Nestled behind the Institut de France in St. Germain is a quiet, charming little park with some unusual features.
Notice anything odd? cobblestones, trees, lanterns, benches......
This fountain looks ok -charming even.
Oh yes -the benches look like open books! I loved these whimsical places to sit and perhaps.....read!
Just don't let the creepy statue of the monk across the street scare you away!
Surprises around every corner!
A trip to Paris isn't complete with a healthy dose of shopping. Parisians excel in this department for sure! All shops, even the most simple, are very beautiful and tasteful with a big imagination! 
Or an eye-catching window display. This makeup shop (again along the Rue du Faubourg St Honore) had quite a crowd gathered in front of it. The makeup 'palatte' was made out of glitter that caught the afternoon sun beautifully.
A lot of shops would have a speciality, such as this 'Orchideiste' -that was a new word for me!
A charming hat shop.
A shop of chic houseplants!
Many shops would display their products along the street, such as this cute florist shop in St. Germaine, where a lot of the fun, more unusual shops are housed. Heather and I wondered how some of this stuff just didn't walk off' with would be customers!
This florist shop was next door to one of the most famous shops in Paris, Deyrolle. You know that was coming after I said 'unusual' right?
You all know I'm not always a fan of taxidermy but this shop was too fantastic to miss!
Why go to the zoo? These animals are silent and won't bite! 
These small birds were SO charming -I could see one sitting very happily on my coffee table! I was so tempted to get a little canary! I contented myself with taking home some candles though.
The shop is surprisingly bright filled with tons of natural light. 
An immense collection!
Turkeys and butterflies cohabiting peacefully.
I loved the wall color in here! 
One of the shops I was most looking forward to visiting did not disappoint. Cire Trudon in St. Germain was a fun stop with very 'historical' fragrances: warning -they're not all pleasant! However, I picked up a heavenly scented candle here, Proletaire.
A lot of the shops incorporate beautiful antiques and art into your experience. Roger Vivier had some outstanding antiques that were museum worthy. I wanted to take this ebony console with me, forget the shoes!
Of course Chanel was ever so chic, across from the Ritz as always!
And why waste time in a museum when you have roman antiquities filling shop-fronts along the small streets of St. Germain?
Or check out the Chagall along the Rue St Honore?
I think Paris had the most beautiful floral shops. Aquarelle is particularly well known, around the corner from our first hotel in St. Germain.
The city is so gray, that these flowers really POP!
Too beautiful for words....
This beautiful umbrella shop along the Boulevard St Germain reminded me of one of my favorite movies, the umbrellas of Cherbourg!
Notice the metal umbrellas hanging outside? 
The shop front of Zuber was black to show off the colorful wares inside.
Our favorite shopping haunts were definitely found walking around St. Germain back streets or along the Rue St. Honore. Avenue Montaigne had some AMAZING super high end clothing stores but was a bit intimidating to say the least!
All of that shopping is EXHAUSTING! It was always a relief to go back to the hotel room, drop the bags off and have a snack from Laduree with a cup of tea.
Photo at the top of the post is of the St. Germain Laduree store where we spent a small fortune DAILY.
First impressions are always so important. My first few moments in Paris set the stage for a week (well, 5 days ) of continual amazement. I kept exclaiming 'Everything is just so perfect, like a postcard!' and I meant it. 
I arrived from the airport at 8am to the local RER stop near our first hotel in St. Germain Des Pres, St Michel Notre Dame. I came up the subway station to be greeted by none other than Notre Dame, hence the name I guess -but it was so unexpected! I took the first picture of this post within seconds of my arrival! 
The other half of the RER stop name comes from St. Michel - the name of the boulevard it's located on. This amazing fountain is located right at the stop - Fountain St. Michel. Can I have asked for a more beautiful arrival point? 
I started off down the road along the Seine towards our hotel. 
This impressive building is on the Ile de La Cite (the official center of Paris, where Notre Dame lies), the Palais de Justice. 
Funny story from our trip - the Palais de Justice was incredibly huge and impressive and we passed it numerous times each day. Every time Heather would forget and ask 'whats that place?' (sorry Heather, it was too cute not to share!).
I was surprised by the scale of the city right off -much smaller than anticipated: human scale. Such a comfortable city and easy to walk around. After living in DC for years, I've grown accustomed to LARGE rivers, but the Seine, at least in this location, is practically a scenic canal.
While most of central Paris is very neoclassical, thanks to age and Haussmann, I fell in love with the juxtopositions of the scarce modern with the classical (not a surprise coming from me, right?). Many of these grand buildings along the Seine retain their classical shell but then surprise you with a very modern penthouse apartment on the top. Imagine the views!
A classical door surround, again taken within moments of arriving, featuring caryatids. Notice how the building seems balanced but is not symmetrical! I didn't notice this at first!
Lastly, I'll leave you with this beautiful old mansion nestled along the Seine. I have to say, St. Germain Des Pres was our favorite neighborhood in the city and you can see why!
I'm suffering from jetlag, but wanted to leave you with some amazing shots of a public bathroom behind Notre Dame. This small little building is built of boring concrete but the details of its construction are amazing. Faux Bois! isn't it intriguing?
Even the roof 'shingles' are concrete (not cement, which is an ingredient IN concrete) and the artisans took great care to create realistic wood graining and details. Little treasures like this are what make Paris so special! Stay tuned!
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