Paris—Day 2

And what a day it has been! We started the day with a croissant and pain au chocolat while Liz checked email and I blogged about yesterday. We checked out of our hotel, then began our leisurely walk toward our apartment to meet our landlord. We lugged our rolling suitcases behind us, and we didn't mind one bit as they clattered along, sometimes on concrete, sometimes on brick, sometimes on cobbles. It reminded me of a year ago as Justin, Jodi, Jaime, Liz and I wandered aimlessly through the streets of Shanghai hoping to find a hotel that would allow 5 foreigners for the night. We were glad to know where we were going and that a nice warm space would be there for us when we arrived.

We needed to buy a new flat iron for Liz after our faith in our voltage converter was rewarded with popping, crackling, melting, a little fear on my part, and some angry tears on Liz's part, so we stopped at BHV, one of the most unique megastores I've ever experienced, and marveled at seven floors of designer brands, clothing, parfum, art supplies, cookware, home electrics, electronics, and just about everything else you can imagine, including off-brands, store brands, and the best names in just about everything. It's what I think Saks Fifth Avenue would look like if it was acquired by WalMart, which , of course, it might be some day, which would be great, because I'd love to have a neighbourhood BHV.

We met our landlord, a wonderful woman named Laurence, and settled into our beautiful little apartment. You can see the interior and the courtyard here.

We then set out for a day of adventure. This was the coldest day of the week, which we had initially planned to spend at the Louvre, but we got a late start, so we'll plan that for another cold(-ish) day.

Instead of spending the day wandering leisurely through the great art of the world, we huddled together in a line along the North face of Notre Dame praying that the wind and the cold would not steal away our very souls. An hour and a half later, we ascended the spiral staircase of the North tower. It was narrow, and hundreds of steps, but we got not only exercise, but also beautiful views of the city in all directions. It was fun to see Paris laid out in every direction without the hindrance of six-story buildings. We could Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, The Eiffel Tower, and the Pantheon, and it made Paris feel rather small.

We also gazed upon the gargoyles that guard the Cathedral and had a nice private moment with the Grand Bell of the tower. We descended the opposite tower, and were relieved to feel the sun on our faces as we finally emerged at the bottom. We took a quick turn inside the great gothic cathedral, then set off for more adventure.

We headed South off the island and found ourselves at the Pantheon. We didn't pay the 8€ each admission to wander around inside, but we understand that it's the place where M. Foucault proved that the earth was revolving using his now famous pendulum, which is still there. We wandered toward Rue St. Michel, Liz bought a scarf that makes her look like a movie star, took some photos, wandered through the flower market, and checked out the Palace of Justice and L'Église-Saint Chappelle within its walls. We paused for photos on Pont St. Michel, then headed for home.

We stopped for a moment because we saw this awesome structure, Le Tour-St. Jacques, which is the remnants of a church that used to be on this site. It was a meeting place for pilgrims of all nationalities since the tenth century, and it has a statue of Pascal at the base. It was cool.

We popped home for a quick rest and foot rub, then headed to MORA, a cooking supply store not far from here to see about finding a crepe pan. Well, the good crepe pans are worth the €, but they are heavy, so I'll have to determine whether I'm able to get one home. I did grab a few little kitchen goodies, though. Interestingly, at the store, you go to one counter where they ring up your purchases, then hand you a receipt. You take the receipt to the register where you pay, then when you return to the first counter, your items are wrapped, bagged, and ready to go. Very efficient, and a great service, in my opinion.

We enjoyed dinner in, just a baguette with roast pork from the charcuterie, some stinky cheese, and roquette, which I think is similar to/the same as arugula. It was a good dinner, but definitely some new flavours for us; we were glad to have bread and pork to fall back on. Liz has a little work to do tonight, so we're in for the evening, and glad to be resting. Vacation should involve rest, no?