Exploring Paris by Foot

Highlight: Rodin Museum and Gardens

What an incredible first day. The flights went smoothly. It was only 6 hours from Montreal to Paris which gave us very little time to sleep. But we got a whole "extra" day in Paris because of the timing of the flights. Unfortunately Belinda's suitcase did not arrive. Then our pre-arranged shuttle must have given up on us so we had to take a cab for 50 Euros including tip, which turned out to be a better deal anyway.

The apartment was beautiful - exceeded our expectations. I had a shower and changed into a sundress and hat. We walked outside to Hotel Abbeye next door where a retired Portland couple showed us the beautiful courtyard with jasmine. Then we went around the corner to Rue Renne which is a great shopping street. Belinda fell in love with red dresses in the windows.

We stopped for omelettes at our first cafe. Belinda tried to rearrange the cafe chairs which is a big no-no. In Paris, chairs face the street and you sit next to each other, not facing each other. We watched French women, beautifully dressed, walk by. We agreed it was simplicity of style that made them so elegant.

We decided to walk to Luxembourg Gardens and I accidentally led us in the opposite direction. We stopped at an Algerian fruit stand to buy fruit, and in giggles, we bought deodorant too as Belinda's suitcase had not arrived. We almost stepped in poop, and then to our surprise, we found ourselves staring at the Eiffel Tower. We ended up near Les Invalides and realized we had walked in the wrong direction.

We decided to go to the Rodin Museum and Gardens. There was a long line and we bumped into John and Judy Soars. We bought our museum pass and really enjoyed the gardens and the collection. We had fruit, our first ice cream (yeah!) and some water. It was hot and my feet were very sore so we walked slowly back enjoying a concert in a park and some shopping.

We found Rue Renne and Rue Cassette, and went into a marche (small grocery store). We were so tired it was hard to make any decisions. We carried the groceries and got back to our apartment around 6:00 pm.

We had chicken salads, Sancerre wine, gruyere and rusks on the balcony. We had a great conversation. There was lightening in the sky and we enjoyed our view over the rooftops. It was quiet and warm. As we washed the dishes, we saw lights from the kitchen window and "Hollywood" type spotlights in the sky. We realized we had a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower from our kitchen. We had a great sleep.Read more