A pastry and a protest

When I married Nick, one of the Sullivan traditions I integrated into the Ingold family (thank me later hun) was the spectacular ability when on holidays to have a significant event occur whilst we are there- hurricanes…fires…COVID hitting mid Asia…and now- a riot! Never a dull moment when on holidays with us 👍🏻
The French do protests exceptionally well. The city’s infrastructure was basically shut down, 48 hours notice was given, and much politeness was carried out to ensure everyone knew what was going on. We assumed we wouldn’t see much of the action, but turns out a million people would protest throughout France (the government has proposed to lift the retirement age 2 years; to 64) and the main rally in Paris weaved its way along the street adjacent to us. So we saw lots! We ventured down to have a look- the atmosphere was passionate but polite (the grey nomads were the average age of protestors, many of who marched with a banner and a baguette, or a flare and a coffee… not kidding).
We had been walking the streets of Paris this morning (we headed to the Pantheon , but it was closed due to the impending protest, the museum D’orsay and Louvre also closed…) and there were police and riot squads everywhere, closing off streets and the Seine to any traffic. We wondered if things might get heated, so purchased some essentials (patisserie goods…..😉) and headed inside our hotel. We certainly heard lots of noise over the next hour or two- mostly people singing and shouting slogans. A few loud bangs splintered the air over the next 10 mins or so, and then total calm, and it was all over! Probably time for afternoon tea for the will-be-pensioners.
So we sat and ate our delicious treats, and listened to the French try and have another revolution 😉
We did manage to have a beautifully leisurely walk around Paris this morning (including a visit to Norte-dame, where we saw the sad reconstruction efforts happening after the fire of such a beautiful building), had an award winning croissant and famous macaroons. But… on the never ending quest to find clean toilets whilst out, we did venture into a McDonalds where the girls had some chicken nuggs and a cheeseburger… 🙊. Let’s just say, I didn’t take a photo of this experience… Fun fact- The sweet and sour sauce here is interestingly called ‘Chinese sauce’…
Because balance is everything, we did have an AMAZING dinner. We took the girls to a Michelin star restaurant. We had €13 ramen, that has won a Michelin star in 2021 for how good it is. And it didn’t disappoint. The 4 of us happily slurped Ramen until our bellies were full. And one of the least expensive meals we have eaten… go figure!
A day of many contrasts. We hope to get our skates on tomorrow and make up for a lost day of museums. But it was an indulgence to be able to walk through a beautiful city at a leisurely pace, with limited traffic to navigate and not a lot on the agenda… 🌟Read more