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  • Day 436

    Day 437: Exploring Paris (again!)

    April 27, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Although we've both been here a couple of times before, we wanted to have another look around Paris at various things. So off we went!

    First stop was the Marais, a trendy district near the Seine that covers part of the 3rd and 4th arrondisements. Traditionally an aristocratic neighbourhood, these days it's mostly full of hipsters, the gay community, and the Jewish community as well.

    We had a wander around looking at very expensive shops, cool street art, and other various things. Usually the only thing we could afford in shops was food, so we picked out various things to eat - macarons here, tarts there. Had a fantastic early lunch at a falafel place that's reckoned to be one of the best in Paris.

    Also went into a pet store and marvelled at the enormous range of dog bags on sale. Very nearly bought a shoulder sling type bag for Schnitzel, but in the end decided 40 euros was a bit much, and we weren't sure if it would be good for his back.

    More walking brought us eventually past the Hotel de Ville and to the Seine, where we stopped in a little cafe and had a drink watching the tourist boats go past. Crossed over and arrived at Notre-Dame, where we decided to head in since the line was surprisingly short and we've been in so many French Gothic cathedrals lately. We took turns holding Schnitzel, obviously.

    Nice inside, and was interesting to see the various differences between this one and the others like Chartres, Bourges, and the rest. Insufferable crowds inside as usual though, and it makes me smile to think of how empty all the other ones are.

    A little more walking and we arrived at our last stop, the Luxembourg Gardens. This is unusual in Paris as it's somewhere that dogs are actually allowed inside! Most parks in Paris don't allow dogs which is quite annoying, though every other patch of grass in the city is covered in dog turds so it's not altogether surprising.

    We sat around in the bright sunshine for an hour or so, just soaking up the rays and the atmosphere. It was a sunny Friday during school holidays, so lots of people were around.

    Eventually we headed for home - a 45 minute trek across the city involving multiple metro trains! But we made it, and stayed in for dinner.
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