París day duex

 

Day two was an interesting day. Emily had trouble sleeping last night so she’d been up since 2am. I awoke, very well rested, at around 5am and we decided to start our day before the sun came up! We set out and had to have the hotel unlocked because we were leaving so early. The city was quiet, dark, and empty with the occasional garbage trucks roaming around. We walked along the iconic Seine river towards Arc de Triomphe listening to the steadily rising bustle of early commuters.   It was the perfect temperature and we chatted merrily as the city began to wake up. Slightly hungry we soon realized that most French people are not morning people and nothing was open. We wound our way up the Avenue des Champs-Élysées  past Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, and admired the slowly rising sun cascading over the city. The sun struck the Arc just as we crested the hill and we sprinted across the chaotic and devilish Charles de Gaulle roundabout that encircled the arch. Not a soul around, we had the whole monument to ourselves and it was massive! After a very fun photo shoot we continued towards the Eiffel Tower.  What a day! With the sun rising cafes began to open, the smell of fresh baked bread wafted over us, and we found a little corner on a busy street where we could sit and enjoy croissants and espresso. Sipping the hot caffeinated nectar-of-the-gods and biting into a warm freshly made croissant made the whole early-to-rise worth it.   Next we continued down the street and came upon the Eiffel Tower with the sun rising behind it. Epic photos were taken as we roamed around its base awestruck at its shear gargantuan size.   Again, we had the whole behemoth to ourselves. Now on mile 6 of meandering, we darted in and out of small quaint streets and markets. Around midday we happened upon the most magical of book stores, Shakespeare and Company, a store that seems to have fallen straight out of a Harry Potter novel with its ancient stacks, eclectic reading lounges/beds, and enigmatic staff (who we later found out were all starving actors with free room and board).  Closing in on mile 10 of walking we hurried back to our hotel to grab our tickets to the world famous Louvre! Nothing could have prepared us for this endless labyrinth of ancient history. Set into a twice converted, fortress then palace, the Louvre was enormous! 5 floors of about a mile of walking, each. Through exhibition halls and corridors we sprinted as best we could to take in as much as we could. One could easily spend months in this museum and still not see everything. From the ancient Egyptians to France’s medieval era, napoleon’s apartments to the Mona Lisa herself, it was a chaotic dash to soak up the whole experience.   With aching feet, and sore legs we rounded out 16 miles of walking and headed back to the hotel.  

Bad news, my bag had still not arrived and we were booked at one of Paris’s finest restaurant (jackets required). Still exhausted from the day I let Emily nap while I struck out in search of mens attire in one of the most fashionable cities in the world. My first few stops, for I was a stranger in a strange land, were at designer outlets where a suit cost more than my car. Fortunately, with the help of our charming concierge and an even more charming sales woman they, giggling, decked me out in a very stylish ensamble, fit for a charismatic adventurer.  I returned to wake up Emily and dress for our date. Even she was agape at my sleek attire. We proceeded to Apicius, one of the top restaurants in Paris.   I have already spent so much time on this that I couldn’t possibly submit you, the reader, to another 10 pages of how elegant and delicious our 6 course 4 hour meal was… I am salivating even recalling the flavorful explosions we experienced.   Needless to say we returned to our hotel, full, drunk, happy, and found my suitcase had been delivered. What a day….