Liberté

Day 3. We started out early today. I had pre-purchased tickets for the Catacombs of Paris at 0945. This was strangely one of the things I most wanted to see here in Paris. It was a 50 minute walk but we left enough time to stop for coffee and to take a million pictures.

 The air was cool and damp near the river and paris was asleep. Everybody else was sleeping in after a Saturday night in the city. We walked past Notre Dame which can not be seen sadly as it was covered in scaffolding and being repaired after the fire 3 years ago.

We found a bakery for coffee to go and a chocolate croissant for Riley. I had already eaten a banana from a local fruit stand (without any issues haha). We hustled into the Latin quarter and made it there just in time.

It was a very busy intersection with a somewhat obscure entrance. We went through the normal checks; ticket, Covid vaccine certificate and security. We entered the building and immediately started down a never-ending spiral staircase.

 So far down we were actually feeling dizzy from the constant spiral. 

We walked, in total, almost a kilometer before we reached the bones. The tunnels were just wide enough to closely walk side by side and the ceilings low enough that I actually felt tall (haha I'm only 5'3). The gravel floors smelled of fresh, damp earth. The ceiling and the floors were wet and the temperature was quite cool.

We reached the tunnels with carefully stacked femurs and skulls and respectfully walked silently to the end. It was mostly interesting, obviously quite morbid and I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it when we left. A strange experience on a Sunday morning.

We left to have yet another coffee and walked onward only to stumble across the Jardins of Luxembourg.

 It was an enormous Palace surrounded in bright summer flowers and a large pond where locals were relaxing and sailing their toy boats. 

It was a beautiful place to rest but stormy skies were closing in so we kept heading in the direction of home. Leaving the park put us at a very busy intersection again. In Paris, most major intersections have multiple street corners with several streets extending out from a roundabout, like a star. The amount of bicycles on the streets and vespas and motorized scooters is unreal! All roads have in addition a 2-direction bike lanes and they dominate the roadways. The pedestrian lights are very small, hard to see and most pedestrians cross when they want to anyway. I certainly would never drive in Paris...not by choice anyway.

Riley and I waited to cross and beside us was an elderly lady, grey haired, hunched to one side, using a cane and straining to see ahead of her. The light turned green and we walked but she stayed behind, squinting, hesitating and yet it appeared she wanted to cross. I kept looking back at her worried because the lights change so quickly and she did not look very fast. Riley looked back and said, "I'm going to help her" and turned back. I stood in the road preventing cars from driving and looked back to watch my daughter bring this frail woman across the road. She clutched Riley's arm and they walked slowly together while the chaos of the city surrounded them. I don't think I have ever been more proud of her.

The old woman spoke both French and English and asked Riley what language she spoke. She then told Riley that she was kind and sweet and expressed her gratitude. We all walked away from that moment with warm hearts and big smiles. 

We soon after reached the Pantheon. Riley's little feet were aching and we were definitely hungry but it was must see.

 After standing in awe of the grandeur and magnificence of the Pantheon for a short while we found ourselves wandering the pedestrian only cobblestone streets in the Latin Quarter. There were many restaurants and shops and it was very quaint with a Bohemian vibe. I loved it. We stopped and had crepes.

 Riley's was a sweet one with Nutella and mine was a savoury Galette (like a crepe but made with Buckwheat flour and naturally gluten free) and it was stuffed with egg and gruyere cheese, ham and sautéed mushrooms. It was so incredibly delicious.. probably my favourite so far. I also had a coffee and was brought a box of sugar (which by the way, the brand name here is... Daddy hahaha)

We eventually made it back to our hotel for a short afternoon rest but it was too early to call it a day. So instead we headed in a new direction and found ourselves at yet another patio having wine and people watching.

We saw a little bit of everything. Men in skirts, loads of braless women, the homeless, the beggars, lots of attractive people and everybody has their own style here. The French love their freedom and it shows in their attitude and their style. I have great respect and admiration. Might go braless tomorrow hahaha.

We walked far to try a gluten free restaurant but when we were about to order the waiter said, ya sorry, that's a mistake. So we left and found a patio near our hotel and ended up with Chicken and Mashed Potates. It was very good. Riley looked beautiful in her new Parisienne dress and we had a lovely date. 

We shared plenty of giggles before heading in for the night. Exhausted.

Bon nuit x