Awoke Sunday morning and had a big breakfast, gathered our stuff and we were off... to the Bastille market!!!! Got off the Metro and there it was - WOO HOO!!!! As soon as we got close my youngest said %26quot;It smells great Mom... I think you are really going to like this place!%26quot;.. and he was right!!! Did a pass through the entire market and decided upon the night%26#39;s menu - salmon, peppers and zucchini and potatoes, fresh fruit and of course the requisite fresh baguette! Whipped out my handy shopping bag (NOTE: this was one item I definitely recommend bringing. The plastic bags that the venders use really aren%26#39;t sturdy enough to carry your stuff in!) and started some serious shopping. My french (or %26quot;franglish%26quot; as my kids say) is NOT good but all the vendors were very helpful - they all seem to really enjoy what they do!!! In addition to the above, I also found some great flavored salts and some fabulous pastries. Having now bought almost more than the four of us could carry we headed back to the apt. to stash our dinner. The roving street markets in Paris are terrific and the food is not only fresh but very affordable - our dinner that night cost about the same as it would at home despite the exchange rate. Even if you aren%26#39;t staying in an apt. I really recommend visiting one of these markets during your stay. They open early (7 - 8am) and you can pick up some tasty fruit/pastries for breakfast or a snack!!! After stashing our dinner we headed back out - to start at the center of Paris - Notre Dame. Needless to say, the church and the square were PACKED!!! Despite the crowds we toured the church - it is beautiful and an amazing structure!! We had planned to walk to the top of the towers but the line was really long so decided to skip it and come back another day when we could get there early.By this time everyone was famished so we headed to the Ille St. Louis in search of sandwiches. Found some tasty ones at a iittle bakery and munched on these as we strolled the streets of the island. Then the search was on for ice cream. Although Bertillion is closed during August, a few shops do sell their ice cream.We found one and I had scoop of the salted caramel - divine!! The boys opted for Amorino gelato - also divine!!! Next we went headed back over the bridge to the Crypt to get our museum passes but they were out of them. So, we headed over to St. Chappelle and waited a few minutes in line and got our passes. When we got to the entrance to St. Chappelle we greeted the young lady with the customary %26quot;Bonjour madame%26quot; and she greeted us with a big smile and said in English %26quot;Thank you so much for greeting me in French - I really appreciate it!%26quot;%26quot; So NOTE: The french REALLY do appreciate it when you make the effort to use french. Throughout our trip I was surprised at how appreciative the french were when we used french despite how poorly we spoke it! So, I recommend that you master the basic phrases - there are lots of free, online sources you can use and it is really pretty easy.
St. Chappelle is definitely worth a visit - the windows are stunning!!! The boys all decided however that at this point we needed a good view of the city of Paris so... off to the Metro to find the Arc de Triumph!! Fortunately, there were no lines to get to the top and we went right up. Fabulous views of the city - really helped us to get oriented. Spent a little while at the top finding the various landmarks, etc. After heading down, we decided to call it a day and took the Metro back to the apt to fix dinner and relax.
Day 4 - Monday
Another beautiful morning!! The weather has been great although I am surprised how quickly it changes - so far only a little bit of rain - we are truly lucky!! After downing a big breakfast (eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, etc.) we are off to the Louvre. We got there about 9:15 and breezed right in - no lines at security!! Having studied the layout we headed straight for the Lady herself. Having studied this painting in school I was interested to see her and she didn%26#39;t disappoint!! After paying our respects, we toured the rest of the italian renaissance - I felt a bit like a star struck teenager - %26quot;ooh, there%26#39;s a Titian%26quot;!!! My family got quite a kick out of it!!! From there we headed to the italian sculptures which my kids liked the best - although they weren%26#39;t that impressed with the Venus de Milo. By this time the Museum is becoming very packed and so it is time to head out. Picked up sandwiches in the cafe at the Louvre which were surprisingly cheap (about 4 Euros each). Took them outside and sat by the Pyramid and enjoyed the sun and light breeze and had time to really appreciate the architecture of the Louvre. NOTE: One thing I wished I had done before leaving was to have done a bit more research on the Louvre collection and come up with a list of what I specifically wanted to see. I think that would make the Louvre a bit more manageable!
After finishing lunch we walked through the Tuleries in search of... ice cream!! After accomplishing that goal we headed over to Galleries Lafayette for a little shopping. Headed to their food hall (a great place for getting food related souvenirs!) and did our dinner shopping as well as replenishing our breakfast food supplies. Loaded down once again, we hopped the Metro ( which is conveniently located right by the store) back to the apt. for some much needed down time. Relaxed and had dinner and then we headed off for the Vendettes Seine Cruise. It was a gorgeous evening and the weather couldn%26#39;t have been better. We really enjoyed the cruise - it%26#39;s a great way to see the beautiful bridges of Paris and gives you an opportunity to really see the architecture of the buildings. After the cruise headed back to the apt for dessert and sleep!!
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kinkora: I love your trip reports. You write in a way that makes me feel like I am there with you--step-by-step. I love taking every step with you.
I can%26#39;t wait for what comes next. How many days were you there?
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It feels so good to read such a positive trip report. It is evident you enjoyed every minute of it. 17 days to go.. tick tock... tick tock..
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Great report, now I%26#39;ll have to go back and search for the others. Thanks!
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Hello In Love with paris,
Thanks for the positive feedback - we were in Paris a week, then on to Normandy and the Loire and then back to Paris for a day!
(I am having serious withdrawal symptoms right now....)
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kinkora: I understand about the serious withdrawal. When I came back in Oct. %26#39;07 from being in Paris for 30 days I was ready to come home to be with my husband. Honestly though, in a couple of days I was ready to go back (although I would have missed my husband again). In fact, I longed for it so much that I decided I absolutely had to make a concrete plan for when I would return--so I had it to look forward to rather than just wishing and longing to go back. I decided realistically it couldn%26#39;t be until %26#39;09 (because I need to amass frequent flier miles--50,000!!!!) and made a plan to return in Sept-Oct %26#39;09--my favorite time of year in Paris. It is still a year away but I have already reserved my apartment--not paid but gotten the guarantee it would be held for me--I get ideas on this site for things to see, I buy Paris books with additional ideas for what to see and I read and respond to posts on TA. It keeps me thinking about Paris every day and that makes me happy.
I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip. I%26#39;m glad it was so wonderful for you.
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Kinkora... I have to admit your posts are great! I liked your market shopping, and in the Louvre....
%26quot;ooh, there%26#39;s a Titian%26quot;!!! LOL! I took AP Art History and caught myself doing the same... especially the %26quot;Winged Victory of Samothrace%26quot;...
Did I mention my 7 year old knows who Da Vinci is...?
(sorry, couldn%26#39;t help it!)
LOL
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