Well you can't visit Paris without a trip to the old Eiffel Tower can you? After 24 hours roaming the streets of Paris, despite all of the surrounding frenchiness, Little Sister still insisted it didn't feel like Paris because she hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower close up. So our day was planned around her wishes.
After a yummy breakfast at the hotel we strolled along the Seine over to the Right Bank and wandered around the very pretty old streets of the Marais district.
Big Sister wanted to visit a couple of vintage shops that she'd heard about and who was I to say no! Vintage fix fulfilled we headed for the Jewish Quarter, queued in the fastest moving most efficient queue ever for the best falafel in town. Gosh they were delicious.
We stopped at a Jewish baker's for some apple strudel and really loved the jostle and history of the area. If you haven't been it really is worth the visit. I wondered what it must have been like in this area during the war... there were many plaques on walls and we sat beneath the walls of an old Jewish school and read about the tragic fate of many of its pupils.
Tummies full of falafel and strudel we headed for the Rue de Rivoli for some window shopping.
Along and along and along we strolled, past the Louvre to the tearooms that I wanted to show the girls
-
Angelina's tea rooms, a favourite haunt of Chanel in her heyday. We stood noses pressed at the windows and savoured the rows and rows of delicacies, each a work of art, the glistening marble worktops, the sparkling chandeliers and the very chic Parisiens taking their tea...
This whetted our appetites for a spot of Chanel hunting so we went along to the Place Vendome to take a peep... none of us finding the courage to enter of course - our woolly berets and scarves didn't seem to quite cut the mustard. Still it was good to daydream...
By this time (a full six hours of walking) our legs needed a rest. How lovely the Jardins de Tuileries are. Having only visited them before in the summer i was so surprised and delighted to see them in their Autumn glory. It was very easy to imagine the area centuries ago, an Impressionist painting come to life. We sat for a while and decided to stroll around the fountain ... but my what was this
This beautiful lady had to avert her eyes...
But he was not the only one,,,
They were all at it....
A hasty retreat and several laughing fits later saw us at the bottom of the Champs Elysee looking up towards the Arc De Triomphe. Never have I seen such traffic and yes, of course, Mr Roses, decided to stand in the middle of it all to take yet another of his 100s of photos of the Arc...
We were truly weary by this point but there to our left on the horizon was the Tower, enticing and calling us. Further and further we walked and larger and larger it loomed.
It is a beautiful thing, I think I appreciated it beauty much much more this time around. Surrounded by the autumn shades of the trees, it just is magnificent. We posed and took photos and posed some more... for Little Sister it truly felt like our Parisian adventure had begun.
Too tired to walk back to the hotel we decided to take a
batobus along the Seine towards Notre Dame. Never have my feet felt so relieved and it was lovely to see the sights from the comfort and beauty of the river.
I think, or would like to think, that the sun was just waiting for us to arrive at Notre Dame before it set, for there in a matter of seconds the whole cathedral was bathed in the most glorious golden light of early evening.
More strolling around in the evening followed, a lovely meal in a wonderful little bistro next to the Pantheon that made us feel like we were at home and a last evening walk around the beautiful Latin Quarter. Incredibly, it was so mild and we were so lucky, that we were able to stroll around without our coats eating beautiful flower shaped ice creams, it doesn't get much better.
Paris may well be the most romantic city of all, but trust me, after a day of walking there is NOTHING better than to slip on your PJs, run lukewarm water into the tiniest bath in the world, nab a corner of the bath to sit on with your daughters and to dip those aching feet ...
The next day the rain cleared whilst we were having breakfast,
we reluctantly said farewell to our lovely hotel and headed
north to Montmartre. We arrived in brilliant sunlight,
the crowds thronged,
the sites were as beautiful as ever and it may remind you of every postcard
(
The shop in Amelie)you've ever seen but there is something oh so special about this little village on the hill.
The old alleyways, the plaques everywhere that remind you of its history, the climb up to the top of Sacre Coeur, the breathtaking views of the city and finding the time to sit on some steps to take it all in.
And believe me, there was an awful lot to take in!
PS - for those of you who asked here is the link to the
hotel.
