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Published: December 18th 2014
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With my day ending at Soissons, I had to take the train back to the train station: Gare du Nord in Paris. Once there, I had decided I was done walking for the day, so I got a taxi. A nice Mercedes and about 15 minutes to my hotel. Much better. My hotel is lovely. The concierge was friendly, the room is teeny tiny but practical, the tub is HUGE, and the location is perfect. I am staying in the neighborhood St Germain-des-Pres. It is across the Seine from the Louvre and Notre Dame - very easy walking distance. In addition, there are tons of small restaurants and wine bars that seem slightly off the beaten path and pretty authentic. I don't think I could have picked a better place to stay.
I went out for a meal after checking in because I knew I would pass out soon. So, I walked down the street and into a small cafe. This place was great! My meal was not quite what I expected, but even better - I got warm goat cheese on toast drizzled with honey. C'est magnifique! The staff was also friendly (seriously, I have had nothing but friendly
people here!). On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to buy some fruit juice and water in case I got thirsty/hungry during the night. Once back at the hotel, I ran a hot bath and soaked for about an hour, drinking a beer and reading my kindle. Amazing…
This morning, I was going to have breakfast for 12 euros at our hotel, but when I looked in the room, there was just a small selection, so I decided to walk down the street again. I meandered a little towards the St Michel area and found a small bar/cafe that was serving breakfast. The woman was very nice and i had a breakfast of fried eggs, ham, and croissant with hot chocolate. It was good but expensive. I should have just walked 50 more meters and I would have found the street with a dozen cuter spots. Tomorrow I guess!
I was meeting my friends at around 12:30, so I came home to read and then dozed for a while. Then I walked about 10 minutes to Notre Dame just as the clock struck noon. They wound up being a bit late, so I people watched. When
they arrived, it almost felt like it had been just yesterday since I had seen them. Except they have a baby now! We went into the huge cathedral and were in awe of it. Ok, I was actually not in total awe; I more like "I'm in friggin Notre Dame!" Very beautiful cathedral though, and Elissa wondered how it would be if this was like your church. Oh yeah, I'm going to mass. Oh I am going to get married in Notre Dame…. Amazing.
We then wandered up and down the streets talking and casually looking for a place to eat. We wound up back in my neighborhood and found a delightful little place tucked in an alley. Seriously, I highly recommend the small places off the main streets. The staff was fantastic, the food was great, the wine was perfect… We sat and ate and talked for a couple of hours. Then we walked back towards the Louvre. Just a very casual afternoon catching up with old friends.
Tomorrow we'll have the day better planned, with plans to see the Louvre in the morning, Christmas markets along Champs D'Elysees, shopping, and Montmatre neighborhood. More walking! Today I
did 13,467 steps (5.53 miles).
And I am still amazed at the complete friendliness of the people here - I have yet to meet one rude person. I hope it stays this way!!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
The Louvre
What a great shot