Paris

Bonjour Everyone!
Today we got up a little earlier than usual to pack our suitcases and tidy up the apartment. We wanted to have enough time to walk to Au Fourmil de Baptiste Artisan Boulanger for deux cafe au lait et deux croissants. We arrived early enough to see all the beautiful artisan breads coming out of the ovens and being stacked in baskets along the wall. We sat at a table on the terrace and stared out at the rolling hills which were so green and lush. I noticed the jasmine still flowering in big pots, as well as huge clumps of lavender just on the verge of blooming. Pink roses in striking blooms, climbed up a trellis.
We watched a man with lots of gray hair tied in a pony tail walk across the parking lot trying to control his big dog on a leash, but holding onto a precious crusty, baguette with the other hand. It's very true that you will often see a French person walking purposefully with a baguette in one hand.
One thing you won't see? People driving through dreary parking lots to get to a window and order coffee. So we left Valbonne and drove to the Nice airport, where we returned our car to the rental agency. We checked our baggage and waited to go through security. As we sat waiting, we noticed a couple soldiers in military uniforms strolling slowly through the airport looking right and left. We noticed the AK47's they held, with hands obviously posed for action.
We finally boarded and I watched out the window as the plane climbed, and it tilted so you could easily see the beautiful Mediterranean, as well as boats and yachts which gradually became like tiny dots. Soon we were above the clouds and then I could see the snow capped French Alps. A bientot (so long) to the breathtaking beauty of the Côte d'Azur...
We reached the Orly Airport in Paris at 2:20 pm and took a shuttle to our apartment, as we did not want to change trains three times, especially dragging large suitcases behind. We met Alex at the apartment at 4:30 pm. He showed us all around. The apartment is in the 5th Arrondissement on the 4th floor of an old building (early 1700's. It is beautiful, rustic and has old antiques in it. The location is perfect - in the Latin Quarter which is the best for seeing the great sights of Paris.
After getting settled in our apartment, we walked down Boulevard St. Germain, turned right on Rue Des Carmes and stopped at Les Delices du Fournil, which is right down the street from a cute, little hotel called Hotel St. Jacques. We ordered one eggplant tartinette and one chicken tartinette and then sat on some steps eating our street food, wondering how to make the best use of our time for the next few hours. Sometimes you find yourself being caught in a bit of a dilemma in places like Paris where lunch is served from around 12:30 to 2:30pm. Dinner is served after 7:30 pm in the evening so you just have to learn to adjust your schedule around this.
It was a beautiful, warm evening so we walked over the bridge and stopped to look down at the Seine River on our way to the Notre Dame de Paris which is French for 'Our Lady of Paris". The Notre Dame is one of the largest and most well known church buildings in the world, with construction having started around 1160 AD. We walked into the cathedral and could hear the most beautiful female voice singing during a church service, which was taking place on this Sunday evening. There was a choir also. It was absolutely beautiful.
It is amazing to think that Mary Queen of Scots was married to the Dauphin here in 1558. The coronation of Napoleon took place in this cathedral in 1804. These are only two events in the amazing history of this cathedral.
Of course you can actually climb over 700 steps to the bell tower of Notre Dame if you'd like to go up and get a very close look at the massive gargoyles. We did this once about 5 years ago, and it was well worth the gruelling climb up.
Since the Memorial Des Martyrs De la Deportation, Ile St Louis is quite close to the cathedral, we walked over there. There is a monument inaugurated on April 12, 1962 by General De Gaulle, President of the French Republic, as a place of contemplation and remembrance of the suffering caused by the deportation of Jews from France. Although I have been in this area, I had never walked over to actually view this monument.
It was such a beautiful, warm evening, and we sat on a bench very near the Seine and listened to some very traditional 'Paris Cafe' music which was being played on an accordion just around the corner. This music filled the air all around, and you could tell people were enjoying listening to such a skilled musician. It all adds to the beauty of this city.
After listening to the music for awhile, we walked over the Pont de L'Archeveche, back into the Latin corner. Whenever you find yourself on a bridge in Paris, you should always take time to pause and look at the Seine. This bridge is interesting as it has thousands of locks attached to the metal railings over the whole expanse of the bridge. These locks have been signed by people as a token of their shared love.
We decided to stop at Le Village Ronsard, on Blvd. St. Germain. This is a cafe right on a corner. The location is really what attracts you. I had an excellent salad there called Poulet - gourmet salad of tomato, corn, chicken, green beans, hard boiled egg, and potatoes. Ron had Magnet De Canard (duck) in a very strong ginger sauce, which he didn't care for. The rose wine was perfect, and I think I can actually taste a bit of rose petal (even though rose petals have nothing to do with rose wine).
So we returned to the apartment after celebrating our first evening in Paris. You feel excited because there is so much to do and see here...and even if you didn't want to 'do and see' you can just walk along the Seine River, taking in sights like the Eiffel Tower...