In life there are some people that you have special relationships with… for a whole variety of reasons… they might be family, they might be friends… it doesn’t matter… they are your person and that is all that counts.
In my case my niece is my person… more like a sister… so when she was about to celebrate an important birthday, selfishly I wanted her with me.
Paris is a long way from Australia for a birthday lunch especially via Avignon but that is what happened. There are plenty of wonderful ways to say ‘happy birthday’ in Provence… but how could she come all that way to France and not visit Paris? So that’s what we did… Paris for lunch.
It was a surprise… My daughter and I made all the arrangements before she arrived in St Rémy… fortunately she had a few days before her birthday to acclimate.
She woke up that morning to a very excited pair suggesting she hurry up, get ready because we were going to Paris to do our celebrating.
It does sound crazy to travel two and a half hours on a train for a lunch but when you are Australian and in the habit of long haul travel… a couple of hours is a mere bagatelle… besides where better to start a new decade than in Paris.
There are many glorious ways to spend a day in Paris… many restaurants, many arrondissements… and so much to do and see.
Some days are all about history, some days are full of culture and some are more about discovery but this day was all about pleasure… we were celebrating not sightseeing.
Champagne, delicious food and… perfume were on our agenda.
A long lunch at the Hotel Costes on the rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré kicked off our birthday extravaganza.
The decor is fabulous, the food is girly good and the people watching the best. It’s not fine dining but the atmosphere is buzzy and the champagne chilled. Ambience was what I was after… relaxed and casual.
We wanted to laugh and reminisce… be comfortable and spend time. We did.
Location wise… it’s a winner. Out the door and you are minutes away from some of the best shopping in Paris. A quick browse in Colette, a candle from Astier de Villatte and steps away from the Palais Royal.
Our destination was the Shiseido Serge Lutens boutique and a flacon of ‘fleur d’oranger‘. A much loved scent for the three of us.
There is something so splendid about being in a beautiful city without rush, without hurrying.
Having enough time to luxuriate in the beauty but not enough to feel compelled to race around and over visit… less was more.
This day was about being together, making memories and allowing the elegance and grace of Paris to infuse our happiness. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t document the day with major landmarks.
Who can go home without a shot outside the Louvre or a view of the Eiffel Tower? We managed happy snaps with both… Eiffel Tower key rings even made their way into our handbags.
A quick stop at Le Meurice for more people watching, decor quizzing and birthday toasting before we left for the Gare de Lyon and our train home to Avignon.
Upstairs in Le Train Bleu we sank into the comfort of their leather club chairs, made a few further toasts and waited for our train… the end to a pretty fabulous day and one that the three of us will remember for a long time.
The trip home is what will be remembered… We boarded the ‘fast train’ and in my state of relax I didn’t notice a couple of pertinent points. The train was departing from a different track than normal and carriages were not regular TGV style.
Could it have been the champagne? We settled into our seats, left the station and chatted about our day… until I heard the chef de bord announce over the loud speaker the words, ‘Avignon Centre‘.
You can see where this is going.
By accident, I had booked our returns on the slow train to the wrong station.
Instead of a speedy 2h 40 minutes we would be rocking through the French countryside for five hours something and arriving at a different train station from the one in which I had left our car that morning.
Nothing could have ruined our day and it was pretty funny considering I am always the one who warns friends not to confuse the stations or the trains when booking tickets.
We looked at it this way…a longer journey home made our fairy-tale day last even longer.
On The Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
Hotel Costes
239 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
75001 Paris
+33 1 42 44 50 00
Colette
213 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
75001 Paris
+33 1 55 35 33 90
Astier de Villatte
173 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
75001 Paris
+33 1 42 60 74 13
Salons du Palais Royale Shiseido
Jardins des Palais Royal
142, Galerie de Valois
75001 Paris
+33 1 47 48 95 89
Le Meurice
228 rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
+33 1 44 58 10 10
Le Train Bleu
Garde de Lyon
75012 Paris
+33 1 43 43 09 06
and this is still my favourite Costes music... xv
