Let me tell you, Paris has its’ stuff together…never has the city been so clean and glowing. The monuments and churches have been spruced up and restored to their original pristine condition and the parks are all landscaped and inviting. Even the dog poop has been reduced…c’est bon!

Cafe au lait has long been the daily drink of choice. Now, the French are favoring stronger coffee and small, boutique coffee establishments. We were told that Foundation Cafe in the Marais was the best place to indulge in a morning beverage.

We headed over to the cool ‘hood off of Rue Bretagne and found an engaging, very hip place with unique french light fixtures and cement counters (the owner’s wife is a Swedish architect)…welcome to Foundation Cafe, inspired and founded by Chris Nielson, an Australian bloke with great hair and a flair for sumptuous coffee.

The small, but tempting food menu includes yogurt and granola, a selection of tartines with avocado, a dash of chili and sea salt, butter and jam or ricotta and honey. The place is a mere 3 weeks old, but here to stay. If in Paris, wander by Foundation Cafe on 16 Rue Dupetit-Thouars. Open daily 8am-6pm.

 Monday we took on the Louvre and the Tuileries which are looking mighty fine…they have added more sculpture to the Park and mended pathways and upgraded the gardens.

Education and then retail therapy on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. The Hermes store is divine and sold out of just about all their wares. A Japanese tour arrived and bought everything that was not nailed down…quel dommage!

A tip if in the Rue St. Honore, Place Vendome area. Head one block over and lunch is half the price. We ate in an adorable restaurant and had great paninis and salmon salads for less than 15 Euros. The Rue St. Honore was minimum 30 Euros per person for a salad and beverage at lunchtime.

The Madeleine Church is being restored…peek in to see the plethora of sculpture and beautiful cupolas. Then make time for Laduree, Gucci, Valentino, Hermes, Mui Mui, Prada, Chanel…I think there are 4 Chanels in 1 block.

Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are decked out for the holidays. Their windows pale in comparison to New York City, but they are fun. …mostly child driven except for the yummy Prada windows at Printemps.

We climbed to the very top of Printemps Department Store and were met by a 360 degree view of Paris with all the lights just flashing on, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Madeleine and the Opera…it was exquisite and thrilling and we were flying solo…no other tourists in sight.

That is all you get for now. I will take you on a tour of the Opera next week, acquaint you with one of the best patisserie in the city and introduce you to 2 fabulous restaurants…here’s a sneak peek at a main course from the fab Frenchie’s restaurant. Bon appetit!

I bid you adieu and wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving…what’s better than Food, Family and Football…see you next week as the Devil has hellish plans for Thursday-Sunday.