Just 17 days left of being thirty-something!
Where oh where HAVE my 30s gone!? Anyhow, I plan to celebrate this milestone in style (well as much as possible anyhow).
I’m off to Paris for my actual 40th birthday weekend (excitedly it falls on a Saturday!) There are 8 of us going for four days – my partner and 6 close friends – and we’ve hired an apartment in the Bastille area of the capital. We did find a beautiful one on the side of the River Seine with a balcony that had a complete view of the Eiffel Tower – but sadly they wanted a minimum of 7 nights. So, even though the apartment we’ve chosen isn’t exactly what I wanted, I do love it…and it will do nicely as we’ll all be together. Want a little peek?
If anyone knows of any great places to visit or things to do in Paris then please let me know. Madeleine, if you happen to see this, I wanted to pick your brains about the whereabouts of the Parisian flea-markets ;-)
On my return I have a bit of time off work – so we’ll end up going somewhere else for a few days (we’re thinking of Edinburgh) plus I have a 40th birthday party organised! 70 friends are descending to a lovely local venue – with a theme of the Oscars. This is a mock copy of the invite courtesy of the lovely Trishia over at FrenchKissed (don’t worry we didn’t go for this date or venue in the end!)
The venue we chose is a beautiful 19th century building yet is newly refurbished inside – with a baby grand piano too :-) We have a backdrop all sorted for taking spectacular photographs of the well-dressed guests – and there are other Oscar themed offerings all night too – including awards, Oscar shaped chocolates and Hollywood confetti. Hopefully it’ll be a laugh – with friends from all parts of my life under one roof!
I’ll take lots of photographs – and promise to share some of them with you ;-) I can’t wait…
Hi there Al…long time….Happy Happy 40th!! that’s a milestone for you…I just got back from Paris…was there with the Fam for New Years Eve…rented a fabulous 3 BR 2 Bath apt. in the 7th. one block from the Eiffel Tower 8th floor only to find out that Paris doesn’t do fireworks on NYE….OUr Miss B was very disappointed….cold rainy and too many tourists….The Asians lined up in front of Louis Vuitton was a block long….all I did was walk for a week and go up and down subway steps….Ate at the Eiffel Tower for lunch…3 adults and a child $600…..and the food was nothing to brag about….lunch at the Louvre….1 grilled cheese, 2 club sandwiches and a bad burger…$175.00…smartest thing we did was the last day we rented a car and driver and mapped out all the shops we wanted to go to…we sat…he drove in a lovely Mercedes and we shopped….45euro and hour and well worth it….I have two posts about the trip on my blog so go take a peek….the first one you’ll come to is mostly pictures…the one before that is a description of the trip….Oh BTW if you are a cook there is a FABULOUS cookware shop there called E. Dehillerin……it’s a must for anyone who loves to cook..
Hiya Sue – LOVELY to hear from you ;-) Had best go and check out your Parisian posts. Despite the high food costs it sounds like you had a FAB time! Did Miss B enjoy (despite the disappointment of the lack of fireworks?)
Myself and my partner fancy the catacombs – but I am a little claustrophobic these days (nearly 40 and all that!!!!) so wonder if I’ll be able to make it!
Thanks for the top tips – much love Al x
Their address is E.Dehillerin 18-20 Rue Coquilliere, Paris they have a website for hours and directions….it’s a must see…if your brave and not claustrophobic the Catacombs are fascinating. Have a wonderful trip!
Al, I’m so excited for you!!! My husband just said to me, “You realize we’re leaving in two weeks, right?” So I’m excited for me and I’m excited for you. I’m doubly excited:) So in advance, let me wish you the Happiest Ever 40th Birthday!!
What a shame we’re not in Paris at the same time Trishia!!!! Remind me what day you go and where your itinerary starts again? Have fun ;-) xx
Missed you!
You sound like you have definitely got it all sorted for your birthday. It’s going to be amazing. Look forward to seeing the photos. I haven’t been to Paris for a few years now and that was before I actually lived in France so I have a yearning to go again. The last times I went it was on business so everything was paid for but, this time, I’ll be a bit more aware of the cost! I see you are going to rent an appartment – sounds like a great idea – did you use a particular booking company? I read Sue in Atlanta’s post about her trip and, I must admit, I have never quite ‘got’ the fuss about French cooking – generally overpriced, oversauced (new word!) and too fussy plus I don’t know what they do with the beautiful vegetables on sale in all the markets but they rarely appear on a restaurant plate. Sshh – don’t tell anybody I said all that otherwise I might get deported!
Missed you too Lynne!
We used HouseTrip website – although there are plenty of others you can use if you do a bit of a search (HomeAway etc).
Well you should go to PARIS – especially now that you live in France. How far away are you from the capital? (Geography was never my strongest point).
Speak soon xxx
Wow! Sounds like you’re going to have a FANTASTIC birthday! Happy Birthday to you! I can’t wait to see the photos. By the way… welcome back.
Awww thanks for the birthday wishes. Have been reading your recent posts and promise to message soon. Hope you & yours are well xx
The Happiest and most memorable 40th Birthday to you dear Alan~xo
Have a fabulous time in Paris,savor every minute of it~
Much love to you and yours,
Cheryl~xo
DEAR DEAR DEAR Cheryl! How I miss you too. really hope this finds you well – and it’s SO nice to hear from you. Let’s catch up another time soon xxx