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  • Day 9

    Rue Frederic Sauton

    November 10, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    When we booked our rental apartment, the owner said we could book his driver as well....so we took our chances, and did that....65 euros vs 150 for a taxi. He actually brought a car seat with him for Aston and everything turned out well. He was familiar with the apartment, so knew exactly where to go...thankfully. We are about a block from the Seine river and just across from the Notre Dame Cathedral. We were left on the street front, as there is no parking, and as we surveyed our surroundings, we knew we were in for an interesting stay! Thankfully, our girls LOVE exploring and LOVE adventures. They aren't afraid of change, they adapt well to knew environments, and they do not need much for comfort! haha. The pictures say it all.

    Our first day was spent exploring around the apartment. We found a nice bakery just down the street....our first true French bakery. We were surprised to learn that the prices are quite different if you are sitting in to eat, or taking it to go. We decided to sit in to eat, and quickly realized our mistake...haha. The glass tables were all cracked, and with a toddler, not the safest. Then came the diaper issue....no worries, we'll just use the washroom (for a fee)....except its just a toilet...no change table. Change tables are everywhere in Canada....it's surprising if you find a place without one. In France....apparently not the same! We asked where we could change the baby...no one knew....thankfully the apartment was close! The bakery was small, so we left our strollers outside, even though they are the cheap, small, umbrella strollers, we were soon advised that we should keep them with us all the time....as they may get taken. We were aware of the risks, and not too concerned, but the bakery staff seemed quite concerned, so we folded them up and squeezed them in with us. If the locals are concerned, we should be too! We learned a few lessons that day...you'd think we've never traveled before!! I guess we're out of practice!

    So far, we've visited a couple different bakeries, the Notre Dame, walked along the Seine, and explored the many walking streets just outside of the apartment. We were lucky enough to catch the Dame de Coeur show (commemorating WWI) at the Notre Dame Cathedral tonight! It was brilliant...amazing! Unfortunately, we had one sleeping and one really tired (aka miserable) kid, so somehow managed to not get any photos! It's been great so far! The locals are so friendly and it's obvious that they love kids!
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