Paris - Day One

We didn't have good internet in Paris so blogging was tough. We are in Rome now, but we'll try to recount the 4 nights and 3 days spent in the city of lights....

Our first full day was last Tuesday, May 11th. We woke up to grey skies (not unusual for our trip so far) but were excited to get out and see the city.

We fueled up with a cafe, croissant, fresh squeezed orange juice and baguette with butter and jam (appeared to be the standard breakfast offering, as most cafes were advertising the bundle package). We made our way along the seine to the Louvre - cold rain pelting us, it wasn't the most pleasurable walk, but the Mona Lisa awaited us...We arrived at the glass pyramid entry point, happy to not see a long line to get in. The happiness was short lived however, as the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays - a tip that likely would have been clear in our guide books had we not left them in Boston. Where to go... no guide books, cold, windy, raining - we decided to forge ahead and walk through the garden of Tuilleries and out to the Champs E'lysses with the hope of finding a book store to buy a guide book and a cafe to sit, dry inside and read it. After a fairly miserable 20 minute walk, we found a bookstore, a decent Paris guide book and eventually a cafe/ bar where we could park ourselves and re-energize; Jay grabbed a couple of beers, I a few sparkling waters.

Spirits rekindled we decided to walk over to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. A quick video of the sites inside...

Next we went across the square from the cathedral to the Crypte Archaelogique - a now museum that contains the remains of houses dating to the 16th-18th centuries. Was very cool to see the foundations of the homes, the remains of the heating systems etc. - were pretty advanced as a civilization even 400 hundred years ago. Time went quickly, we tried to go up the towers of Notre Dame after, but missed the last group allowed by 5 minutes; figured we'd see it one of the next two mornings.... back to the hotel for some R&R, then onto Framboisy - an adorable bistro near the Il Saint Louis that came highly recommended on tripadvisor, but wouldn't break the bank :) - the food didn't disappoint; was fresh, and served by an upbeat woman who owned and operated the restaurant and front of the house all on her own. She even had to act as bouncer when a couple had a tad to much wine at the bar and wouldn't leave/ hung out outside the locked front door knocking and trying to get back in.

Full and happy, we walked back to the hotel through the miniature alleyways and past the miniature cars - here I am posing next to one such mini car....