One of the best parts of this Paris visit was being able to spend time with a few of my blogger friends.
The second day of Josephine’s visit (day 1 recap here), we were up early and off to Citypharma to check out the “parapharmacie” skincare and beauty products. We arrived before 9am and seem to have avoided any huge crowds, though there were already quite a few other customers. I’d made a list, and found most everything I was looking for. For those who have been asking, here’s my “haul.” Yes, the prices there do seem to be lower, even than other pharmacies in the area.
Clockwise: moisturizer | toothpaste | lip balm | eye drops | makeup remover wipes
(Re: the eye drops, I don’t know if it was the unusual amount of air pollution or just dry winter conditions, but I found my eyes were feeling a bit dry and irritated during my stay.)
We did some wandering and shopping around St. Germain, and took lots of pictures for our blogs. And a few coffee breaks…
I love this picture of Josephine.
The day after Josephine left to return to London, Greetje (No Fear Of Fashion) arrived from Amsterdam. Greetje and I met the first time over two years ago when we visited Amsterdam. She’s great fun and I was looking forward to seeing her again. She has a wonderful sense of humor, loves to shop and loves a coffee, so we get along famously.
And shop we did, though mostly browsing (at first). We hit rue Cherche-Midi first, and worked our way through the neighborhood up to Boulevard St. Germain. Below, Greetje tries on some fun earrings.
We’d both been circumspect with our spending for most of the day, but then wandered into this fabulous shop (Greetje was looking for long gloves) and found ourselves in a world of temptation with a very shrewd and persuasive Sales Associate. She was good, that one. We didn’t stand a chance. She used all of the Jedi mind tricks. That she was “Parisian Nonchalant Rockstar Chic” personified probably didn’t hurt either. Jeans, white blouse, black sequin jacket.
I left with a gorgeous Swarovski crystal and jet bead necklace, which you’ll see in an outfit on the blog soon. I’ll let Greetje tell you what she bought. You can see her recap of the visit here. The shop, BTW, is Alexandra Sojfer on Blvd. St. Germain.
We dropped our purchases at the hotel, and then set off for dinner at Le Comptoir du Relais. I’d eaten there with le Monsieur some years before and it was fabulous, so when Greetje suggested it, I was eager to return. It did not disappoint.
We decided over dinner that after our encounter with the Jedi Sales Associate, that we needed to stay out of the shops for the remainder of her stay. So our plan for the next day was to wander and take photos.
We set out along rue de Grenelle, stopping periodically to do our style blogger routine.
You can tell from the camera angle how much shorter I am than Greetje. We kept to our shopping ban.
But there’s no harm in looking in the windows, especially if the shop is closed.
I’d wanted to visit rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement, so we walked there. It’s very charming, and one section is lined with shops, food stalls and cafes.
We stopped, of course, for a café crème and a pastry.
Nom nom.
Locals were out shopping for Sunday lunch or dinner, and this vendor above was popular. It all looked (and smelled) wonderful.
The woman in the background in the puffer…a very tenue typique that I observed. (Check back on Wednesday for more Paris street style photos!)
Since we were in the neighborhood, I was determined to get some good Eiffel Tower shots so we wandered over that way next. December is a wonderful time to be in Paris! The city is quieter, and not as overrun with other tourists. I will definitely visit again this time of year.
That mission accomplished, it was getting time for Greetje to catch her train back to Amsterdam, so we scurried back to the hotel and said our goodbyes.
I also was able to enjoy two long lunches with Tish, one of those with Sharon as well. We always get to talking so much that we never get around to taking pictures.
It was the icing on the éclair being able to spend time with these wonderful women! Do you ever take “girlfriend getaways?”
