Paris Day 2

Ah Paris.

Well today jet let got the best of us. I woke up about 5:00 in the morning and decided to just sleep for a little bit longer. Well at 11:30 I looked at the clock again! Yikes!! My beloved was not far behind me and we finally left the house about 2:00 on a cold winter day.

If you have ever been to Paris you know that you can't avoid the Seine and staying on Ille St. Louis it surrounds you. This winter it is a swirling light brown angry looking river. I have never seen it so high.

Sometimes I think I forget how much this city depends on the Seine, but with the water this high you "see" it better. The stairs that used to lead you down to a walkway along the river's edge now end in the water and it is easy to imagine a boat pulled up to them and tied up to those large iron rings in the stone walls that contain the river. I do wonder how long those walls could continue to contain the river if it decided it had had enough.

We headed over to the Latin quarter to have the "best" falafel in town. We were going to Moab and it was delicious! Perfectly fried little balls of heaven with thick creamy hummus in soft pita bread that you pile high with "salad". Salad consists of olives, carrots, radish, cole slaw, your choice of sauce from HOT to mild. Yummy. The other "best" falafel is in the Marais, which is closed on Saturday - because they observe the Jewish sabbath. Will let you know which we prefer.

Then a walk down a street that is full of galleries. Every store front is full of "art". Some I liked, lots more I did not. This walk of course leads me to the age old question - Soup/Art?

We continued over to river and crossed over the Pont des Arts. Bridges in Paris vary from old stone bridges to iron bridges. The only thing for sure about a bridge in Paris is that where there is a wire, there is a lock.

These locks are put on by lovers, they are inscribed with names and dates. I wonder if the love ends do you come back and take that lock off? If you come back to Paris more than once with different lovers and you put a lock on for each one, how special is it?

There are guys that stand on the bridges selling locks for you to purchase and attach to the bridge. They also provide the sharpie to inscribe your love note. Oh and then they want you to throw the keys into the river. Hmm, perhaps all those keys has added to the color of the river? I can't imagine that all those keys can be good for the Seine?

So then we wander down the Rue de Rivoli. We pass the Louvre where there a long line to see a costume exhibit. We will hit museums during the week, when I think the lines will be shorter. But this is Paris and the museums are a big deal, so maybe not?

The plan was to take my beloved to Angelina's for hot chocolate. Yeah, us and about every other tourist in Paris! So we will go back during the week for thick hot pudding like chocolate.

So we stopped at another lovely cafe for coffee. Trust me, do not order a double cafe creme at 4 in the afternoon. Just not a good idea.

We wander taking a long time and pick up fresh bread and cheese for dinner. We have had a wonderful long walk and return to our cozy apartment to prepare for another day of exploring.