Week 26

I was traveling this week and I don’t like to post about being away while away. Here is a brief run down of the week. I plan to write something about the trip in more detail soon.

• Sunday we had my parents and brother over to discuss pet care.
• Monday was spent making sure everything was ready to go for our trip starting the next day. Finally pulled luggage out of the attic and did a little bit of cleaning so we wouldn’t come home to a messy house.
• Tuesday I took Tater to my parents and stayed long enough to see he got situated. Getting around the house seemed fine and soon he was laying on the rug and relaxing after his travels.
• When I got home we double checked we had everything and packed up the car. We gave ourselves a lot of extra time to get to the airport. Planning to arrive 3 hours early at the airport and an hour and a half for a 40 minute drive. Glad we did since we left during rush hour and a storm came through causing for some driving delays.
• Despite getting dropped off at the wrong terminal we managed to make it to the correct one with at least 3 hours before the flight.
• We checked in and made it through security just fine. With some time to spare we grabbed some dinner at Leo’s Coney Island.
• Flight left on time (9:20 PM) and took about 7 and a half hours to arrive in Paris. I didn’t get more than a passing few moments of sleep but wasn’t dragging too much considering.
• Wednesday was 6 hours ahead of us in Paris so we got a taxi and made our way to our AirBNB which was just a few blocks from Musee D’Orsey and The Louvre.
• We spent some time relaxing from our travels and settling in. Soon enough it was time for dinner so we walked a hundred feet or so to a nearby cafe and had dinner.
• Thursday we had a bit of a late start with the travel and time difference. We decided to have breakfast at the cafe right outside our apartment.
• Then we walked three short blocks to the Siene and boarded a Botabus, a hop-on hop-off boat that would take you to many of the landmarks along the Siene.
• First we rode it to the Eiffel tower where we were able to ascend all the way to the top (this would be closed a few days later due to the heat).
• We bought some souverniers and had lunch here as well.
• Then we boarded the boat and took it to the other end of the loop to see Notre Dame. Inside the organ was playing and my wife lit some candles.
• Leah and I crossed the Siene to visite Shakespeare & Co. I got water from the public fountain out front. Once inside we saw the step that says “Live for Humanity” which has special significance to Leah because her mom really like the phrase. Leah got a book about the store and I go a book of a speech from Albert Camus and one of Howl by Alan Ginsburg.
• On the way back we took the Louvre exit to get back to the apartment and grabbed dinner at another different cafe.
• Friday we had crepes for breakfast at a cafe along the Siene overlooking the Louvre. Afterwards we would head back to the apartment to get ready but then return to cross the Siene to visit the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory but a good portion of the other things on our list to see were in a section that was closed for renovations. I’m just happy the strike happened last week and were able to see what we saw.
• Saturday we had breakfast at the cafe next door and took an Uber to Sacre Coeurs. Inside Leah lit more candles and we saw the murals, scupltures, and paintings.
• A few short blocks away we made it to Place du Tertre the artists square in Montmartre. Here we stopped for some water, a snack, and looked at the work artists had for sale. Leah and Noah both ended up finding a piece they purchased.
• We got some ice cream (vanilla or pistachio) and walked to the Dali museum. They claim this is the largest collection of Dali outside of Spain (second largest in the world).
• Tried and failed to get Noah some chicken tenders. Had dinner at a cafe a few blocks away near the Rue de Bac metro station.
• We played cards most nights in Paris and avoided TV except for the first night.

This is day 26 of #100DaysToOffload.