Paris Part II: We stop messing around. Kind of.

Day 4: Monday, March 17
After classic X&A raptoring, we dragged ourselves out of bed. We grabbed some pastries on our way to the metro ("Bonjour Madame...") and headed north to the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. We wandered around the crowded cemetery along with other tourists and saw the graves of Balzac (Nils.), Georges Seurat, Eugene Delacroix, and Jim Morrison, kissed the tombstone of Oscar Wilde, and saw where Max Ernst's ashes are stored. I also found a cemetery kitty and made it love me. Following our creepy crawly morning we headed west toward Place des Voges and stopped to refuel at a nearby cafe. Celi suggested that we take buses around Paris so we bus-hopped our way towards the Arc de Triomphe, stopping to strike some uber-touristy peace sign poses and get rejected by an old man along the way. After nearly getting hit by cars taking pictures in the middle of the street, we took the underground passageway to the Arc where we snapped some photos before returning underground and singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart." We headed down Rue de Victor Hugo in search of a recommended place for pan au chocolate and stopped to browse in some stores along the way. We found the bakery but it was unfortunately closed on Mondays so we settled for a baguette and a bottle of wine (twist off, so we could drink in the street...duh) and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. We turned a corner and there it was! We made our way towards it, stopping to pose for pictures along with the rest of the world and settled in on a bench next to a French gang (Ali G was a member) to drink our bottle and get our carb fix. Having downed the bottle in approximately ten minutes, we took a somewhat tipsy ride on a nearby carousel (and obviously had the time of our lives) before walking under the tower. By this point I was freezing so we jumped on a bus home as the sun set. After our daily trip to Picard we made dinner, planned the next day, and headed to sleep.

the crowded cemetery

kissing Oscar Wilde's grave

Arc de Triomphe

underneath the arc

lovers in Paris!

jump!

:)

slightly crooked

carousel fun

up close and personal

Day 5: Tuesday, March 18
Another early wake up and more crepes for breakfast! We set out for another attempt to go to d'Orsay but were again faced with the mother of all lines so we decided to buy tickets in advance for Wednesday. Feeling slightly defeated, we walked along the Seine towards Notre Dame and stopped along the way for crepes avec oeufs. We checked out the interior of Notre Dame and sat inside for a bit to warm up and take some photos. Being the expert bus-riders that we are, we took a bus to Laduree, an infamous place for macaroons. The place was packed with brunch eaters and macaroon enthusiasts and after much contemplation we left with six macaroons neatly packaged in a pretty purple box. We stopped in a cafe for our routine warm-up drinks where we had some interesting interactions with our server who fell in love with both of us at first sight. Things got a little awkward, especially when he decided to pick up my camera and look through all of my Paris photos with commentary. He told me I should stop kissing porcelain dogs and carousel horses and instead find a boyfriend. After a failed attempt at locating the Longchamp store we bussed home and had a early dinner (Picard of course) and rested briefly before heading up to Montmartre. We finally reached the Sacre Coeur after climbing lots of stairs and took in the amazing view. We went inside the church for a bit and then walked around for a bit and shared a nutella crepe on our way down the hill. After pausing to see the Moulin Rouge we bussed our way home and called our mommys to check in before heading to bed.

Notre Dame and candles

inside

Laduree and steps up to Montmarte

Sacre Coeur

view from the top and twinkle lights

Moulin Rouge

Day 6: Wednesday, March 19
Our earliest wake up yet happened on Wednesday so that we could get in line for the d"Orsay. Smart choice because we were among the first in the museum and were able to navigate our way through it before the huge crowds arrived, although we did have to dodge a group of nauseating Southerners. From the d'Orsay we crossed the Seine and walked through the Jardin de Tuileries where I did a great Bindi Irwin impersonation and then set out in search of some vintage stores that we had researched. We spent the afternoon sifting through vintage clothes, admiring old quilted Chanel bags, and pining for amazing bedazzled sunglasses. We stopped for some coffee and then discovered a little food market where Stina got some raspberries and I opted for cherry tomatoes and figs. We finally located some Longchamp bags in a department store and Stina spent some time cuddling with various bags. We bussed home where we proceeded to binge eat and then pass out for a few hours. We awoke later than expected and rushed to the Centre Pompidou (aka Centre Pompidont) only to find that it was closed. We settled for a night walk around Ile St. Louis before catching the metro home and grabbing some crepes on the street near the apartment. With happy tummies we hit the hay.

inside the d'Orsay

upclose and personal with Monet

little ballerina girl

Jardin

snack time!

Day 7: Thursday, March 20
Having checked most things off of our to-do list, our last full day in Paris was our calmest yet. We slept a bit later than usual and after quick trips to the post office and an internet cafe we returned to Ile St. Louis to explore. We immediately picked up some pastries and soon after had amazing gelato from the very popular Berthillon. We found a chocolate shop/cafe called Le Charlotte with bunny cookies in the window (obviously made for me) and waited around for it to open, eating half a baguette in the mean time. Once the doors opened I was very pleased with my bunny "biscuit" and after a mini photo shoot with the bun we headed west. We witnessed some interesting bus problems and had to get off before we wanted at which point we found ourselves in the middle of some student riot. We sought refuge in a small kitcheny store and a neighboring flower shop with real bunnies in the display window. We walked along the street, stopping to admire some giantchocolatechickens (one word) and split a mini quiche at a cafe. For dessert we picked up some raspberries from a fruit stand and three macaroons from a bakery. We explored Jardin du Luxembourg where we took some amazing self-timed selfies then bussed home for the last time. We picked up three baguettes and two bottles of wine to accompany our dinner and had a relaxing evening in the apartment. We tried to venture out later but were somewhat unsuccessful and instead escaped from the rain in a restaurant where we had hot chocolate and a petit creme at the bar. After squeezing into a photo booth for pictures, we climbed into bed for the last time, content but exhausted after our busy week.


df

love of my life part I

love of my life part II

hella awk self timers

Jardin