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Montmartre
View from the bottom of the stairs to Sacre CoeurA bit of light drizzle this morning as we leave the apartment and walk up some very steep steps, hundreds of them to the Sacre Coeur Church. We wandered around the streets and found an aromatic scent emanating from this tiny little cafe. I experienced my first pain au chocolat and it definitely WILL NOT be my last. It was still warm from the oven. Trev had a scrumptious pear tarte along with a cafe au lait. The French coffee so far has been on the weak side and when added to the milk makes for a very mild hot drink. Enjoyable though. I'm not sure how these vehicles maneuver in such tight quarters but they do. The pedestrian definitely does not have the right of way here!! Amazing architecture and magnificent view of Paris from the church steps.
Time to walk down the steps😊 Found our way to a main street and decided to catch an underground train and get off close to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Glad we had our little map as the ticket agent told us which train to catch but not which stop to get off at. While riding the train we scoured our map
Montmartre
Lots of stairs and determined which stop made the most sense. We got off and proceeded to walk and look for the flower market. I had found a YouTube video that there was a flower market on the Seine. FOUND IT, was happy to wander and ooh and ahh over the gorgeous plants and flowers. Notre Dame is a pretty amazing building and books say the outside is the most impressive!! We were impressed.
I found this gorgeous arrangement of plants and discovered it was a restaurant. We decided it was time to eat and enjoyed a lovely quiet meal on a little side street. The waiter invited us to go upstairs and have a look….We were in the oldest building on the island of Il de la cite. Best part, the table and chairs were PURPLE! We thought we'd try the bicycles but we unable to get the automated system to accept our US credit card. We'll maybe try tomorrow with a debit card and see if that will work. We then decided to walk to the Arc de Triomphe which passed by the Louvre. I know, I know, sacrilege that we didn't go inside but not our cup of tea.
Sacre Coeur
Lots of artists We enjoyed a leisurely stroll and a few minutes in the chairs provided by the fountain. The Champs Elysees brought back memories. Sooooooo many people. Paris is like London with so many small shops that you wonder how they can make any money. Things are pricey here, we stopped for an afternoon coffee and 1 pastry and it was 20 Euros - $30.00US.
Trev did the "distance between 2 fingers" measuring on our map and decided that our apartment was no greater a walk that what we just did so we went for it and walked back. Welllllllll, it may not have been further but our legs were starting out a bit fatigued 😊 Once again, up the hill, go left, up the hill, go left, up the hill and ahhhh we are on our street. Old code that worked yesterday didn't work today…my memory is still okay, new code retrieved and door opened.
It was a great day with lots of color and relaxed enjoyment. We are loving the time together just taking it all in as we wander the streets.
Today, July 4th, was all about the Boulangerie (bakery and the ultimate Baguette!!). Turns out
Sacre Coeur
Bascillica Dome the 2010 winner was right in our area of Montmartre! It was only a few blocks away so that was one of our first stop this morning. After a leisurely morning with a late wake up and a load of laundry done we wandered the streets and stopped for Cafe au Lait, quiche and pain au chocolat. Sat outside at the tables on the sidewalk and enjoyed the sun. The French talk fast and never stop. They can sit for hours and nurse their coffee or drink and nobody minds, least of all the shop keeper! We caught the Metro and headed to the Eiffel Tower. The stop was a bit away so we walked, and walked and walked! Came across the most amazing LIVE wall. River boat city seeing, floating gardens on the Seine and much more. The Eiffel Tower is quite the structure.
Left and started the trek to the oldest Boulangerie in Paris. Built in 1730. In order to make the walk we needed sustenance. Found a nice shop that had these baguette sandwiches. Again, sat out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the scenery. Many people, many cars, many moped/scooter and MANY HORNS!! Fed and fortified
Sacre Coeur
Street Scene we headed out again. Our map wasn't the most accurate and was missing many of the streets but my trusty navigator, Trev, managed to keep us on course. I sure wish I had remembered to bring my pedometer....miles, I tell you, MILES we walked. Nothing was built on the square/grid system so roads stop and start and zig and zag. Thank goodness for the street signage on the side of the buildings. Finally, found it, Strohrer's, so we bought a few things to enjoy later. Worked so hard at that walk that we went up the street for a coffee and a sit down. Time to really test our Metro knowledge or lack there of. We needed to go to Gare du Nord to get information for our travels to Beauvais Airport tomorrow. Trev spent time studying the Metro map and came up with a plan of attack. Proud to say, we made it without a hitch. Bought our tickets for tomorrow and then time our train travel back to our apartment so we would know what time to allocate in the morning.
Off to Barcelona now and some time with Derek & Duane.
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Jennifer
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HI.....soooooo much fun to read your entries Rhonda. I am exhausted reading it....can't imagine all the walking. How is your leg holding up? I'll stick to my spelling thanks:) Love the photos and love the detailed descriptions....keep them coming!! We leave for a guest ranch in Clinton tomorrow ( horseback riding for Cass...fishing for Callie!!)for a few days, then on to PG for convention. Please say Hi to Derek and Duane from us. Jenn xoxo