Below is the view as you step out of the front door of our apartment. We stayed in the Saint Germain des Pres area which is filled with boutiques and restaurants....great for strolling and window shopping and just sitting at a cafe to people watch.
Two blocks up on Saint Germain Boulevard was the Abbey of Saint Germain des Pres. It was founded in the 6th century. The high vaulted ceilings always amaze me. There was a mass going on when we walked in. We stay for a bit and then ventured on.
Some window shopping below. The first was a funky little store that had some great items. We both liked the knife holder in the middle of the picture. It's not only functional but can be used to take out your agressions.
Jewelry of course...a really great beaded piece in the center.
And pastries....look at the cakes on the bottom shelf...OMG. There were expensive so we just looked but didn't buy entire cakes like this.
And grafitti.....really cute cat grafitti on the second floor of a building. I have other pics of grafitti but this one I loved and I saw it quite a bit since it was on the route that we walked up to the Seine.
The first of many walks across the Seine on the various bridges. These pictures look a little gloomy. It was cloudy and raining the day we got to Paris but we had good weather overall. It only really poured one evening and of course we were out in it without an umbrella...but when you're walking the streets of Paris....who cares!!
We did end up taking 2 boats trips...a day trip and a night trip. There were both well worth it...especially the night trip to see the lights of the city in the evening.
Below is the tip of the island Ile de la Cite which is one of two islands in the middle of the Seine. This island is the center of Paris and is the location of Notre Dame cathedral. The bridge is called Pont Neuf which means new bridge. It is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, completed in 160o's.
A couple of nice little restaurants. You didn't have to pay a fortune to eat in Paris. Many of these small bistros had pre fixe menus that gave you a choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert for a reasonable price.
I am usually a Diet Dr. Pepper person but that is no where to be found in Paris so I had to live on Diet Coke....or Coca Light as they call it. You can zero in on the Americans by looking for those peole that drink Diet Coke. I like how they served it.....with a lemon and a spoon. Before I left I had to go buy one of the spoons to bring home with me. But for the price of a Coke you are better off buying a glass of wine....you will probably pay the same price.
And these are just select pictures from the first day :)))
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