Hello Paris--day 10 and 11 of the London Adventure 2018

Iconic Eiffel Tower

We were on the train from London to Paris at 7 AM. The train ride lasts about two and half hours. When we arrived, we took the metro to a stop near our hotel. From the stop, we walked a few minutes to the hotel. It was too early to check in; but since Nicole has stayed more than 1,000 nights with that organization, she has "status." So after dropping off our bags, we went to the executive lounge and had a cup of coffee to refresh ourselves. This trip, we stayed in the Opera district. From a window in the hotel, we could see the Eiffel Tower.

Nicole could be a tour guide in Paris. She knows not only the location of the landmarks most people want to see; but, also, she knows the locations of the stores with more affordable pricing! I wanted to add to the grands tea set and I wanted to buy a particular type of tea. Plus, I wanted to walk across the Alexander Bridge, see Sacré-Coeur, walk through the Jardin des Tulleries and Jardin du Luxembourg.

Nicole with the Alexander Bridge in the background

We are finding that we have similar tastes. The positive to having similar likes is that we have less ground to cover. The negative to having similar likes is that we miss out on other experiences that we would enjoy! At any rate, by noon, we were taking in the ambiance of Paris. It did rain and the wind gusted hard enough to turn people's umbrellas inside out. We did get wet; but, for the most part, we were shopping when it was pouring so the weather did little to dampen our spirits! I did not find the pattern for the tea set additions. We did find some clothing for the grands though!

Tile floor pattern inside the Petite Palaís

We stopped at Eric Kayser for lunch. There are lots of locations throughout the city. It is a bakery/deli and popular for people wanting a quick breakfast, lunch or wanting to pick something up to add to their dinner. We each had a lunch special which was a hearty salad, bread, a drink and a dessert. You walk by the case, pick what you want and you pay for it. You can eat in or take it with you. We each had a hearty salad. It was delicious and the cost was about $12 euros.

 While crossing the street to Eric Kayser, I saw an advertisement on a city bus about Van Gogh paintings at the Petite Palaís. We decided to see the Dutch painters of Paris exhibition. We walked by the Louvre and through the Jardin des Tulleries on the way.  An added bonus was that we also viewed the inside of the Petite Palaís. I enjoyed that  view as much as I enjoyed the exhibit! The tile floor pattern sure could become a quilt. We were surprised that so many people were viewing the paintings too! Mondrian and Van Gogh were my favorite artists. (Van Gogh is Nicole's favorite artist.)

Scroll work on the stairway at Petite Palaís

On our return, we walked across the Alexander Bridge. In the early evening, we stopped at Starbucks for a coffee and a well earned rest.

Then we met friends of Nicole's for dinner at Baltard au Louvre. The servings were small. We ordered a variety of items and shared. This was a great way to try different dishes.  Getting a couple bites of each dish was just the right amount of sample! I enjoyed catching up with Joy and meeting Zoe. They both were kind about including me in the conversation. Then we had about a 20 minute walk back to the hotel.

What an amazing day! We returned to the hotel at 11:30PM and we had walked 11 miles! We both slept in the next morning!

2018 pose of Sacré-Coeur

The next day and after the hotel breakfast, we dropped our bags for safe keeping with the hotel staff while we saw a bit more of the city. We set out for Sacré-Coeur.

The first time I saw Sacré-Coeur, Nicole was my guide. She took me a back route and as we rounded a corner, I saw the church. It was a "WOW" moment. This time, we took a more direct route and shopped for the tea set pieces along the way.  I found the pattern of the tea set pieces so I bought a couple bowls and a couple mugs.

We walked around Montmarte square in which a number of artists sell their wares. The first time I was here, there were a lot of stalls featuring flower and bicycle paintings. This time there were definitely more portrait artists than I remember. I missed seeing the bicycle and floral paintings. On one corner of the square was a Starbucks, so we purchased a coffee, walked back to the church and sat. We enjoyed the panoramic view as well as people watching while we drank our coffee. I am learning that a well-timed coffee break, helps the knees rest, allows me to enjoy the sights as well as regroup my energies to move to the next destination. By the way, Sacré-Coeur is still a WOW!!!!

Pattern on a building

Next we traveled to the Galleries of Lafayette so I could purchase a particular kind of tea. Then we walked to another Eric Kayser for lunch. This one was not as crowded as the was where we ate the previous day. After eating, we walked to the hotel to pick up our luggage and then we walked to the metro so we could board the train for Dole.

Unfortunately, the train from Paris to Diijon was late. When the train pulled into Diijon, we had to hustle to make the connection to Dole. Fortunately, the personnel held the train and we made it; but, these knees refused to hurry much! The ride to Dole is about 20 minutes. Jérôme met us at the platform. Moniqué, his mom, had a delicious tomato and tuna quiche ready for us when we arrived at 8 PM. We walked more than seven miles by the end of the day.

I'm looking forward to letting the knees rest a bit as some days the swelling has been so great that it's been a challenge to get my pants on over them!