May 16th Paris

We woke up to a cool, sunny morning in Paris. Enjoyed walking outside to view the sights of the busy city passing by below our perch. Baby up and everyone dressed for the day, we headed downstairs for a hearty breakfast to started the day.

Our tour guide was scheduled to show up soon in his retro vintage car for a ride around the city. (A '78 Citroën, Orange and White) Finished with breakfast, we made our way outside and found our driver patiently waiting on us.

Jeff in the front, the baby and I in the back. We started out by making our way down the Champs de Elysee Boulevard passing by many interesting places including the Ritz Hotel which isn’t far from the Champs Elysee. We would go around the Arc de Triomphe later in the tour. We continued on up to our destination, Montmartre for some great views of the city.

*Champs de Elysee and Arc de Triomphe in the mirror*

*Destination Montmatre standing tall in the distance*

*So many Locks of Love lining the fences surrounding Montmatre*

*Enjoyed passing over the many cobblestone streets and by beautiful buildings*

At one point our driver stopped and rolled the top back to let the fresh air and sunshine in. Then on we went with the Chauffeur giving a little of the city's story along the way. We pointed out statues and buildings along the way and asked for the story or meaning behind them.

The traffic was horrendous. Some roads seemed to be blocked off and traffic had to be rerouted. This required more navigating for our driver. While we just relaxed and took in the sights/sounds around us. Paris has always had its own culture of road rules it seems. I will always gladly let a driver chauffeur me around.

Paris, it seems, is a busy city getting her best face on and all made up in time for the Summer Olympics of 2024. We saw lots of scaffolding setup, hiding the fronts of a number of popular buildings.

*Scaffolding hiding part of Eglise de la Madeleine*

*One of the building hosting events for the 2024 Olympics*

We drove by the Princess Lady Diana's Enternal Flame Monument near where the car crash happened. Never Forgotten, Always in our Hearts 💕.

*Contact 2CVParisTour.com to book an enjoyable tour of Paris in a Vintage car*

Ending our drive, We asked to be dropped off by Opera Garnier for a self guided tour through this magnificent building. We had pre-purchased our tickets on line. There wasn't any waiting line so we made our way quickly inside to soak up some splendor in such amazing architecture all around.

*Such Beauty All Around in this Entrée Foyer into Opera Garnier*

Just imagine the soothing harmonies and healing frequencies that must reverberate through the body when a performance is in play. Such a magnificent structure built to capture the essence of music. A quick tour would have to suffice for this trip.

*Grand Stairways leading to the Auditorium*

Back outside we headed over to the nearby Café de la Paix for a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice.

By this time it was time for the baby to have a nap. We summoned an Uber for a ride to our hotel. Back at our home base, we ordered a late lunch to our room for an afternoon pick me up.

*Our Parisian terrace, a perfect place to enjoy a relaxing lunch*

While the boy was fast asleep, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch from the terrace with the Eiffel Tower in view.

Since we had a few more places to visit yet, it was soon time to head back out. Our favorite Receptionist, Jerome met us in the foyer and wanted to bid us Farewell until the next time we visit Paris. So kind of Jerome. Thank you for all you did for us during our short stay at your beautiful, boutique hotel. You always made feel at home and we look forward to a future visit and stay.

Finding ourselves back out on the streets again, hailed an Uber to take us to Musee D'orsay. (Quick Tip: Uber worked out very well for us with a baby) We arrived at Musee D'orsay around 17:15 only to find we had made it a bit to late for the last entry of the day which was at 17:00. Feeling more than a little disappointed, we walked around the outside to at least catch glimpse of the clock we wanted to see from the inside looking out over Paris towards the Louvre.

We took some time to view River Seine as we collected our bearings and moved on. Téo enjoyed the boats passing by and a few riverside ducks on their afternoon paddle.

Deciding to take a walk, we crossed over the bridge to walk through the beautiful gardens Jardin de Tuileries which is in front of the Louvre and bordering River Seine.

We continued along the Seine walking by the waters edge until we reached the most gorgeous Bridge Pont Alexandre III. We took time to admire the details and beauty of the bridge.

Then crossing over the bridge, we could clearly see the Eiffel Tower and the golden top on Napoleon’s tomb in the distance, such rare beauty all around.

Soon we found ourselves wandering near a large grassy area, we stopped to let Téo play in the grass. It was a very panoramic area with Bridge Pont Alexandre III in the background with it’s four Golden Angels on each side on the high pillars holding either the trumpet or the sword. On the other side of us, stood the golden dome of Napoleon's tomb. Today's Paris is so stunning… what must've it looked like in the centuries past?

*Beautiful grassy area to with Bridge Pont Alexandre III in the background*

Continuing our adventure we spent our evening meandering through the Streets of Paris in the 7th Arrondissement.

*So many inviting shops to visit while passing by*

Beginning to feel hungry, we let destiny determine where to stop for dinner. Really, there are so many exceptional options, how does one decide? Just wandering through streets…we discovered Restraunt Le Campanella. It's persona beckoned us to stop…this was it! A very inviting environment for delicious meal after a long walk.

Truly this is one of the simple joys of visiting Paris, to wander the streets without a plan letting the perfect place draw us in. This is also one of those things that can bring the reminiscing nostalgia back, once away and keep us returning to this magical city of La Ville Lumière

The baby started crying soon after placing our order…nap time again. To respect our by-sitters at the nearby table, we took turns spending time outside beside the bustling street getting him to sleep before heading inside to enjoy our dinner.

*A special Ravioli a secret recipe of France*

Holding a baby and eating does work after a fashion just part of the adventure. The good and the difficult times are all memories to take back home with us and to reminisce over the years to come.

As the sun set,we summoned a Uber to take us to a particular viewing spot of the Eiffel called Jardins du Trocadero. It was the spot to be. People were coming to get a taste of the beauty and see the lights start to illuminate the Eiffel Tower in the sunset lighting.

Sitting on a stone wall, we enjoyed watching all the people and waiting for it grow dark enough for golden lights to illuminate the Iron Lady. Such an array of cultures were gathering for the evening illumination, a beautiful site of our fellow mankind. Though we might be different in some ways, we are still so much the same. Finally the golden lights came on, in a spectacular show.

As the evening came to a close we hailed our last Uber of the day for a ride back to the Hotel San Regis. Upon walking into the foyer, we had the opportunity to say “Bye until till next time” to our new friend Seydina. Thank you, Seydina. Téo always enjoyed your interactions with him!

A quick elevator ride up to our room and terrace to catch a glimpse of Eiffel. As the clock stuck ten, she began to serenade us with all her glitter and sparkle.

A dazzling Farewell of silver and gold to end the our last evening in this wonderful country of France, for sometimes good things come to a end. (Or let's say one good thing coming to a close, only means the beginning of more good times on the horizon!) For tomorrow we will travel back to Mississippi. Home where life awaits us until our next adventure takes us away to explore a new area of our beautiful Earth….

Paris, La Ville Lumière

Hello London!

Train to Paris, City of Light