More from the City of Light and Love!

Oh my gosh ... we had such a full day yesterday ... and got home just before midnight ... so I didn't have the energy to post before bed! I have so much to tell ... but before I can do that... I need to catch you up on a couple of other things I forgot to share!

GRIMACES: I was quite astounded and dare I say a bit disappointed to discover that the coffee here in our room in Paris (the highest-end room we have taken yet in our travels!) serves instant coffee. I was even getting a little judgy ... but ... wait! Given my adoration and addiction for coffee first thing in the morning... it became necessary for me to try it! And it is DELICIOUS! So much so that I wanted to buy some at the grocery store to pack along to Spain and Portugal!! When, on earth, did instant coffee get so GOOD?? 😍

GAFFAHS: Ha ha ... so the day before yesterday we had traipsed quite a distance in search of a breakfast that might offer us an egg ... but as you might recall ... we just ended up with bread and jam. Well ... guess where we had breakfast yesterday morning??  Our hotel. Yep.

GRINS: The place with the instant coffee also serves a lovely continental breakfast with croissants and fruits and juices and cereal and yogurt and cheeses and ham ... and ... hard boiled eggs! All for $10€! They will even bring it to your room for no extra charge! 🤗

Aside from the exceptional location, we had begun to second-guess why we had chosen to splurge on this particular room. Somehow, with all our comings and goings and reservations, we forgot about the extras this place offers! We will be sure to take full advantage of these ammenities ... now that we remember!

GIFTS: I wore my rain coat all day on our fisrst day here for nothing! It was cloudy and cool, but there was never a need for an umbrella. And yesterday it was 21°and sunny! I was hoping to finally get out of pants and into a skirt or capris ... and ... my wish was granted! And today and tomorrow ... our last two days here ... it is supposed to be even warmer!

GAHS: The metro system is enourmous! And I have this wee little map that fits nicely in my purse ... but ... trying to read it with my old eyes is a feat of it's own! We were planning to see the Louvre at 2pm and the Eiffel Tower last night at 9:15pm and I was hoping I could find our way to the 'meeting spots' effortlessly and easily! 

GRATITUDES: And ... we made our way quite nicely! Once we figured out where we had to be for our tours later in the day, we took the Blue Line of the Bug Bus to acquaint ourselves with the area of Montmartre, Sacre-Coeur and Moulin Rouge. We are planning to spend the day Sunday exploring these beautiful parts of the city on foot!

GASPS: On route, as we were passing through the red light district of Paris, we noticed you could get a burger and a movie! You might have to squint to see what show is playing ... XXX rated!

GRATITUDES:Afterwards, we stopped at "Le Carrousel: Bar & Brasserie" for a crepe ... to nourish our hard 'walking' bodies before our tour of the Louvre. We've been averaging about 10 km per day ... and yesterday it turned out to be almost 13km! And, as much as we wanted to try the French crepes ... we ended up with wine and escargots and the special of the day: "paupiette de veau et son jus petits légumes"! Veal meatballs and sauteed veggies! Fabulous French Cuisine!

GIFT: We enjoyed our time ar the Louvre. It was not terribly busy ... and so we got to meet Mona ... right up, front and center! It is of interest to note that the Mona Lisa gained its popularity when it was stolen in 1911. Prior to that, it was relatively unknown. Now that I have seen it, I can't say I am surprised. To me ... the painting seems fairly unassuming. I know art is a very personal thing, but she didn't evoke a whole lot from me emotioinally. It seemed to us that many of the other paintings were far more remarkable than she ... but ... it truly is a gift to have been able to meet her with our own eyes and hearts.

FUN FACT: When I think of "The Latin Quarter" in cities, my mind goes to spanish speaking areas where lively music can be heard and light-hearted Latinos abide. This is not the case in France. The Latin Quarter is named so because it is near the Sorbonne University ... and ... it was likely that Latin language is what was spoken back in the day when the University came into being!

GRIMACES: Once again ...after hours wandering the Louvre ... we required nourishment before our trip up the Eiffel Tower! So, as is common in Paris, you sit at tables squeezed closely together on the streetside. And, you sit side by side facing the street. And so, we settled in at one near The Iron Lady. But we were chastised very abruptly by the server! John had moved his chair and now we were sitting 'out of line'. The server became so annoyed with us that John suggested we leave. I recommended we just "get ourselves in line" and enjoy the moment. And so we DID! And the server thanked us ... and ... we made up nicely!

GRINS: John enjoyed the 'large' French beer that came in a GIGANTIC tankard! He said you had to be able to press 100lbs in order to get it safely to your lips. We shared the beef bourguignonne with spaghetti... followed up with a meringue with English sauce!! Not French sauce. No. It was an English sauce. And ... oh my gosh ... it was beyond stellar!!

We still had some time before our tour ... so we wandered the area for a bit and then stopped again for some refreshments! This particular server was not at all impressed that all we wanted was two of the smallest glasses of wine. And .. he made it clear we were not worth his time. He simply ignored our requests ... and instead ... worked the tourists walking by in hopes they would come and eat and leave him a big tip. Which we didn't. Our tip for him ... value all your customers.

GRIPES: I ordered a bottle of water at the same restaurant. I could have died of dehydration by the time he brought it! And ...... when the bill arrived ... I was shocked to see it cost $6 Euros!!! That is @ $10CAD! When we got to the tour meetiing place 15 minutes later ... we could get a bigger bottle of water for $2 Euros out of the dispensing machine. Okay. Enough of my griping about money. I am starting to sound like my father.

GASPS OF WONDER: The Eiffel Tower by night ...was ... unbelievable and entirely exceptional! Our guide stated that it had some special Japanese lighting. John took a little video ... but ... it really doesn't do it justice (and it starts our a bit blurry). He also took one at the top ... also ... doesn't reflect the spectacular sights. It was an unrivaled and breathtakiing experience!

I will post more pics in an aside to this blog so you can hopefully get a better sense of our day of sightseeing yesterday and the magnificence of the experience!

GRATITUDES: It was a great day! And, today we are going to see Notre Dame Cathedral ... and then ... have a lovely dinner cruise on the River Seine. Hope you are all doing well!! Talk to you later ... bye for now ... k&jRead more