City of Light

Napoleon III Apartments in the Louvre

Ah....Paris, the City of Light - the most lit city in the world.  A few days back home from Paris and we  have almost recovered and ready to take on the next bustling European metropolis. Although, Sal and I had already been to Paris, experiencing it again with the kids this time was fantastic. They were in awe of the city and gained some appreciation for all the artistic beauty it has to offer, although we were pushing it by the last day.  Our final day in Paris was reserved for a visit to Versailles, but by that time we had no energy left for the one hour ride each way and the 3 hours plus to tour the enormous and magnificent castle and it's gardens. 

Notre Dame

We decided instead to explore the area we were staying in, Le Marais and the neighboring area of Ile St. Louis. These are both lively arrondissements  packed with restaurants, cafes,  shops and art galleries.  After walking along the Seine to visit the spectacular cathedral of  Notre Dame we decided that would be the end of sightseeing for us. We  the spent the rest of the day wandering in and out of the shops on the narrow streets, stopping often to  admire and of course sample the irresistible desserts displayed in the patisserie windows - the  French certainly know how to dress up their sweets!!    

Digging In!!

Walking through the Marais, home of the  Jewish quarter where we incidentally had the best falafel bar none just a few days prior, we came upon Place Des Vosges said to be one of the prettiest squares in Paris.  Stopping in at cafe Victor Hugo for cafe au laits and chocolat  chauds we had a chance to sit and  admire the square just across from us.    It turned out this 'down' day  was just what we needed on our last day in Paris . Missing out on Versailles will give us another reason to visit the French capital again.

We are resting up this weekend and staying close to home as we get ready to tackle Berlin next weekend.  A city I don't yet know much about, although I know it will be cold, we will pay homage to the Berlin Wall and likely eat sausage and drink beer at some point, although I am sure there will be much more to it than that.

Until next time,
Nancy

Time Out at Les Deux Magots