It's a Wonderful Life

We did much better today. We all got up at 10:00. Part of the problem (that we sleep so late) is the fact that all of the drapes are closed because they keep the cold window drafts to a minimum. With the drapes closed, we have no idea what time it is - kind of like a casino. Without the sun, we revert to Minnesota time too easily. Anyway, we went to bed earlier and got up closer to Parisian time.

With the weather still cool, we make sure to bundle up. Thankfully we have been prepared on this trip, so there have been no meltdowns due to cold. And since we pop in and out of cafes and shops, we usually can warm up quick enough.

We were out the door by 11:00. We made our way up the street (South) about 4 blocks until we took a left in the direction of Sacre Coeur. We found the area to the West and South West of Sacre Coeur, known as Abbesses to be very charming. Lots of Patisseries, Boulangeries, and Cafes. The streets are cobbled and narrow. People, even in the cooler weather, like to site outside the cafes at tiny tables. They sit on either side of the table with their backs to the Cafe. They don't face each other, they face the street. They chat, smoke, eat, drink and people watch. We had a fun time milling around. We ate at a corner Cafe/Boulangerie for a late breakfast/lunch. It had been open only one week, and the salesperson there was from Canada, and she made us feel quite welcome. Hot chocolate, croissants, etc. Everything was excellent.

We made our way up several flights of stairs and chanced upon a place we were hoping to find: Place du Tertre. There are artists in the square there with their paintings for sale. There are also those that do instant portraits and caricatures. There might be an element of "tourist trap" going on, but I loved it. We bought a couple small painting there and then headed over to Sacre Coeur about a block away.

Sacre Coeur was built after the Franco-Prussian war in memory of the 50K+ fallen soldiers. It is located on the highest point in Paris - a spectacular view that we intend to hit again at sundown. After a quick interior tour, we went straight down the hill and South toward the area around the Anvers Metro stop. Another neat area with Chocolatiers and little shops. After a while, we hopped on the Metro and took two train hops before getting out at Chatelet.

The Chatelet stop is close to the "center" of Paris. From there we got off and walked up the Rue de Rivoli to the Hotel de Ville, then North to the Pompidou. Unfortunately, the Pompidou square was not bustling like it usually does. There were a couple of painters in the square, but not the mimes and buskers like we expected. Aubrey and Gillian got a kick out of chasing the millions of pigeons that have gathered in the corners. We went inside the Pompidou, but did not buy any tickets. We ended up eating a snack across the street at a little cafe. Janna got some onion soup and I got some blue cheese and salami and bread. The girls shared Croque Monseiur, which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich...but over the top with the cheese melted on the outside too. Yum. With some food in us, we went back out to the shops. That area around the Pompidou and toward the Rue de Rivoli has tons of little shops and narrow alleys. Again, exactly what we were hoping for. We zig zagged our way down back to the Hotel de Ville where there is a Metro station. A crowd of about 15 rowdy teenagers shared a train car with us on our way back, prompting me to remember the line from Max Von Sydow's character in Three Days of the Condor: "Kids, probably the same everywhere..."

Because we got started earlier, the girls were ready to head back to the apartment. We were back at our apartment by 5:45. Janna and I had gotten some pesto ravioli and sauces the other day when we had gone marketing and so that is what we had for dinner, a nice little family dinner at our "home" here. After dinner and a family viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life" we will hit the bed early and hope we can creep that morning bell up a little bit.