had.
The studio was just right for me and my mom. Located right off Place Sainte Catherine, it’s on the second floor (up one short flight of spiral stairs) of a quiet residential building. The windows open up to a clean courtyard with potted plants. We felt very safe here, despite being unfamiliar with the area.
Place Sainte Catherine — on a quiet morning
Marie Antoinette — a press-popular parfumerie next door to the studio’s entrance
The room, small to the American eye, fits one or two quests (with light luggage) comfortably. The studio is equipped with all cooking necessities, including a stove, pots, utensils, and even items like olive oil and sugar. We had planned to make oatmeal some mornings, yet we opted for fresh croissants instead. Hello, we’re in Paris! We did take advantage of the dual washer/dryer hidden in the kitchen cabinets as we predicted laundry being slim the remainder of our travels.
We flipped through the resource-full bookshelf, used the phone for free calls, and ignored the TV and DVDs (too much to see, too little time!). On our last evening in Paris, we used the free Seine River boat cruise tickets that we received when reserving the studio – an appreciated perk!
Our experience at the Studio on the Square started our Europe adventure off on a good note. My mom and I agreed the location is prime — Place Sainte Catherine is worth a visit in and of itself. We ate at restaurants on the square three out of four nights; it’s simply charming!
From the tasteful decor to the bottle of Bordeaux wine and chocolate upon arrival, the friendly greeter, and communication with all Cobblestone staff, we were very pleased with our stay at Studio on the Square. I am glad I found this gem in the cutest neighborhood in all of Paris (only to which we discovered once we arrived).
Merci, Cobblestone Paris, for a cozy, comfortable and pleasant stay!
Disclosure: I was compensated to write this review. However, I personally selected to stay at Studio on the Square by Cobblestone Paris and paid the standard rate for our stay. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
>> Jennifer at Cobblestone Paris has offered to give Two Free Seine River Boat Cruise Tickets to anyone who books and mentions Nutrition Nut on the Run. <<
