Day 42 - Paris - Picnic with Philip and Georgette - Bateau Mouche at Night
Sunday Agust 12, 2018.
We wanted to get up early and leave early but we didn’t. We had a nice breakfast with warm baguette, cheese, and jam. I think we are enjoying this family time and it's when we actually chat about our impressions of the previous days. We took the metro to see Notre Dame before meeting our friends Philip and Georgette for a picnic at the Square du Vert Galant, at the tip of the Ile de la Cité. Philip and Georgette are good friends of Gregory’s mother. They have lived in several exotic places and currently live in Paris.
When we saw them, they greeted us with big hugs and a bottle of champagne. It felt great to see old friends and feel welcome. My kids were thrilled that they also got a glass of champagne! We toasted right there on the bridge over the Seine and then we crossed the Pont Neuf to sit at the edge of the river for a delicious meal. They brought fresh sandwiches with baguette and olive bread. We also had pate, various cheeses and different tartes for dessert. There was a lot of food but what we enjoyed the most was the company. It felt nice to picnic on the banks of the Seine with friends we could compare notes with.
When everyone was stuffed and the bags of food were finally empty, we walked back to Notre Dame to see if the lines were any shorter. They had actually grown longer, so we went to see the back of the cathedral which many people skip. It is the older part of the church and we thought it was even more impressive than the facade. At the end of the island, there is a small monument in honor of all the Jewish deportees during WWII. It was nice to see that they are making spaces to reflect on collaboration with the Nazis during the war.
After resting a the park for a while we walked through the Ile St Louis to the Marais where we stopped in St Paul village which was hidden, It was like a small plaza surrounded by balconies and cafes and stores. Nothing really special but we were happy to cover different corners of Paris.
After a while, we decided to go home and rest for the night because we had a surprise for the kids. I have to confess that it was nice to have a place to go after being all day out and have a homemade meal. You are probably thinking, what, are you crazy? You're in Paris and you are not eating French food? Well, we heard from our friends and from locals that the food is not as good as it used to be mostly because they know that they are cooking only for tourists who don't care and are not coming back! There are exceptions, of course (more on that later). So we had a nice meal at home.
We left home again around 9:00pm to go back to the Ile de la Cité to take a night boat on the river. Philip had recommended taking the late boat so we could see the Eiffel tower sparkling, which happens on the hour after dark. The ride was a highlight -- Paris is definitely a different city at night. At day it's majestic, at night it's magical! The ride lasted an hour and at the end, it started to rain. Everyone ran downstairs for shelter, but luckily the ride was over. We ran to the metro, not only because of the rain but also because our metro tickets expired at twelve. It was midnight in Paris, and it was raining just like Woody Allen's movie!
TIP: The PAUL chain of restaurants has reasonably priced gourmet food that is prepared on the spot.
TIP: If you want to visit the interior of Notre Dame, arrive early! Entry is free but there is a line for the security check. The line only gets longer if you wait, and it gets more and more crowded! There is a charge to climb the tower, which will also be unpleasantly crowded in the summer if you go late.
TIP: The Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour every hour after dark, so after 10pm in the summer, earlier in the winter.
TIP: We took the Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat from the tip of the Ile de la Cité (Square du Vert Galant). The boat that leaves at 45 after the hour will pass the Eiffel Tower at the hour. If you visit the archaeological crypt under Notre Dame, you get a discount on the boat ride.
We wanted to get up early and leave early but we didn’t. We had a nice breakfast with warm baguette, cheese, and jam. I think we are enjoying this family time and it's when we actually chat about our impressions of the previous days. We took the metro to see Notre Dame before meeting our friends Philip and Georgette for a picnic at the Square du Vert Galant, at the tip of the Ile de la Cité. Philip and Georgette are good friends of Gregory’s mother. They have lived in several exotic places and currently live in Paris.
When we saw them, they greeted us with big hugs and a bottle of champagne. It felt great to see old friends and feel welcome. My kids were thrilled that they also got a glass of champagne! We toasted right there on the bridge over the Seine and then we crossed the Pont Neuf to sit at the edge of the river for a delicious meal. They brought fresh sandwiches with baguette and olive bread. We also had pate, various cheeses and different tartes for dessert. There was a lot of food but what we enjoyed the most was the company. It felt nice to picnic on the banks of the Seine with friends we could compare notes with.
When everyone was stuffed and the bags of food were finally empty, we walked back to Notre Dame to see if the lines were any shorter. They had actually grown longer, so we went to see the back of the cathedral which many people skip. It is the older part of the church and we thought it was even more impressive than the facade. At the end of the island, there is a small monument in honor of all the Jewish deportees during WWII. It was nice to see that they are making spaces to reflect on collaboration with the Nazis during the war.
After resting a the park for a while we walked through the Ile St Louis to the Marais where we stopped in St Paul village which was hidden, It was like a small plaza surrounded by balconies and cafes and stores. Nothing really special but we were happy to cover different corners of Paris.
After a while, we decided to go home and rest for the night because we had a surprise for the kids. I have to confess that it was nice to have a place to go after being all day out and have a homemade meal. You are probably thinking, what, are you crazy? You're in Paris and you are not eating French food? Well, we heard from our friends and from locals that the food is not as good as it used to be mostly because they know that they are cooking only for tourists who don't care and are not coming back! There are exceptions, of course (more on that later). So we had a nice meal at home.
We left home again around 9:00pm to go back to the Ile de la Cité to take a night boat on the river. Philip had recommended taking the late boat so we could see the Eiffel tower sparkling, which happens on the hour after dark. The ride was a highlight -- Paris is definitely a different city at night. At day it's majestic, at night it's magical! The ride lasted an hour and at the end, it started to rain. Everyone ran downstairs for shelter, but luckily the ride was over. We ran to the metro, not only because of the rain but also because our metro tickets expired at twelve. It was midnight in Paris, and it was raining just like Woody Allen's movie!
TIP: The PAUL chain of restaurants has reasonably priced gourmet food that is prepared on the spot.
TIP: If you want to visit the interior of Notre Dame, arrive early! Entry is free but there is a line for the security check. The line only gets longer if you wait, and it gets more and more crowded! There is a charge to climb the tower, which will also be unpleasantly crowded in the summer if you go late.
TIP: The Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour every hour after dark, so after 10pm in the summer, earlier in the winter.
TIP: We took the Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat from the tip of the Ile de la Cité (Square du Vert Galant). The boat that leaves at 45 after the hour will pass the Eiffel Tower at the hour. If you visit the archaeological crypt under Notre Dame, you get a discount on the boat ride.
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| Picnic with Philip and Georgette |
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| They brought a delicious French lunch for us! |
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| Look, no tourists! People forget to appreciate the back of Notre Dame. |
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| Paris at night, magical! |
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| City of Light! |
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