Observation of the day: While it’s not always possible to do as time doesn’t allow, it’s fun to not always having an exact plan in mind when ‘cationing.
VM: Monday morning we happily awoke with no alarm. HM headed to our local “markets” to get supplies for breakfast, including a fresh baguette, café au lait and fresh pressed orange juice. After taking time for laundry and organizing, we headed out to visit the Longchamp flagship store. For those who aren’t familiar, Longchamp is another well-known French brand. In fact, it is a family business more than 70 years old. And unlike Louis Vuitton, its prices are a bit more accessible as it makes a popular line of canvas bags in addition to its full leather bags.
Ever the shopper, HM had been stalking their newest collection and promptly fell in love with the limited-time print. She decided to indulge in a new bag to house her new wallet. But this time, VM also took the leap to buy a hearty travel bag. Yes, we will definitely be arriving at the airport early on Thursday to get our V.A.T. dollars back!
Afterwards, we walked towards the St. Germain area. This is a beautiful area of Paris known for its restaurants and shops. Many spots were closed on Monday due to the day after Easter holiday. We decided the French just randomly decide what they’re doing as we found no rhyme or reason for what places were open and which were not.
Our no-destination walking finally took us to strolling by the Louvre vast museum complex by way of the Seine River. While neither HM or I had any interest in visiting this museum and its most known inhabitant, Mona Lisa, we enjoyed walking around it and taking some pictures.
 |
| The machine gun-clad soldiers were evident at the Louvre. |
 |
| We didn't want to visit the Louvre, but had picture fun! |
 |
| Love our Paris Metro which gets us everywhere! |
Afterwards, we headed over to the Tuileries Gardens to chill along with thousands of our friends. This is a public garden located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It was originally created by Catherine de Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, and then it was finally opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution. Today, it is a place people come to just hang out.
 |
| Tuileries is starting to bloom. |
HM and I had visited the gardens before with JM and EM and we enjoyed it as much this time as then. It is a really pretty park that features many cool chairs and benches to simply sit and visit. Exactly what the Parisians like to do. It is something which HM and I notice everywhere we go. Yes, Parisians have smart phones and other devices, but they still seem to love a good, solid, face-to-face conversation much more. It is wonderful to see even if we have no idea what they’re saying!
 |
| Delicious! |
By late afternoon, our stomachs were grumbling and another Trip Advisor consultation lead us to a Paris gourmet hamburger joint called Blend. It is literally a hole-in-the-wall in the 2ndarrondisement, but it was YUMOLA. We both agreed it was one of the best we’ve ever had and we consider ourselves connoisseurs. Of course, the Parisian setting and our hunger might have clouded our judgment a bit!
 |
| They take their burgers seriously! |
 |
| We never tire of it. |
By this point, I had hit my limit as we had walked nearly 10 miles and it was hot. HM had one more request and she begged to fulfill it – she wanted to visit the top of the Arc du Triomphe. During our first visit to Paris, we didn’t actually do too much near or at the Arc. This visit we have certainly made up for it!!!
 |
| The Arc up close. |
Off to the Metro we went again (side note – we paid approx. $80 total for two 5-day Metro passes & they have been well worth the investment! We have used the Metro & some buses to criss-cross the city. While every once in a while you smell something rank or it is HOT, it is really the easiest way to get around Paris in our opinion). We reached the Arc around 6:30pm and were happy to see the line wasn’t too long.
Now we know why.
 |
| The view of the Champs Elysees from on top the Arc. |
It is 284 steps UP, via a tiny spiral staircase that is completely enclosed. There is one staircase to go up, and a completely separate one to come back down. Yep, we thought we were going to die. At least I did.
 |
| What 284 stairs look down on the way down! |
But I will admit the vistas from up above are phenomenal. And I figured the sacrifice was worth the payoff (not to mention the ability to eat some more delicious baguettes without feeling as guilty).
After enjoying the view, we climbed down and again and happily headed home.
RANDOM PIC OF THE DAY
 |
| Paris postcard. |
No comments:
Post a Comment