Random Prattle

Our first full day in Paris…  Started the morning with the most fantastic pastries ever. And then a quick, guilty stop at Starbucks. Cafe au lait’s are delish- however they need to make them to go. This way they can be savored on a walk through Jardins des Tuileries…

We went to the Musee D’Orsay and what do you know? There was a strike and the museum was free. Yippee! The art is fantastic and so is the view from the top of the museum. Paris feels like a dream. It’s such a beautiful city.

Jardins des Tuileries

Morning coffee at Jardins des Tuileries

Roof of Orsay from Jardins des Tuileries

Thirteen hours of flying, then a train from Charles de Gaulle to Paris, minus nine time zones and we’ve burned nearly a full day. But the payoff is tremendous. We’re here. Paris. And after a quick check in and chat with the very congenial night clerk at Hotel Therese we wander down the “rue” a few doors to the homey restaurant Stella. The owners are husband and wife who’ve run the place for decades. It’s small and friendly. The food is not fancy but good and we’re already excited to be off the beaten trail.

It’s late and we’re pretty beat but the clerk had told us we’re not far from the Siene so after dinner we take a short stroll to see if we can find it. What do you know we are indeed only a few blocks from the Siene and, as a bonus, the Louvre. From the grounds of the Louvre we can see the Eiffel tower in the distance with some flashy light display. I’m sure the Parisians loved that addition.

I’m still jacked up about being here so I talk Kir into walking down the Siene a bit. We cross over Pont Royal and head a few blocks down to Pont Neuf. A few more pictures and we’re done for the night. Time to prepare for our first full day in the city of lights. Yessss.