travelogue: paris (part 2 of 4)

we started day 2 with coffee and pastry at the foundation, a cafe down one of the many labyrinth streets of le marais.  the small cafe looked a little swedish with sheepskin rugs on the benches and upon investigation, the owner was indeed swedish. 

 

caffeine and pastry filled, we took the metro to the louvre.  because of the very gray morning we thought it would be perfect to spend it indoors admiring the mona lisa.  when you emerge from the metro you find yourself in the louvre courtyard and i was amazed by the scale of it all.  it truly is magnificent.

we were so glad to have our louvre tickets already, the line-up was ridiculously long (get your tickets online!).  we knew we couldn't possibly see everything so we picked just a few art pieces and made a bee line for them.  first, the mona lisa.  it's much smaller than you'd expect but you've got to love it. that smile!  i was glad for kai to see it although he didn't see what the fuss was all about.  he was more interested in our next destination, egyptian art and writings.  i love sculptures so happening upon the winged goddess of victory was a little awesome, breath-taking actually.  and then before leaving we sought out a third great lady, venus de milo!  masterpieces.

another peek-a-boo view of eiffel

  

 

we were famished by the time we left the louvre.  we headed across the seine river to the st.germaine quarter for lunch.  there are tons of cafes in the area that the likes of picasso and hemingway frequented.  we chose the historic cafe de flore and i'm glad we did.  this cafe was packed (teeming with parisians and tourists alike) and the food classic french and delicious.  duck confit, french onion soup (kai's favourite!) and nicoise salad.

st.germaine is filled with cafes, jewel-like chocolate shops and high end boutiques which, of course, we popped into.  it wasn't a surprise that pierre hermé, known as the picasso of pastry, is located in this area and that there was a line-up!  a visit to this jewel box of a shop for macarons was a priority so we stood in line.  thankfully the wait wasn't long.  i had the pistachio and rose and they do literally melt in your mouth.  so good, i highly recommend it.

 

 

le jardin de luxemberg, one of the largest parks in paris, is where we picnicked with our pierre herme treats.  it was green and beautiful and a pleasure to promenade through it.  there were tennis courts and tables for chess. huge trees everywhere with a series of sculptures dotted around the gardens.  the gardens are a backdrop to the palais du luxembourg which henry iv had built for his wife who longed for her childhood home - now that's love!  

much of the grass is off limits but there are loads of sage green metal chairs everywhere - stefan found one and took a little nap.  kai had fun at the lake where kids can rent model wooden boats and sail them, with a handy rod to guide the boats when necessary.  i loved that he wanted to play with the boats.  then he noticed the crepe vendor and indulged in a nutella crepe.  a photography exhibit adorns the outer railings of the park with stunning images.

 

and another peek-a-boo view of eiffel :)

we wandered over to the banks of the seine. so many people picnicking along the seine, playing music, and i loved spotting the lovers :)  along the seine are the open-air, green boxed vendors - the bouquinistes - which we perused too.

we were exhausted when we finally reached our hotel.  after a much needed rest we headed down the road to the wine bar chai d'adrien for dinner.   it looked promising and i'm glad we chose it. rosé wine, a charcuterie platter filled with ham, salami and stinky cheese with a baguette and pickles was a perfect meal to end our day.

continue reading... part 3 of 4 tomorrow.