Paris ... by Metro And Big Bus

Gosh ... we had a good sleep ... except for the frequent rumbling because we are right over the Metro!! We tend to look for locations near the Metro but we've never stayed over one before! 🙃

So ... we had a fairly lazy morning. I googled places nearby for breakfast and off we went. We strode past some beautiful patisseries on our way ... but resisted the temptation and stayed on course. I was hoping for something more brunch like and substantial so my blood sugar didn't get triggered by sweets first thing.

GROANS: And then, much to our surprise ... we ended up at a very tiny, unassuming spot that claimed to have good coffee and offered bread with jam for breakfast.. Yep. That was it. John gave me that look like ... "we walked past so many nice places for this?" And all I could do was apologize. ☹

GAHS: And as I was piling on the butter ... John was teasing me about being like "oma" ... who loved her butter thick. And I was poking fun at him for being like my "dad" because he was complaining about our 'breakfast' costing $15 Euros! That is well over $20 CAD ... argh! Tomorrow we are going to the patisserie! 😋

GASPS OF GRANDEUR: We took the Metro to the Opera House ... Palais Garnier. As Doug mentioned, it was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera! It's hard to describe it's magnificence and ornate grandeur. 

GASPS OF SURPRISE: They were also showing a special exhibition of art .... by none other than .... Picasso!! I am embarrassed to admit we had no idea whose work we were looking at until later when I saw a sign! DUH.

GRINS: And then we boarded the "The Big Bus" and took a tour of the city! It is hard to imagine ... but there is so much to see and John was taking so many pictures ... he got tired of clicking the camera!! 

We'll be touring a few of the main monuments over the next couple of days, but we learned that Des Champs-Elysées has been described as the most beautiful avenue in the world. It is loaded with shops highlighting high end designers and posh restaurants. Apparently they didn't want H&M to get a storefront there but after a couple years in battle .. H&M won a spot ... much to the chagrin of the locals.

We also learned that at the Arc de Triomphe, there is an elevator in the columns and then you can walk 42 more steps to the top. I guess the Tour de France ends here on des Champs-Elysées.

We drove past the Eiffel Tower. Apparently it has 7 million visitors per year. It is the 'most visited paid monument' in the world and has been nicknamed "la dame de fer"by the locals. That is: the iron lady.

GRATEFULS: At the suggestion of Marian ... we found our way to "Galeries Lafayette" and ended up on the Gourmet food floor ... a huge floor dedicated to exceptional food preparation and consumption ... either to take away or to order and eat right there! It was a smorgasboard of gastric delights. We opted to gobble up a 'Parma Pizza' but were really tempted by so many more!! John bought himself some aged goat leg ... and we shared a coffee flavoured macaron. And ... we brought home a raspberry creation of some kind. The cakes and desserts are works of art in and of themselves!!

We also wandered up to the 7th floor and had s look over the city! And then ... we found our way to Printemps ... thank you Doug! Wow. What an experience. They also have a rooftop bar and restaurant that offers magnificent views of the city! Both department stores had spectacular ceilings with stained glass designs that were beyond belief!

GRATITUDES: And ... with our hearts filled with awe we stepped under ground and came back to our room to rest a bit before supper. 

It's been a full day! A good day! John got lots of pictures and a few videos! We are limited to 10 in total. Perhaps I will post more in an 'aside'. But for now ... some supper. I wonder where we will end up! 😀Read more