Hanging out in Paris

Each night, before bed we would stop at a little market by our hotel and pick up yogurt, fruit or granola for breakfast. We would eat in our apartment before heading out. Friday, we had a low key day just wandering around Paris and enjoying everything. We explored the area around the University of Sorbonne. We saw the Pantheon which we thought was really cool. They had great things about Joan of Arc which Kenzie was especially interested in as she had studied her in school. The crypt was neat too with lots of famous people in it, like Victor Hugo, Rousseau, Louis Braille etc. The building was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve. It was interesting to learn about her through art and the heroic things she did for Paris. We liked this stop a lot.

We also walked the great shopping streets near the Pantheon and enjoyed the awesome boutiques. We spent a lot of time in a great shoe store and we both ended up with a pair! Pretty cool. We wound our way to the Luxembourg Gardens. We grabbed McDonalds and had a picnic in the park watching the children sail boats in a little pond. It was fun to watch the people and we enjoyed that for hours. We loved walking through the park and watching men play Bocce Ball. It was really relaxing and fun.

After that, we headed to a fabulous pastry store I had heard about. We bought pastries to eat right then, and some for later when we were at the Arch de Triumph. We stopped by the Bridge of Alexander.....my choice. Now sure why I was so intrigued by a bridge, but I was. It was beautiful. We then walked down the Champs de Elysee. We enjoyed the shops, the atmosphere, the unique flavored McFlurries at McDonalds, the car shops along the way. It was fun to just casually enjoy this famous street. When we got to the Arch, they were just starting the daily parade, unknown solider ceremony that takes place under the arch. We met a fabulous lady from Miami that spends 4 months a year in Paris. She taught us a lot. After the ceremony, we climbed up the arch and enjoyed the views! After climbing Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower in one day, this was a breeze. The view was amazing and it was so cool to be in and on top of the arch. At the base, we ate our remaining treats. We then walked back down the street stopping at the ever famous...and DELICIOUS.... macaron store the Laduree. We bought some to take with us. They were so good.

We walked the right and left banks and just enjoyed the evening and then stopped at a shop near our apartment for dinner. We had an early night as we had lots planned the next day.

One of our most favorite things about Paris was the window boxes with bright geraniums in them.

The University.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon was all about the heroes of France and how they dealt with hard times.

Awesome shopping and awesome pastry shops!

Luxembourg Gardens! Beautiful. Awesome way to see the lifestyle there. It was so great to just chill and enjoy.

It was so fun to watch the children sail the boats. They would rent them from a vendor next to the pond.

Beautiful government building in the park.

More square trees.

Bocce Ball. We also met a family from the states that were on a tour and that were ultimate Frisbee athletes. It was fun to get to know them. We watched these two guys play Bocce Ball for probably 30 minutes. It was so cool.

The gorgeous bridge. I loved it here.

Disney Store. We took this because our family at home just let us know that morning they were heading to Disneyland for the weekend

This panda was painted by a famous new artist. Didn't get the name down. Forgot it.

This is an incredibly famous parfume store. The decorations were incredible. They were made of paper.

The Arch! The traffic around the arch was very entertaining to watch. The only really rule is people getting on have the right away......getting off, you could be there a while.