Ooh La Ladurée

10.05.2007 - 10.05.2007 20 °C

When we were preparing for our trip to France, Cindy and I watched several of The Travel Channel's shows about the country, including one that Samantha Brown did on Paris and the world-famous pastry shop/tearoom on the Champs-Élysées known as Ladurée. This 145 year old pastry shop opened in Paris in 1862, added the tearoom in 1930 and today has locations in London,Geneva and Monaco.

Knowing we would be in France during Mother's Day, we thought it would be a treat for Cindy's mom if we took her to Ladurée to enjoy some of their renowned sweets in the tearoom as a Mother's Day gift. The only hitch would be that we would have to do it before we left Paris on Friday and so we planned to go today after leaving Notre Dame.

After getting to the subway stop closest to Ladurée on Champs-Élysées, we were walking the short distance to it when Cindy stopped dead in her tracks at this sight:

Of course, Paris wasn't really melting, it was just an interesting piece of artwork on the wall of a building. Still, it does get your attention, doesn't it?

Here is a photo of Cindy and her mom looking over the menu posted outside the private party entrance to Ladurée. I know it's a private party entrance because the nice gentlemen inside informed me of that when we stepped through the curtained doorway; first in French and then, seeing our dumbfounded looks, again in English. Turns out the regular entrance is down at the other end. Stupid Americans!

Of course we almost walked right past the public entrance because they had it practically covered in construction scaffolding, as you can see in the video below. If you have your volume turned up, you'll also hear my fantastic commentary.

Once we finally found the right door and made our way inside, we were escorted to the tearoom upstairs. I only took the one picture below, as the atmosphere was not really one that was conducive to taking photographs.