Palm Drive at Versaille
Oh, La Duree!Bienvenu à mon blog, encore! If you have been a longtime follower, you may recall an entry ater Maagascar about Paris. Well, I have returned to this wonderful city (with Joy), to begin our European Grand Tour. Now, on a train to Tours, I will recount some highlights of our 5-day stay.
Day 1: Dazed, jet-lagged, and confused we make our 2.5 hour journey from the airport to our hostel in the 10th arrondissement. By the time we start out, it is alreay late afternoon, so we content ourselves with a stroll in the Marais (Jewish and Gay [and my favorite] quartier), a stop at Musee Carnavalet, and crepes for dinner...tasty!
Day 2: Museum craziness! We are master museum hoppers. After purchasing a 2-day pass, we proceed on a leisurely whirlwind tour of l'Orangerie (Monet's lillies), d'Orsay (impressionists), and le Louvre (self-explanatory). We also managed to squeeze in Notre Dame before we made it back with Monoprix pastries - pas tres chic.
Day 3: Tired and stiff from the previous day, we decide to take it easy by seeing the largest garden I have ever been to: Versaille. Oh la la, and the palais was appropriately extravagant to match! We spent 2 hours in both the garden and palace, tho Joy would have waltzed through la chambre de miroirs if there had not been so many people. We finished the day with a look at the Pantheon, where the physicist in Joy came out (Foucault's pendulum...ask her). I liked seeing famous dead people - Marie Curie and Victor Hugo - in the crypt. With a mediocre pastry from the Marais, we called it an early evening.
Day 4: Probably my favorite day, entailing meandering to Sacre Coeur (built 1919 - so young!), le Moulin Rouge, l'arch de Triomph, and le Tour Eiffel. We also hit up La Duree for their famous Macaron...so tasty. We wandered Rue Cler for picnic produce, cheese, and du pain, and proceeded to the Esplanade des Invalides to relax and watch French boys play futbol. Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore capped our day's adventures.
Day 5: Window shopping near the Louvre and on Ile st Louis. Expensive clothing and jewelry. Extravagant patisseries (Angelina's!) - nuf said.
Other Tid Bits: Finding a cheap way from Italy to Greece is impossible! Everyone smokes in Paris...*cough cough*
How lovely! When you get back to the states, you should watch Paris Je T'aime (if you haven't already). So cute. :) Keep us posted on your adventures!
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