Morning: Croissants and a Cozy Breakfast
June 13, 2025
We started the day by walking to a nearby bakery, Maison Marie (see on map), and bought a pain au chocolat, a croissant, and a canelé for 5.20€.
All of them were delicious, but the canelé, rich with the aroma of rum, was the best.
Both the croissant and the pain au chocolat had perfectly crisp layers and buttery insides that melted in my mouth.
For breakfast, I sliced zucchini and eggplant I had bought at the market the day before, added them to some gazpacho from the fridge, and made a warm soup.
Gazpacho is usually served cold, but it turned out to be just as good as a hot tomato soup.
Vegetables at French markets are so plump and full of flavor that I thought, I can see why people here are inspired to try going vegan.
I brewed some coffee using the Italian coffee maker at our Airbnb and enjoyed a slow, satisfying morning.
Late Morning: Fondation Louis Vuitton
After breakfast, we took the metro to Fondation Louis Vuitton (see on map).
Since it was an extremely hot day, we stopped by MONOPRIX near Les Sablons Station (see on map) to grab some juice before walking to the museum.
The walk was tough in the blazing heat and dust, but it was worth it.
The museum was hosting a David Hockney exhibition (official), which included works created on an iPad.
It was fascinating — I could really feel that “drawn-on-an-iPad” vibe, and the curation was well done.
Every piece was engaging, and the way they were displayed made the whole experience enjoyable.
The building itself was also impressive — a masterpiece of modern architecture.
After the exhibition, we wanted to grab lunch or coffee, but the café inside the museum had a long line.
So we headed back toward Les Sablons Station and had lunch at a restaurant called Durant Dupont (see on map).
The meal cost just under 30€ per person, with drinks around 10€, which felt a bit pricey.
Afternoon: Musée Marmottan Monet
In the afternoon, we visited Musée Marmottan Monet (see on map).
Tickets were 14€ per adult.
Because of the heat, we started in the air-conditioned basement gallery, where many of Monet’s works are displayed.
At first, I was slightly disappointed — the paintings looked pale and lacked color.
I thought, Hmm, maybe this isn’t as great as I expected.
But before leaving, I decided to walk through the exhibit once more.
To my surprise, the same paintings now looked bright, vivid, and full of light.
Apparently, my eyes hadn’t yet adjusted after coming in from the sunny outdoors.
Seeing Monet’s radiant works in their true colors made me very happy.
Evening: Soda and Simple Pleasures
After the museum, we stopped by La Grande Épicerie de Paris (see on map) and had soda at its eat-in counter.
I ordered a cola, and my partner had a lemon soda — 12€ in total, which reminded me again how strong the euro is these days.
The store itself was beautifully arranged, with such elegant displays that made everything look irresistible.
On our way back, we stopped at MONOPRIX (see on map) near Jourdain Station (see on map).
The cheese section was fantastic.
After chatting with the staff, we chose a creamy Brie, and also bought some salami, yogurt, grapefruit juice, chips, and bottled water.
Before heading home, we went back to Maison Marie (see on map) and picked up a baguette and an apple tart for 4.5€.
After a long day under the blazing sun, we were completely exhausted and went to bed by 9 p.m.
