Prancing Around Paris - Day #4 and 5

Day four in Paris was simply lovely from start to finish.  We started our day by walking to Ile Saint Louis.  Ile Saint Louis is a small island in the center of the Seine River, which is completely charming and rather frozen in time.  Quaint streets are lined with many boutiques, bakeries, and so many ice cream shops!  It is a very tranquil place to visit amidst the hustle and bustle of Paris.  I’d say it’s worth at least an hour of your time to explore this little area.  After Ile Saint Louis we made our way over to the Notre Dame cathedral.  This truly is a spectacular site, with incredible detail on every inch of the exterior of the cathedral.  The gargoyles are especially impressive.  We did not go in, but I did tour the interior of the cathedral last time I was in Paris and I would definitely recommend doing so if you are able to spare the time!  It’s spectacular.  

Erin's hair looks SO Pretty here!

After perusing the exterior of Notre Dame, we continued our day by strolling through the Latin Quarter.  The Latin Quarter is filled with restaurants and shops, the streets narrow and buzzing with tourists.  This would be a great place to have an afternoon glass of rosé.  We also made our way over to the Luxembourg Gardens.  My goodness, this is a breathtaking place to walk, sit, stroll, picnic.  Simply gorgeous! 

Latin Quarter

Luxembourg Gardens

At this point I was ready to go back to our backyard fountain and just chill with some sun on my face and a good book in my hands.  The weather was warm and gorgeous, and relaxing by the fountain was just so right.  I love this about Europeans…you will see so many of them lazing about in parks, around fountains…with picnics, books, or just to rest.  It’s really lovely and definitely draws you toward going at a slower pace.  

After a good two hours at the fountain, Erin and I met back at the apartment and took a cab to the Eiffel tower.  It was so exciting witnessing Erin see the Eiffel for the first time.  No matter how many times you have seen it on T.V. or in a movie, it’s really quite breath taking seeing it in person.  We arrived as the sun was setting so we were able to get wonderful pictures at dusk, as well as pictures at night when the tower was lit.  

She's the best!

We decided to take a river cruise that evening as this was something that was very memorable for me from my last trip to Paris.  As we were waiting for the river cruise, Erin and I found a little cafe near the Eiffel to have dinner, which was actually quite good.  The restaurant was called Petit Cler.  Many of the restaurants near the Eiffel Tower can be tourist traps, but I had found a blog written by a Parisian foodie who lives in the neighborhood around the tower.  In her article she suggested several restaurants that would not be tourist traps and would have genuinely delicious food.  We were so happy to find this article and eat in one of the suggested restaurants.  Our river cruise was so fun, and once again, I just reveled in the fact that there we were, friends of 22 years, cruising the Seine River together.  Awww, the love of traveling the world!!

Silly and happy!  

Night view of Notre Dame during our river cruise.

Night view of the Eiffel during our river cruise.

By our last day in Paris, I was sort of tired of sightseeing.  I had a head start on Erin by a week, so I was now on day 16 and needed some chill time.  Also, there are a few things that I just didn’t feel I needed to see again.  It’s funny, because here in Madrid (where I’m writing this blog) I want to see almost everything again, except for the museums.  I didn’t feel that way about Paris.  So while Erin went off to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triumph, I went on a long walk through St. Germain (trying to keep the exercise going) and then had a wonderful few hours of chill time at my fountain.  HEAVEN!  

Erin and I met back at our apartment, and for our last meal in Paris, we went to a restaurant called Liza.  Liza is a mediterranean restaurant and we were both looking forward to delicious hummus, falafel, and whatever other wonderful nibbles we could get our paws on.  We felt terrible because there was only one waiter in the entire restaurant, and this poor guy was being run ragged.  So, it ended up being quite a wait time to receive things such as water, etc.  However, the food was still tasty and it certainly didn’t ruin our evening.  After all, we had wine…how bad could it be??

It was a delicious trip to Paris and I know Erin absolutely fell in love with the city.   Paris is spectacular....seeing the world famous sites, the wonderful street musicians, and the city lit up at night!  There is a whimsical feel to the city and I think it’s a must visit city for everyone…at least once!  

Travel Tip #7:  If you are a foodie and want to have wonderful meals, and not haphazardly stumble into a tourist trap with barely adequate, overpriced food, do your research ahead of time.  We are privy to SO much information on the internet.  You can arrive equipped with a laundry list of restaurants to try in a variety of neighborhoods, with various price points and cuisines.  The research will be worthwhile!  Erin did an awesome job of this and we had some truly spectacular meals!