[OH, before we left the Louvre, we thought we'd do a few people some good and help them skip the line. We walked all the way to the end and found a few people who looked like they wouldn't last for long in the warm sun. It was kinda funny cuz they seemed somewhat suspicious of us at first, as if we would steal their spots in line or lead them to a pack of robbers or something. We don't know if they actually took our advice, but we did what we could. lol ]
SO, the next stop turned out to be the park near Victor Hugo's home. We had seen this park the day before on the bike ride and really wanted to return. There were lots of locals out, just enjoying the sunshine and each other (some a bit too much, if you know what I mean). But we found a spot on the grass near a fountain and a couple of guitarists. It was SO SO refreshing to just sit, and be, and have a normal conversation without being distracted by all the sights we were passing. We both discovered we had put pressure on ourselves to know and do everything - we knew in our heads that wasn't possible, but we still felt like we should understand every bit about the culture and history around us. Welp, not gonna happen! haha. Back home we are so driven to be productive and successful at what we do, but that's not the point of a vacation! Yes, we came to see some sights in Paris and want to KNOW so we can APPRECIATE, but sometimes that means just taking a nap in a Parisian park. Ok, so we did :)
After a while, we then headed off to find the Jewish museum. We walked in to what we thought was the correct one and greatly enjoyed ourselves. The rooms were ornately decorated, appropriate to maybe the 18th century or so. We almost had the place to ourselves, so Rach did some singing and I enjoyed the photo opps. Plus, they had CHAIRS, which we discovered were greatly sought after every 1.5 hours. lol. We were about to dance when someone came in and gestured that it was closing. Bummer. And we were just getting started. It was by then obvious this was not the Jewish museum, but we were glad to see it anyways.
At some point along the way, we also stopped to enjoy an accordion player on one of the bridges. These were moments we cherished.
Then, onward-ho to Ile de St.Louis for Berthillon ice cream!! Thanks, Grandpapa!!!
"Berthillon is a French manufacturer and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, with its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France. The company is owned and operated by the Chauvin family, descendants of the eponymous Monsieur Berthillon, who opened the first store in 1954.
Berthillon sells its ice cream in bulk and by the scoop from its shop on the island, but many other retailers in Paris sell its ice cream in cones and cups, and some grocers sell larger amounts. Berthillon's fame derives in part from its use of natural ingredients, with no chemical preservatives,artificial sweeteners or stabilizers. Its ice creams are made from only milk, sugar, cream and eggs. Flavourings derive from natural sources (cocoa, vanilla, fruit, etc.)." As a teacher, I'd be ashamed not to cite this - it's from Wikipedia. Ohp, I guess I'm shamed anyways. We got there just about 10 minutes before they closed, so we felt very lucky. We had an awkward time getting the ice cream, as a cashier got Rach's order and then went about her clean-up duties, neglecting me and making me wait in another line for like 5 mins. haha. But we got our ice cream (I had peach and cafe) and enjoyed every single bite as we sat on the bridge, overlooking the Seine with the Notre Dame in the distance.
Feeling a bit weary, we went back to the hotel and freshened up. We decided the restaurant around the corner was dependable, so we went back there for another dinner. About 11:05 pm, we decided we needed to experience the Parisian nightlife. (You can calm down, Mom, nothing bad happened). So we headed toward Montparnasse, which is a huge skyscraper that boasts a great view of the Eiffle Tower at night. Well, we got about 5 blocks south of our hotel and started feeling weird. There weren't as many people out as we thought, and we weren't familiar with this part of town at all. It might have been different if we could have gotten the bikes to work, but we felt vulnerable just walking. At the same time, we both turned toward each other and asked if the other wanted to go...the answer was no! So we turned on our heels and headed toward the Seine.
SO glad we did!! We had a fabulous time just walking around the Notre Dame, staring at the gargoyles and laughing our way down the river. Again, Rach was wearing her lucky hat and some men approached her from behind...I was taking a picture and didn't notice until he was upon us, but he grabbed Rach's hat and put it on his head. She was just shocked and could only think to say, "Um, please don't do that". hahahahah. He eventually gave it back, but he kept saying "I love you, I love you" and followed us for a bit. But we completely ignored him and quickly lost him.
As we looped back around the Notre Dame, we heard some singing below. We looked over the ledge to see a string band playing with some American singers (you really can pick us out from a mile away). We were content to just sit and listen for a while, but we decided it'd be one of those things we'd regret not doing if didn't hop down there and join them. We ended up talking with a real a guy who grew up in Paris and had moved to the States as a teenager. He's now going to school for piano performance in Miami, but he returns to Paris for the summers. We had an interesting talk with him about music, accents, education, the language differences, etc.
We attempted to make our way back to the hotel after a while, but the music in the Notre Dame square was like a magnet...to strong to ignore. We enjoyed some break dancing with techno music and another accordion player.
Although blissfully happy to discover some of our favorite things about Paris, we couldn't ignore our soar feet anymore...so we returned 1:30.
Paris does sleep, but only for a little while :)
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