16 May 2015 - Paris: its streets, markets and sights

Sunlight crept into our apartment which was my prompt to get out of bed and wrestle with the induction stove to boil the saucepan of water for a cuppa.  No kettle here - no bench space for such!

Morning walk - can't complain!

Interesting that there are so many electric car park/recharging station in Paris

Looking out of the window from our bedroom

Tim and I headed out for a lovely morning walk along the streets, through little parks and sniffing countless delicious aromas emanating from the boulangeries to the Eiffel Tower and over the Seine to the steps of the Trocadero.  The crowds were already assembling under the Eiffel Tower and the countless street sellers were out in force!  A word goes out that police are nearby and the scurry and pack up of their wares is done with amazing speed and they are off!  After India, their sales tactics seem tame!

Wary street vendors

By the fountain

All these figure heads were different - did they represent friends, lovers or saints?

Loving all the beautiful buildings, each one with its architect's signature and date engraved in stone as if a great work of art - and indeed there are!

This is the most acute angle observed yet!

Tim and I did get slightly lost getting back to the apartment but in so doing discovered a local street market so that was good.

Street art

Our local street market

After breakfast, Annika and I were the only ones who wanted to go back to the market (this time with some money!) and enjoyed the ambiance and practising French as we asked for our groceries.  The prices were great.  We even bought some pate de tete, more interesting cheese and some endive, not to mention sensationally delicious strawberries!  Homeward bound we found an artisan boulangerie with a bit of a queue (has to be a good thing!) and bought some goodies for lunch and THE most sensational crusty, chewy, slightly tangy and warm baguettes ever!  No wonder there was a queue!

Cheeses at the market!

Snails, cockles and mussels!

THE best baguette ever!

No one was disappointed with our purchases!

How French!

I am not sure if you know about the Dog:Human Ratio - a rating coined by my sister rating the compatibility of dogs to their humans and vice versa.  As there are so many dogs in Paris, as evidenced by their poo on the streets, and they seem to be fashion accessories most of the time, it is amazing to note that most dogs "match" their humans!  See if you agree with my ratings!  Many more examples were spotted and noted but it is tricky to take a dog and human photo without being obvious!

Dog:Human ratio 1:1

Two elderly people with their greying elderly  Dog:human ration 1:1

Dog:Human ratio 1:5 - not such a good match!

Same hair colour!  Dog:Human ration 1:1

Dog in special dog pouch!  Sooky owner: sooky dog!

Matching handbag and dog lead! Dog:human ratio 1:1

With full tummies, we set off for the Arc de Triomph.  We walked to the Eiffel Tower and over the Seine to the Trocadero again so Annika could do another hand stand!  It was worth it because the fontaine de Varsovie (Warsaw Fountain) made in 1937 was turned on and looking splendid!

Pretty proud of himself!

Impressive with fountains turned on!

We followed the crowds up the steps and soon saw the Arc de Triomph as it stands in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Elysses. It commemorates those who died in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars and was completed in 1836.  The tomb of the unknown soldier was placed there after World War 1.  Karl wasn't keen to go to the top but the kids and I were.  Given that they were free and I had to pay 9.50 Euros, it was relatively cheap as far as sightseeing goes!  The walk up the spiral stairs inside was fun and the view over Paris and the radiating boulevards was worthwhile (even if I have done it twice before in a different life time!).

Arc de Triomph

The Arc is 50 metres high, imagine the size of the flag - it was enormous!

Completed in 1836!

Inside the Arc

Arc statue

Beautiful triumphant carvings!

Smile Tim...you are on top of the Arc de Triomph!

The Marseilles

Long stairway to climb!

Dizzying from underneath

It is 50 metres high so the views were excellent.  Even standing at the base and looking up was dizzying.  The French flag was flying and as you looked up the Champs-Elysses, there were many other French flags in between the trees.

Impressed with the view

Sacre Coeur from Arc de Triomph

Great view of the Eiffel Tower

As Karl was exploring up the Champs-Elysses, we walked back to our apartment through the back streets and via another boulangerie.  We were ready for some sustenance after 10 or more kms of walking!  I keep telling the kids that you can explore Melbourne by foot in a day but Paris is SO much bigger.

On the Champs-Elysses

A triumphant dance

Chasing away the pigeons in view of the Eiffel Tower

The art you see on the streets is lovely...walking is the best way to explore a city!

After dinner we walked to the Seine through the "Balloon Park" which literally had a big helium balloon that can take people for a vertical only ride when it is not too windy!  The gardens are extensive and not on the usual tourist trail.  Luke mistook the algae thick water feature, in the bright setting sunlight, for a step and stepped right into it!  Surprise!

Our Balloon Park

The evenings are light for so long.  This is a good thing for sightseeing in general but not for getting Luke to sleep.  It is a nightly battle until often close to 11PM to get him to stay in bed and sleep.  This  also means we all stay up later than we want to.  This is one of the major difficulties of travelling with kids who at home have routines and places to be at certain times.

Balloon Park