After snoozing till 8AM since we spent 1/2 the night listening to the party at the park below the Sacre Couer yell through the bull horn - couldn't wait for that thing to die... We wandered up to our favorite breakfast spot, dined and then dashed once again down the 173 winding stairs to the Metro. Now, remember we have to come back up the 173 winding stairs, that I believe were first reported as 143. Big difference when you are hauling up these sorry carcasses.
We ventured out to the Layfette Galerize to "shop". I decided that I didn't pack for the weather we've experiencing so I was on the hunt for cotton. We also wanted to start looking for those little Parisian Gifts that could stay with us for years to come. I found a charm of the Eiffel Tower to add to my charm bracelet and a couple of shirts. Lisa and Frank struck out in the clothes department, wanting to venture into the boutiques of our neighborhood instead.
The Gourmet Foods took up one whole floor of this mall. HUGE! Everything ranging from speciality spices and teas, to fish, to any kind of macaroon you could want (raspberry, lemon, chocolate..), nestled amongst the regular necessities of life. We decided to zip through there as this seems the spot to buy your weekly groceries, soooo many people, (grocery stores are something we all wondered about since we don't really see anything other than what we would call a convenience store, close to our flat). We also discovered the "liqour store" which of course meant some time to "gander". They have everything you could think of, when it came to wine. You must understand, hard liquor and beer are not big sellers here, it is the wine and at E2.30 per bottle, you can go a long way.
We didn't last long since the nunber of shoppers with the same idea as ours was a tad
overwhelming. I think we may have spent only a couple of hours there.
Coming back on the Metro means once again being swarmed by the gypsies begging for money Quite elaborate their schemes to get your money. We've had three experiences with the "look, I just found a wedding band, is it yours?" scheme (after they pickpocket you). We're on to them, our merry little band of three.
So, after climbing the 173 winding stairs back up from the depths of hell, we simply wandered the streets of Montmarde and then came home for a nap. Once rested we climbed down from our perch of 7 flights of stairs with 15 stairs per flight (not kidding about the stairs), to venture out for some night life. After dinner and a bit of window shopping, we sat at a little outdoor bistro on Rue Trois de Freres, for about 4 hours of snapping pictures, oogling the boys and girls, sipping our beer, wine and appertifs ( a cocktail here, not an afterdinner drink). Great times, had by all.
So back to the flat are we now, eating those special little pastries we purchased earlier today, setting up cameras to captured the night lights of the Sacre Couer - amazing how many people go there throughtout the course of the day - and how many people party throughtout the night - we are bracing ourselves already for bull horn man!!!
We didn't take Petit Guy with us since he was a bad bird the day before, embarrassing us at Versaille and the Eiffel Tower. So when we came home, he had opened the fridge door and spoiled our breakfast. He is such a bad bird ......
Tomorrow is Lisa's final full day here. We are going to take the 90-minute walking tour of Montmarde and ensure we are one of the followers to the Sacre Couer - making sure we cover it all. I suspect we will be back in our little spot tomorrow night, once again enjoying the views that pass us by.
Love you all, hugs and kisses F&LL
I missed reading for a few days to got to read a bunch today. Loving the oppportunity to follow along in your experiences. LL you are such a great writer! I can't wait to see the monstrous slide show that goes along with it. Things are all good in the 'hood. Enjoy your second week in gay Paris. Have a pastry for me.
ReplyDeleteCheers from the Blagdons