Today was another dreamy, slightly unreal day in the City of Love.
Today we decided to split up for the day. River felt dread at the idea of a day full of walking around looking at stuff. So we went and got bikes for Sean and River for the day, while Bo and Jesse explored the Le Marais and Montmartre neighborhoods.
First the guys:
River will have to do a more detailed post, as I was not there, but he did give me the overview:
On the way to get bikes, we stopped at a sporting goods store River had found online to buy him a soccer ball to kick around.
Then we all walked to the bike shop where they got fitted and set off for a long ride up along the canal all the way to La Villete park in the northeast of Paris.
There they found a cool surprise: a FIFA World Cup Fan Zone! River says they spent a long time there (by which point they had already stopped for ice cream and played soccer with a French guy).
Eventually, they biked back (River navigating), returned bikes, took Metro back to our Canal Saint Martin neighborhood, got burgers, and returned home, where River, kicking the ball around in the courtyard, caught the attention of new friends—brothers who came down and played with River. That is what they were doing when Bo and I came back around 7:30pm.
The girls:
So, after splitting from the guys, we headed to find our friend Ethan’s gallery (a gallery that frequently shows his work). On the way we stopped in Paris’ version of Michael’s arts and crafts store, but in a cave!
Then we found the gallery, took selfie outside, all excited, only to find out they were closed for remodeling! There is another location that we will try to visit tomorrow.
Next we made our way to a covered passageway we wanted to visit, stopping at an art book store, a fruit stand where we bought the best strawberries we’ve ever tasted, and the coolest journal store ever. We each bought a fancy pen.
Before the passageway was a restaurant V & E & Kiri recommended, so we decided to have our midday meal there. We were not prepared for the life-changing cheesecake. There are no words. Bo has the photo before it got ate up.
And all of this was in the very cool Le Marais neighborhood.
Then, the Passage du Grand Cerf. It was lovely, reminded me a bit of those shops under Pike Place Market.
We had initially planned more covered passageway shopping, but we had been walking a bunch and thought an iced matcha latte and a bus ride to Montmartre sounded good.
Oh the stairs! But views abounded and the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur awaited us at the top.
The view was exceptional, and my photography skills don’t do it justice.
Bo was really struck by the number of love locks along the fences up there.
We decided to stand in line to see inside the Basilica, and were so glad we did. It was majestic inside, with the spiritual weight of so many, many prayers.
And you step out and see this:
We wanted to see Les Artistes de la Place du Tertre, so we walked there next and spent our time walking past each artist’s works. We both lived one piece that was unfortunately 500 euros, but we dream about coming back one day to buy the art we love.
Luckily, on our walk back down the stairs on the other side of the hill, we passed a tiny printmaker’s shop and picked out a delightful print we thought Sean would enjoy for 10 euros!
We expertly took two metros to get home in under 30 minutes.
We rested for an hour, pswapped stories with the guys, and then left them to unwind while we got a late dinner at a wonderful crepe restaurant.
On the way, we happened upon a public hip hop dance jam. Awesome. We couldn’t tear ourselves away and pseudo-joined in at the back.
Dinner was completely delicious. I had the most wonderful cider with a splash of cherry liqueur. It was a meal for the memory books.
Satiated and full of happiness, we strolled along the canal after dinner, drinking in the ambiance and good vibes, with Bo expressing her love of Paris, this neighborhood in particular. She’ll be back.
Leave a Reply