Not all who wander are lost

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Each morning we wake up, get ready and head down to our favorite meal of the day. The hotel (I swear I'll talk about it in a later blog) has a great breakfast laid out for us every morning. Cereals, yogurts, meats, cheeses, breads, eggs, potatoes, sausages, juices, coffees and teas get things started the right way. Without exception, our favorite item at breakfast is the bacon! I would hip check an old French lady out of my way to get to it. It is so tasty and they roll it up like a little sausage. I'll be sad if our next hotel doesn't have the same terrific breakfasts!

Each day Michael meets us at the hotel to begin our journey. Today, we slow down just a bit. Just a few blocks from our hotel is the beautiful Saint Sulpice. It is the second largest church in Paris and if you saw or read "The Davinci Code", it is the church with the Rose Line where the albino monk goes to find the Holy Grail. It's all nonsense, of course, but there is a line on the floor and I think its either about the summer solstice or the meridian. Don't fact check me. I've had a lot of great info thrown at me in 3 days and the churches are running together a bit. There is also a painting by Eugene Delacroix inside so I know I retained some of the knowledge!

We leave the church and head across the square to what I assume is the bus stop. Michael makes a surprise stop at a boulangerie and I pop in to take a few pictures and buy a brioche! Right next door is a chocolate shop! I have been dying to try a real macaron and these are the real deal. A few purchases later, Mom and I are trying a chocolate macaron and a salted caramel one! Oh, to die for!! If you have a sweet tooth (Mom) or are addicted to carbs (me), France is the place for you! Mon Dieu!! It's a good thing we average about 15,000 steps a day!

We wander in the direction of our bus stop (for tourists, the bus is a fantastic option. They stop in all the right places) and we all Oooo and Ahhhh at various shops along the way. Halfway through our time in Paris and we're all itching to find a souvenir or twelve. The shops are so nice. I'm not sure how they all manage to find the correct clientele and stay in business! We could spend years looking in tiny shops and just scratch the surface.

On the bus to the Marais district, Mom and I discuss our favorite parts of the tour so far, my blog, her reviews and what we want to do with our free day on Saturday (It's Wednesday today). I have been very vigilant. I study landmarks, street names, shops and any other feature that might come in useful at some point. That's why my family nicknamed me, Ranger Rita. I always over prepare for travel with knowledge. *This is foreshadowing. Key appropriate music*

We hop off the bus to head down a small side street into the most delightful little square. The autumn weather has the perfect feel to head into the liitle park in the center. We sit on benches as Michael tells us about the Place des Vosges. It is the oldest planned square in Paris. The manicured linden trees line each side and there is a large statue in the center. The tall faux brick buildings on all 4 sides give the square a very feudal European feel. I love it. There are school kids in the park as there is no school in France on Wednesdays. (The do enrichment types of learning likes sports, clubs and other activities that make a child more well rounded) The kids in the park are listening to music and smoking. Ah, youth! I start to lip sync along with Annie Lennox and get side eye from a young girl. They turn down the music. I just smile. That is my music, sweetie. I am the 80s.

As we walk through the Marais district, we learn a little about the Jewish quarter. There are memorials to families lost in WWII and plaques on walls to remind us of the atrocities suffered here in France. The most heart breaking is when we stop in front of the Jewish school. A large inscription over the door tells of the children being led away with the consent of the government. It accepts the blame and reminds us that we must never forget. Powerful and heartwrenching.

Next stop is the church of St. Paul - St. Louis. There are two beautiful clam shell holy water basins given to the church by Victor Hugo after his daughter was secretly married in the church in 1843. It also houses a Delacroix painting, "Christ in agony on the Mount of Olives". The most significant art in the church though is French Revolution era graffiti, "French Republic or death" (in French, of course).

It is time for lunch and we squeeze in to a little falafel joint that probably seats 20. Mom and I have never had falafel (sometimes, we realize that we live in a VERY small town and aren't very adventurous). Everyone seems to be ordering falafel sandwiches but since I'm hesitant to request a special "none of this or that", Michael suggests the falafel plate. Mom and I decide to split it. After building our own with all the ingrediants on the plate, we dive right in! Oh, so good! I put some sort of sauce that is sitting on every table on my pita. It looks like a mashed up concoction of peppers but it has an extreme amount of garlic! No breathing on anyone for the rest of the day! The Texas gentleman across the table from me has slathered so much on his that I'm glad he's traveling alone! He almost puts the entire little cup on his pita! He loves it! I'm just thankful that Mom has Altoids!

We continue our walk through the Marais. Down side streets and alleys, learning as we go. We only have the Picasso museum on the agenda this afternoon so we have time to meander and soak it in. Michael points out remnants of the "walled city" and I see my first public toilet right on a street corner! It's free and it has a button you push to open and a large door that slides open! It's the little things, folks! One of the other things that impresses me is a big green container sitting by the curb. It's about 5 feet in diameter and taller than me too! It's for your recycling! Too cool, although Michael says you don't want to be nearby when they dump it! *Crash*

On to Picasso! Ok, I'm going to start off by saying that I'm NOT a Picasso fan. However, I wasn't really interested in going to the Rodín museum or Napoleon's tomb either but I thoroughly enjoyed both so I'll give it a shot. Well.....we arrive to find that the exhibit is about a year in the life of Picasso. 1934. An erotic year, it says. *I'm giving you a side eye glance* Hmpf! It's one thing when he messes with where eyes and ears are located but if someone thinks I'm gonna be happy looking at how he fiddles with placement of other body parts, I'm in for a long trip through a small museum.

I will very grudgingly admit that it wasn't painful and I did find a painting or three that I actually liked. (Landscapes, people!) Michael did a lovely job trying to capture the essence of what we were seeing. Thankfully, the exhibit is not large and before I know it we are heading back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.

Mom and I haven't joined the group for dinner yet. We have been wiped out by the end of the day and we have eaten so well for breakfast and lunch that we simply aren't very hungry. We agree to meet in the lobby at 6:15pm as we need to leave plenty of time not only for traffic but to be in line as they get very busy and don't take reservations.

We arrive at Chartier a few minutes before 7pm. There is no line, however, the queue is already in place for the masses that will show up. Down an alley and in we go! The waiters write your bill on a piece of table cloth. The menu stipulates that the waiter receives 12% of the price and the restaurant gets 88%. Leaving another euro or two is our guides suggestion but basically, we pay the waiter with how much we eat!

I split a bottle of wine with the lovely gentleman from Texas sitting next to me and order a salad, a steak with potatoes and chocolate mousse for dessert. Others order fish, snails, sausage and sauerkraut, spaghetti, chicken and other various dishes. We had a lovely meal and great company. Nearly everyone gets dessert or coffee and then it's back to the hotel to pass out! On the way out, the line is long and as the French love to take their time with a meal, there's no telling how long that wait might be!

Another gorgeous day in Paris comes to an end. The weather has gotten cooler and more fall like each day. Tomorrow promises more of the same. We get back to the hotel, climb the circular staircase to the 2nd floor (that's floor #3 for us Americans) and hit the hay! Bon nuit!

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