Joan of Arc
Tuileries Garden
Vuarnet Shop
Eiffel Tower Picnic
Musée du quai Branly
Musée d’Orsay
Tacos
Yes, that’s all in one day.
It was a lovely day in Paris and being new, each exit of the Metro Station, or turn around a corner was gasp-worthy. Every new scene delighted us. Definitely a “pinch me” sort of day!
We started with a walk to a metro to find dad “that gold statue of Joan of Arc that the riders always go past”.
Then, we walked through the garden of the Tuileries. Super sunny, but not as hot, and with a nice breeze.
Then I made the kids giggle when I said, “Oh no, look, that statue fell down!”
And there were collies and bees!
Next stop: Sean said there was only one souvenir he wanted. A pair of Vuarnet sunglasses from their Paris boutique. So we set off.
And what else did we find along the way? The Tour-famous Champs-Élysées!
We beelined right past Cartier to find Sean his heart’s desire.
He bought two pairs! And spent the rest of the day gushing about how much he loved them.
A round of cool drinks and we were ready to round up picnic ingredients (fruit and veggies stand, bakery, Asian food shop, supermarket).
And what a picnic it was! At the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Everything tasted amazing. The nectarines tasted sweet as candy.
After lunch, Bo and I decided to walk the 7 minutes to Musée du quai Branly to see the free green space, gift shop, and bathroom.
We came back to the picnic blanket to find River playing soccer with some younger kids. This kid makes friends everywhere.
Eventually it was time to head to the Musée d’Orsay, where we had 6:30pm timed-entry tickets.
Everyone was feeling sore feet, but I lured them with promises of air conditioning, and within minutes Bo said she was SO glad we had come. I loved it so much. It was good for my soul to stand in front of so many masterpieces. Some were already known to me, so it felt like seeing a celebrity…
And others were a new revelation to me, a gift.
You can click on an image to see the full photo. I’m too tired to try and rearrange them.
The museum is beautiful, an old train station with soaring ceilings and beautiful light.
Bo and I also loved the marble statues.
My favorite was this one, of a woman holding a mask. It was just amazing from all angles.
It was a wonderful evening. Crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. I got to just stand in front of the pieces that spoke to me for long minutes. It was sublime.
We were ready to head towards “home” in more ways than one. Our stomachs were craving home too, so we went to a Mexican Taqueria just around the corner from our Airbnb.
It was fantastic.
Oh, and on the way home we saw a live band playing and folks dancing. As we have nothing else to base it on, we have to assume this always happens in Paris.
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