From Paris to Amsterdam Day Two

We awoke on the second day to a beautiful sunny sky and the promise of warm temperatures near 80 degrees Fahrenheit or if in France, 26 degree Celsius.  Patrick walked to the local Boulangerie and brought back some delightful pastries and Troy made eggs for breakfast that we purchased from the grocer a few doors down.  We washed all that yummy goodness down with a wonderful glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of not so good coffee.

Coffee in Paris is tricky.  We purchased and brewed our own today, which turned out fine.  However, we couldn't find any creme to purchase, which all of us enjoy.  In fact, as we were standing in front of the dairy case trying to translate all the products that we hoped would be cream, I thought I remembered Annie saying that the French don't really have cream.  Milk yes, cream no.  Which is why cappuccino became our go-to for our coffee fix.

During breakfast we made a loose plan to walk to the Eiffel Tower.  The map showed the tower was just under 4 miles from our apartment which seemed a fair walk.  We also decided to wander and see Paris along the way.

In and around our neighborhood.

See the dog?  So many dogs in Paris.

Let me say that the neighborhoods or arrondissements of Paris are each very unique.  They all have a certain look or feel or people group that are easily identifiable as you are walking through.  Some have wide sidewalks, others are very narrow.  There are an amount of homeless scattered throughout the city most in warm doorways or tucked into corners.  Graffiti and artistic expression on many surfaces.  There were little surprises for your eye to catch if you happened to be looking in the right direction.

See the little red figure?

Walking in Paris isn't like walking in my hometown.  There is a lot going on!  Lots of people walking, just as many on bicycles and mopeds and small motorcycles.  Cars and trucks going here and there.  It is a feast for the eyes and ears.  There is a rhythm that this American was slow to figure out.  Translate that as a few close calls.

Ornate architecture everywhere.

Hmm, there were 6 macarons in that box.

The Place Vendôme.

The Place Vendôme is the center of French luxury.  If you want stunning rubies, sapphires, emeralds or diamonds, you'll find them here.  I did not see any such gems, I was a bit starry eyed at all the wealth in one place though.  Would you like a doorman to assist you?  You'll find that here.  How about the Hotel Ritz?  Bien sûr!  Did I mention a giant pumpkin complete with security?  Yeah, it's in the Place Vendôme.  What I didn't know was that Lady Di had her last dinner at the Ritz (if my research is correct).  So interesting because we came across a memorial in memory of Lady Diana later in the day.

Would like to have seen these two in chase.  My mind whirls with the athletic talent on rollerblades.

I also envision myself, face flat on the cobblestones.

The Colonne Vendôme

The Colonne Vendôme is at the center and was made with the cannons of the Austrian and Russian armies.

Not sure how to caption this one...?

Stopping to rest.

We found ourselves in the Tuileries Garden.  Tuileries is located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.  Annie mentioned it was worth strolling through and we all would agree.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the flora and fauna and the art pieces that were scattered throughout the garden to admire and amuse.

Good friends.

Giant thumb anyone?

Complete with fingerprint.

"Troyus, point at the Eiffel Tower"

Almost there....

See, Patrick really did make the trip. :)

Solving the world's problems with the Luxor Obelisk in the background.

Fountaine des Mers in the Place de la Concorde.

Did you know that the Place de la Concorde was originally known for having been an execution site during the French Revolution?  Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and others were guillotined here.  Logan can fill you in on all the details if you have a few hours.

This is Paris.  Old and new combined.  Always a surprise around the corner.

Pont Alexandre III, deck arch bridge.

A rare sighting of my honey. 💕

Still making our way to the Eiffel Tower across the Pont Alexandre III.

Strolling through the streets of the city of love.

For the car enthusiast.

For the dog enthusiast.

Still walking to the Eiffel Tower...

I spy the Eiffel Tower.

8000 tons of steel!

These two!

💗

Look at that sky!

With those clouds and rain threatening and our feet and backs aching, it was time for dinner.  We chose a restaurant fairly close to the Eiffel Tower mainly because we didn't think we would make it much farther and secondly because there was a good chance they would speak some English.  We were in luck.  Our server spoke pretty good English and she was a lot of fun.  Connie wanted to take her home with us.  The bonus, the food was quite good!  Troy and I both ordered the Prawns and Risotto dish and were not disappointed.  Patrick enjoyed a Chicken Caesar salad and Connie ordered a mouth watering hamburger.  We enjoyed a few glasses of wine or beer and then had Crème brûlée, in France!  Happy tongues and happy tummies.

As our luck was going, it grew blustery and rainy outside while we were enjoying our dining experience and the weather cleared as we were ready to leave.  We asked for the bill and that is when our luck ran out.  Yikes!  We all got a good laugh over it.  Each of us experienced a heart stopping moment and a few of us had to put our eyes back in our heads.  Wowzers.  The price you pay for English and good service.  Suffice it to say, it was almost double what we were expecting.  Even though we were many euros lighter, we knew our feet couldn't walk back to our apartment, so we decided to try out the Metro.  It was then we came upon the Flame of Liberty.

The flame was given to France by the United States as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.  Our tour guide showed us the flame during our boat tour a few days earlier and explained it to us with a humorous twist.  He said, "We give the United States a large statue and the Americans thank us with a tiny flame."  He then respectfully shook his head and told us that the flame also became an unofficial memorial for Princess Diana after her accident in the car tunnel directly under the flame in 1997.

Our metro adventure was successful, especially after we asked which train to take and found the English language option on the ticket machine.  :)  We were all getting better at understanding the little idiosyncrasies of life in Paris.  One podcast from the Join Us in France Travel Podcast that I did NOT listen to and should have, was the transportation podcast.  C'est la vie.

After arriving back at home, we shared stories and a nightcap and took our weary bodies to bed.  I dreamed of French words and phrases.  Seems the four years of French language study in high school was slowly coming back.  Who knew?  Step count for day two: 21,864.  Bonne nuit from Paris.