With Love, From Paris. Day 2

Day 2

The following morning, I woke up at 3:30 am!  I mean, how could I sleep?  I was in Paris!!  And only for a few days!  I decided to get up, take a shower, get dressed and plan out our day.   We were going to go climb up the Eiffel Tower, then navigate our way to Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis.  This of course, could take a full day.  And that, we had.  So here we go...

This was our first breakfast in Paris. Four, flaky, warm, and buttery croissants.  The girls had milk to drink and Nuno and I had coffee.  I have to tell you that Parisian croissants are the best I've ever had.  They are flaky on the outside, but buttery and almost doughy on the inside.  Every morning, no matter which bakery we went to, the croissants were warm from the oven.  Utter perfection!

This man in the above photo became known to us as "the pigeon man".  Most mornings and evenings, we would see him feeding flocks of pigeons.  He was a homeless man.  I never saw him asking for money, only feeding the pigeons. I'm sure he's still there, feeding them.  

By the way, if you plan on visiting Paris, know this: it is nearly impossible to find an available taxi during morning and afternoon rush hour in Paris.  We walked halfway to the tower on day 2 before we got hold of one.

Inside the Eiffel Tower

Breathtaking views of the Seine river and the city of Paris!

In the center, you can see the Arc de Triomphe!

 

 The Seine River

A dream come true for me! 

Spectacular views of the city!

Overlooking Parc du Champs de Mars

Having fun!

Okay, I promise, no more Eiffel Tower pictures!

After spending most of the morning in and around the Eiffel Tower, we decided to go back to our studio for a little afternoon nap with the girls.  My early morning rise was not such a great idea after all!  We took a little  nap, and then headed out for another walk, this time, towards Ile de la Cite, across the bridge, over the Seine.

This is Hotel de Ville - Paris's City Hall

City Hall boasts fountains and gorgeous early 1900s lamp posts. 

This is the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, located on Ile de la Cite.

The stone exterior of the church is incredibly detailed!

Notre-Dame's Rose Window

Take a look at this gorgeous door and the handsome man in front of it! ;o)

So we walked from our studio in the 4th Arrondisement down towards the Seine, saw Hotel de Ville, crossed the bridge over to Ile de la Cite, and saw the famous Notre-Dame.  Next, we are going to cross another bridge to the Island called Ile St-Louis - my absolute favorite!

We passed through this pretty little park on our way to the Island.  Unfortunately, I don't know the name of it.

This cute boulangerie on Ile St-Louis was our first stop for a sweet treat.  

Their donuts are much smaller than ours. Fillings include apple, strawberry, and chocolate!

And look what else they had - Paris's famous macarons! This was the first time any of us had tried macarons! Mmm!

La Cure Gourmande - 55 Rue St. Louis en L'ile

They sell the most delicious French biscuits here!

Coconut filled, strawberry jam filled, orange filled, chocolate chip, shortbread, chocolate shortbread, just to name a few of the flavours!  As a treat, we brought some home with us to enjoy!  They are incredibly rich and delicious!

After browsing around the small, quaint island, we decided to walk towards Place des Vosges, one of the many city squares.  Here are some of the things we saw along the way...

Window shopping

Another boulangerie we stopped at along the way.  Isn't this lovely?

And here we are, Place de Vosges Square - Paris's oldest square.  Victor Hugo used to live in one of the homes here.  His home is now a museum.

There was a playground for the children (and adults too)!  We spent some time here, playing with the girls.  Then, we headed back to our apartment.

Newspaper/magazine stand

Annabel wanted a picture standing in front of the fruit stand.

Fabulous flower shop!

This is moi, picking up some hot baguettes from a local boulangerie.  We went to the supermarche and bought salami, goat cheese, butter and a nice bottle of wine!

I fell in love with the studio's tiny kitchen.  Don't you just love the red?

And that, dear friends, was day 2 in Paris.  I have many more pics of this day, but I only put up the ones I think you'd most like to see.  I hope you enjoyed coming along with me.  We are getting closer and closer to London now.  Stay tuned for more!!