I'm writing this entry sitting in an amazing little courtyard at the western end (opposite from Notre Dame) of Ile-de-Cite, or the island of the city, while we wait for our dinner reservation. This island is where it all began for Paris, so it is somewhat ironic that it is where the end of our vacation will start. This dinner marks the end of our last vacation day, we depart Paris for home tomorrow morning.
The funny thing about this trip is, that while everything up to now has been fun, today has really been the most enjoyable . Originally, we were planning on seeing the Louvre, but after the crowds of the last few days, we decided to come back another time to see it and some other sites. Today, we decided, would be more about exploring old Paris and enjoying ourselves.
We started by sleeping in until almost 10, then we packed up what we could so we wouldn't need to worry about it when we get back. By 10:30 we were out the door, stopping around the corner to buy a baguet traditional and a pain aux raison (amazing!). Eventually, we found the Seine, which we walked along from Pont d'Alma to Notre Dame. As we approached Notre Dame, we began passing the famous Bouqanistas (booksellers).
Mary bought a map of the elevation of Paris from 1860 (it is a somewhat more recent print) for herself and a small poster of Chat Noir and a french version of la Petit Prince (the little prince) for our daughter, Rose. After some further walking we reached one of my favorite neighborhoods, San Michel in the Latin Quarter.
After taking photos of the San Michel fountain, we decided to sit down for lunch. I again had Croque Madame, while Mary went with Croque Vegetarian. We decided to ask for un pitchet vin du rose, or a pitcher of rose wine instead of a whole bottle. The pitchers are usually available in 25 or 50 ml sizes. We also decided to go for dessert and coffee. I had mint chocolate chip ice creame (glace) covered in creme du menth syrup, while Mary had profiterolles (ice cream stuffed cream puffs).
After we walked over to the Ile-de-Cite, where we saw pilgrims to Notre Dame in town for the Fete du Assumption (feast of the assumption). As a side note, during the research for this trip I had read that many local businesses shut down, I can say none of the tourist based businesses do. Many small markets, boulageries, patissaries, chocolate shops, and souvenir stores remained open on or near Ile-de-Cite.
The structure of Notre Dame is quite amazing and it was very moving to hear the choral movements eminating from the cathedral during the mass. We eventually sat down in a small park behind Notre Dame and watched people feed pidgeons. This was a very relaxing non-activity, which I would recommend to any weary traveler.
After the park, we began a walk through the small island of Ile-de-St-Louis, which is where we plan to stay on a future visit. We stood in line for Berthillon glace, bought some rose sparkling wine, water, a can opener (for foie gra we bought the day before), some macaroons, and a magnet of our favorite wine (Cote du Rhone Rose). Once we finished with purchases we settled down along the shady north bank of the Seine river on Ile-de-Cite.
We had a small picnic, while watching tour boats glide by and revelers enjoying the Paris Plage across the river. Our snack was delicious, I can definitely say the Foie Gra was worth the wait and the €1.35 spent on a can opener. The rose sparkling wine was very sweet and excentuated our experience with fine dining and living in Paris perfectly.
Eventually, we decided we would need to get up and move around to burn off some of these calories before our evening meal. We wandered through a small garden market, looking at plants and other items of horticultural interest. On the other side of the market was Notre Dame, so we decided to sit and soak up some music. After some further wandering, sitting, and milling about we found ourself here in this courtyard, which is where I began the post.
Tomorrow our vacation ends, but the planning of our next European adventure begins. So prost, sante, or cheers, whichever you prefer. Raise up a glass and toast with us to enjoying what the world has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment