TRAVELING IN STYLE.....Paris: The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Food

Louvre Dresses, French Onion Soup, and A Wet Eiffel Tower... Part One of my Paris tripGingham in Paris: Nick Verreos arrives at the Eiffel tower (pre-thunderstorm) As part of my Europe trip, prior to going to Florence Italy for my speaking engagement, I got to enjoy several days in Paris. It was actually my first stop, before causing more "Uncle Nick" mayhem later, mais oui! Paris was simply gorgeous! As the iconic t-shirt says "Je HEART Paris". David and I stayed in a hotel near the Marais called the Hotel Gabriel. We loved it; it was a very chic, "boutique-style" hotel in a very centralized location. Pyramid Fever: Nick stands near the I. M. Pei Louvre Pyramid entrance The staff was wonderful, the decor was minimalist and modern and best of all, the bathroom was FIERCE (trust me on this one, in Europe those hotel bathrooms can be questionable). And we loved all the French TV channels on our flat screen (whenever we were in the room!). Paris was very Michael Jackson crazy (it was right during his death) and that's all that was on TV, so we got "caught up" on all the drama, 5,660 miles away!Free Sundays at the Louvre: Can you find Nick? Besides enjoying our petite boutique hotel we did do some sightseeing. We visited the Louvre, of course. It was a Sunday and for some reason, it was FREE!! I love FREE as much as I love the words "Hermes" and "Louis Vuitton" but the crowds were RIDICULOUS. There must have been hundreds of "le touriste paparazzi" trying to shoot DaVinci's Mona Lisa "La Gicconda"! She's the Lindsay Lohan of Paris.Sleeve Detail in a painting at the LouvreNIKOLAKI inspiration at the Louvre: The vibrant colors, the exquisite draping For this trip to the Louvre, I decided to do more of a "fashion inspirational" tour and took photos of some great artwork which inspired me for the sake of fashion. Details of a fitted self-buttoned sleeve, a gentle cowl drape of a tunic, the vibrant colors on all those amazing religious paintings. David had the camera and I kept yelling "David--take a photo of that sleeve...of that neckline...of that brooch on a painting". It was quite funny (not to David).Eurotrash: Nick --Colette bag in hand--in front of the Place Vendome It was Haute Couture Week in Paris and besides the regular Parisian crowds and tourists in their shorts and flip flops (I know, flip flops in PARIS-Mon Dieu! Gross!), there were also tons of fashionistas walking the streets near Rue de Rivoli and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. David and I stopped by Colette and did some retail damage naturally. I love that store.Not The Jules Verne Restaurant: For less than 20 Euro, Nick enjoys the most delicious French onion Soup EVER and salad, near the Eiffel Tower During my stay in Paris, I couldn't miss visiting the Eiffel Tower. Our friends recommended we have dinner at the Jules Verne Restaurant on the second floor, however paying 200 Euro for an entree PER PERSON, me and wallet weren't "having it"! (note to self: Time to get friends with lower tax brackets). So, instead, we braved the lines and decided to go up the tower instead. However, unbeknownst to our non-umbrella-carrying selves, a major thunderstorm began its menacing attack on Paris--while we were waiting in the line, of course. Somehow, we still did it. The view was stunning since when we got up , the rain had ended and Paris was picture perfect.See you for Part Deux: Nick and David pose above the Seine River....... And below is a fun little video: