Sunny Friday in the 7th – how to have a splendid day

Bonjour, ça va? I’m doing well here. I know it’s been a while since my last post, I was simply out of inspiration. In fact, maybe that should be my next monday meditation, inspiration? One thing that has inspired me is the beginning of spring. What a beautiful weekend we had here to celebrate! Crocuses are blooming, tulips and daffodils are popping their heads up to say “Salut sunshine!”, very motivating indeed! So, I thought I’d get back into things with a daydream about a day in one of my favorite neighborhoods of Paris. It’s a sunny Friday in the 7th – how to have a splendid day!

le matin

The next time we visit Paris, husband would like to stay somewhere with an Eiffel Tower view. We will probably splurge for our anniversary, but if we had to pick a hotel in the 7th, I believe La Comtesse would be a chic choice with gorgeous views. Just imagine having your café in the darling La Comtesse Café or even outside on the terrace enjoying the sunshine. And if we wanted to go Airbnb? What about this charming apartment hosted by Christophe? You can’t get much closer than that, and look at the price 🥰! I also found the Relais Bosquet Hotel which has a room with an Eiffel view and looks sweet as well.

If we were staying at La Comtesse, we would of course have to take advantage of La Comtesse Café. Starting our morning from the other two locations, we would head east on the avenue de Tourville, stopping at Le Bistrot des Gascons for petit déjeuner. Très charmant, non? Of course everything in Paris is charming to me, I better click on the old thesaurus… Continue down Tourville, and stop and spend some time walking around Les Invalides, enjoy the sunshine reflecting off the gold dome! Then a turn down the boulevard des Invalides to the rue de Varenne and the Rodin Museum. I’ve never been! A leisurely walk around the sculpture garden would be perfect, with some time spent in quiet contemplation next to Le Penseur, mais oui. A beautiful spot for a sunny Friday in the 7th – how to have a splendid day!

l’après midi

This afternoon we are going to have a picnic on the Champs des Mars with a sunny view of the Eiffel Tower! First we have to shop for our supplies. Straight to rue Cler, one of my favorite streets in Paris. Sure it may be touristy, but it is perfectly Parisian, perfectly charming (there’s that word again!), ok, perfectly delightful! It’s ust a short walk around the corner from all three of our chosen places to stay. First we’ll make a quick stop at Mariage Freres for some fine tea to take home. How to choose?? Last time we brought home Midnight in Paris 🥰. Et wow! As I’m walking down rue Cler (via Google Streetview) I see there is a Laduree, that’s new! So a stop there for macarons, and next door to the Artisan Boulanger for une baguette 🥖. On to Jeusselin Traiteur for our pâté or fois gras (sorry sis, it’s a tradition!). We have gone there for all of our Eiffel picnics. They have always been so helpful, so nice. We’ll ask for a demi bottle of Sauternes and not only will they open it for us, they will give us cups to serve it in! We’ll pick up a few more goodies there, grab a giant dish towel for our picnic blanket from a souvenir display, maybe some fruit from the corner market and we are on our way! What a beautiful (charming 😜) perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon in the 7th.

le soir

Time for pizza! I literally did hours of research trying to find a good pizza restaurant in the 7th. Nothing too touristy, like Alfio, although it did look fun. I was looking for original pizza with quality toppings, in a cool atmosphere and honestly it was very hard to find! Finally I found Popu Bistro à Pizza at 12 rue du Champ de Mars. “A place where the food – all home made – is inspired by traditional popular French cuisine around the well-known pizza with an original “à la française” touch.” If you can’t picture the charm, take a look at their sweet dining room. “Chez Popu tout est fait maison et avec beaucoup d’amour!” So which one do I want to duplicate tonight? I’ve done one with potatoes, with creamed artichokes, with mushrooms… let’s go for the Burrata Joli-Cœur with Provence tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, burrata, olive oil and mint. Miam! I also will be making it at home with a lot of love.

I think we should end our night with a cocktail, pourquoi pas? Or should I say bien sûr? I think I might have mentioned this place before, because I know I’ve daydreamed about it before. Fitzgerald would be a very special way to end our sunny day in the 7th. I’m going for the Zelda 2.0 with vodka, basil leaves, Saint-Germain liqueur and lime 🍸, tonight chez Barton aussi! Salut! I hope you have a beautiful sunny weekend wherever you are! A bientôt!