PARIS MAY 2018: PT 1

Tee - Opening Ceremony, Sweatpants - Opening Ceremony, Purse - Cher Tote by Angela Roi,
Sneakers - Adidas, Duffle - Vintage Louis Vuitton

I'm back from Paris and have finally had a moment to organize my thoughts/itinerary/photos from the trip. A week seems like a relatively long visit, but it's amazing how the time flies by and everything starts to blur together!

I had the most amazing stay, and am so grateful to have had the chance to spend some real QT with my friend during my visit. Other times I've visited Paris (you can see my other trips here) have been with someone who has never been to Paris before and thus, a lot of time is spent hustling around making it to all the 'must sees'. Don't get me wrong, that is fun too, but it was awesome to just relax and not feel pressured to get a whole lot accomplished other than just enjoying friends and the city.

Doing some 'prep' before my trip also made things a lot more enjoyable in the long run. I won't be redundant, but if you haven't seen my Vegan Guide to Paris or What's In My Carry On, check those post out for managing being Vegan in Paris and while traveling in general!


Because this post is quite long (in a good way!?) I broke out my itinerary so you could jump ahead if desired.

Saturday – travel day (DTW>CDG)

Sunday
Cantine Primeur
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Rosa Bonheur

Monday
Yumi Café and Juice Press
Vegan Mania Beauty
Love Juice Bar
National Archives at The Hôtel de Soubise and the Hôtel de Rohanrial
BLV Belleville

Because I was flying international, I fought my natural tendency to run very last minute in getting to the airport. Luckily things went smoothly with check in and security, so I had some time to grab a bite before the flight. My favorite place to eat in the McNamara Terminal at DTW is the bar at Plum Market. They make an awesome Thai salad with crispy cauliflower that is super delicious and relatively healthy in terms of airport food. Plum Market is also a great place to find healthy snacks for your flight if you forgot to grab them ahead of time.

Thai Slaw at Plum Market in the McNamara Terminal at DTW

Something I discovered during this trip is that for most international flights, Delta will accommodate a vegan diet for your in flight meals and snacks! It's a super easy process to log into their site and edit your meal preference for the flight, and I have to say (for airplane food) the meals weren't THAT bad! I definitely came prepared with snacks (you can check those out here), but it was awesome to know that I would have the option of a hot meal like the rest of the passengers. On the flight from DTW > CDG I got dinner, a snack and breakfast - all vegan! You can find more info about how to request special meals on Delta flights here.

Vegan Chili and Brown Rice on my Delta flight from DTW to CDG

Flying overnight from Detroit to Paris, I landed about 8 am local time. Despite not sleeping much on the flight, I find pushing through the day is the best way to avoid feeling jet lagged your entire trip. So after arriving to my friend's, having a coffee and freshening up, we headed out for the day! Our first stop on the vegan culinary tour of Paris was Cantine Primeur, a small, but completely vegan restaurant in the Belleville neighborhood. We were heading to Parc de Buttes Chaumont to meet friends, so I decided to get the 'plate of the day' as it would be easiest to take to go. Their "assiette primeur" was a delicious mix of different vegan bites. Lentil salad, roasted sweet potato and beets, carrot slaw, hummus and endive, and crispy baked falafel - it was SO good! If only I could have the chef of Primeur prepare lunch for me every day, I'd be a happy and well fed girl! Having the meal alongside a glass of rose, on a sunny afternoon in the prettiest park in all of Paris didn't hurt either.

My 'to-go' meal from Cantine Primeur

After enjoying a leisurely afternoon in the park, we headed up to Rosa Bonheur, a bar in the center of Buttes Chaumont, and truthfully, the only place to be on a Sunday evening in Paris.We soaked up every last bit of sun (and sangria) on their patio, and when the sun finally succumbed to the night, we headed inside to dance to the very best selection of American early 2000's pop music until the early hours of the morning. Jet lag be damned!

After a late on Monday morning, we headed to Yumi, a vegetarian cafe and juice bar. Another small spot, with a limited 'dine-in' menu, but vegan options and also a great 'grab and go' selections of salads and juices. I got the avocado toast (sans chevre), which was super yummy with delicious cranberry walnut bread, and the daily bowl which had mix of chickpeas, fresh spinach, and pomegranate arils in a tart vinaigrette. My friend had the bagel sandwich - all three of our dishes were exceptionally delicious.

I spy a Plant Based Detroit tee...

Vegan Avocado Toast

Veggie Bowl

Bagel Sandwich

After brunch we walked over to Vegan Mania, an all vegan beauty store in the Marais. Tucked away off the main street, this hidden gem stocks a small but thorough array of vegan goodies. They even had things like vegan hair color, which might be harder to track down at more traditional stores.

Ready for a sweet treat and some reprieve from the heat (it was about 80 and sunny most of the trip!) we popped into Love Juice Bar and grabbed some Strawberry "Mylkshake" to take with us on a walk through the grounds of the National Archives at the Hôtel de Soubise. The name is a bit decieving, as Love doesn't actually offer fresh juices (or at least they didn't when I visited), but they do have a selection of smoothies, acai bowls, elixirs and coffee drinks available.

Earrings - KITH X Pamela Love, Sunglasses - Stella McCartney

The grounds of the National Archives at the Hôtel de Soubise and the Hôtel de Rohan are absolutely gorgeous. Open to the public, they're a great place to make a momentary escape from the buzz of the city and enjoy the calm and beauty of the gardens. Locals will post up in a shaded corner to enjoy a book on their lunch break, I recommend following suit. 

Dinner Monday night was a simple spread of roasted eggplant, fresh baguette (can you ever have enough?!), and the yummiest zaatar hummus. Oh, and  rose. You'll probably find the rose is kind of a constant throughout the trip.

We closed out Monday with late night drinks at BLV. I didn't eat there, but did check out the menu they do have some vegetarian and vegan options if you visit for a meal.

Do I have the most handsome friends or what?!

My fashion guru: Jacquemus knitwear designer, Josselin Neumann.

Stay tuned for Part II of the trip, with lots more vegan eats and treats, coming soon!