Paris dagboek

Paris was on the agenda last weekend and Paris is always a good idea, so I had been looking forward to it for days. The Kadjar from May-Britt came along and I was a bit wobbly about it at first, because I'm not really a pro at driving a manual transmission as you know. Read here just a moment back about the sweaty armpits that Liesbeth and I had and the tears we shed together. So we found out that we are not necessarily the perfect duo to cruise around in a MANUAL car together, so this time I took my own boy with me.

Here we go

We left the office on Friday afternoon. Of course, I had hoped that I could sit in the passenger seat the whole way and manage the music a bit, but that party didn't happen. “Now you're going to learn it too.” So for the first half hour, I had sweaty armpits again and shouted a few times that I wanted to get out of the car immediately because shifting really wasn't working and so on, but after some reassuring words and breathing exercises I was suddenly there. I was even standing there whistling in a traffic jam (which is the hardest), but I must also admit that this car has so many helpful features that it's almost impossible to panic.

What kind of features, for example?

What I like most is that the dashboard indicates when I need to shift up or down. That's wonderful. And this way, I also drive very economically. There are lights in my side mirrors that turn on when someone is driving right next to me. You know: that blind spot. So that's no longer an issue. Also handy is that the music gets quieter when you drive over the white line. I like that because I can sometimes daydream a bit (ahem). Helping to park is by the way the coolest feature of the whole device, because it does that for you. Yes, really.

In Paris

I always have the idea that you can just drive off quickly, but it always takes longer than you think. I believe we took about seven hours, but the nice thing is that no matter what time you arrive in the evening, you can always join someone at the table. And that happened at midnight at Café Madeleine, outside on the terrace with heat lamps, a bottle of Chablis, cheeses, and charcuterie. You can hardly make me happier. to Paris Not by bike, but by car.

On Saturday, I overcame even more of my fears because I drove (seriously, really) all day in the Kadjar. In Paris. Where it is always incredibly busy and where you have such large roundabouts where everyone drives in all directions. But by the end of the day, I was zooming through smoothly. Everything was recorded on film, so you'll see that soon.

For now, here are some spots that are not to be missed. We stay in the Madeleine area:.

Quick stop at Ladurée for the necessary macarons for the girls at the office. I'm not a huge fan of that, I prefer to buy a palmier there. You know, one of those big pretzels?

• The Maille store (of the mustard) is amazing. I get a bit hysterical there. Dozens of different jars that you can have wrapped as if there's a jewel inside. You can also taste a lot there, and then it's hard to choose what to take home. Also very nice as a gift.
• Café Madeleine is a real Parisian brasserie with a terrace with awnings that is open all year round. And you can take off your coat because everything is heated. Don't be surprised by a bit of a grumpy waiter. That's just part of Paris.
• I discovered a really nice bagel shop that can be found all over the city. The place is called Bagelstein. It's almost a bit New Yorkish, your sandwich is also nicely wrapped in paper.
• For a green juice and a fresh salad, Cojean is a nice spot. You can find those all over the city too.
• Shopping is quickly alternated with a terrace for me. For example, opposite Colette (you definitely need to recover from that, it's incredibly busy there): there's a nice brasserie called La Coupe d'Or. You can really enjoy people-watching there.
• The hotel. Hôtel du Ministere is small but incredibly comfortable, has lovely beds, a large rain shower, and very nice staff. And, especially in such an incredibly nice neighborhood with the most beautiful shops and cozy cafes within walking distance.
• A cocktail at Hôtel Le Bristol. If you really want to splurge.
• Paris was on the agenda last weekend and Paris is always a good idea, so I had been looking forward to it for days. The Kadjar from May-Britt came along and there...