Dec Week 1
Back to Paris
After the brief taste of Paris in September, soured by an expertly timed first case of Covid for both of us, we were excited to go back for a full two months. Flights leaving the UK allow pets in the cabin so thankfully we didn’t have to worry about the same all day drive and eurotunnel affair. Miss Vivian was still not very happy to be trapped in her carrier, but at least it was a quick flight. Covid couldn’t leave us completely alone, however, as K jumped on a last minute booster while still eligible in the UK. All of our previous Moderna boosters have been pretty painless, but this new version hit her like a ton of bricks. Despite K working with maybe an hour or two of sleep and not being able to keep anything down or in, the trip was a relative breeze. We timed the lugging of our bags down perfectly again; K was just finishing up buckling in the kitties right as I walked out with the last load of luggage.
Airport beer and pretty clouds.
Air France still managed to squeeze in a tasty lunch.
We made it!
Our new place is located just a block off the Seine in the southern section of Le Marais district, a mere 15 minute walk to Notre Dame. The building is quiet and feels safe, which is a major reprieve from the bustling foot traffic and constant car alarms of our last place.
The place is small but quaint. The kitchen is a little tight but they somehow managed to squeeze everything in, including a fold away table and even a washing machine and dishwasher! The only thing missing was an actual oven - the hybrid microwave unit had baking/grilling functions, but they just weren’t up to snuff.
We do, however, have an elevator!! A cute and cozy little two person lift - I’ve never been so relieved.
And this is our digs for a whole two months!
We even have a coat rack!
I found a little gnome buddy hiding in the living room. He’s my favorite.
Jimjam says, “I’ll take this bowl!”
Out and about
First things first, a trip to the pet store was needed for a litter box and some food. Walking up the closest main street ran me right into the Place de la Bastille, the square where the Bastille prison once stood. This was one of my first “I’m really here” realizations and had me walking away with a big grin on my face.
Ran across a cat cafe on the way where this little cutie was hanging out in the window.
We took the next few days super easy, just settling in and enjoying the peace and quiet (and K finally eating some soup). Both cats were more than okay with this.
Football et un marché de Noël
The kitties and I watched the Netherlands vs. USA World Cup match while on a video call with my Dad. My stream kept buffering at the most inconvenient times but it was still a grand ol’ time.
After the match, K and I visited our first French Christmas markets at the nearby Hotel de Ville. We made a loop out of it, walking along the Seine on the way then taking the busy Rue de Rivoli back home. The market was smaller than I expected but it was still great fun.
The projection on the building in particular was super pretty.
Space Invaders and Pizza
I spent the afternoon doing some exploring and checking off some space invaders in the near vicinity. During our first stop in Paris, I was enamored with the street art that adorned seemingly every street corner. It turns out, thanks to internet sleuth K, the video game inspired tile mosaics I was particularly fond of belong to the anonymous artist, “Invader.” There are 1,485 installations in Paris alone, and 4,119 in total across 83 cities worldwide (as of 2023-07-04, according to the official website). There’s even a pokemon-esque phone app to scan and track which pieces you’ve found. Gotta find ‘em all!
She will soon regret showing me the app, as now walks require detours and frequent stops to snap pictures, many of which resulting in a frustrated “What?? That wasn’t one either?! C’mon!!”
A brief stop in to admire the beautiful Temple du Marais.
On the way home I happened upon a fun jam session in front of the July Column in the Place de la Bastille.
Dinner was some absolutely radical takeaway pizza.
A (not so) fun fact: red pepper flakes are hard to come by here. Instead, they have chili oil!
Business cat.
The Louvre!
Equipped with our fancy Amis du Louvre (Friends of the Louvre) memberships, we got to use a side entrance to skip the ridiculously long general admission line. Super fancy!
This was my first visit so we opted to follow the “Masterpieces” trail for all the biggest highlights, then followed that up with the “Secret Treasures of the Richelieu Wing” for a little more variety.
I took way too many pictures - even this brief synopsis feels a little excessive. Please forgive me.
And we’re in!
There was a cool bean bag type installation in the main lobby.
Boy Strangling Goose.
Athena!
Ceiling lady is not amused.
So. Much. Art.
Someone is popular!
The building itself often felt just as worthy of admiration as the pieces it contained.
Sword of Justice (top).
This sculpture garden was pretty awesome at recreating an outdoor feel. Some more info from the official Louvre website.
Four Captives, also known as Four Defeated Nations: Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Brandenburg, and Holland.
There was a very interesting description that has since been removed from the Louvre website . . . I’m not entirely sure why. After some furious Googling, I finally found an archived version of the page here if you’d like to read more.
And links to each figure for close-up photos:
Spain
Holy Roman Empire
Brandebourg
Holland
Hercules Fighting Achelous Transformed into a Snake.
Lion vs. Snake.
This statue of Ebih-Il found in Syria from ~2400 BC is seriously extraordinary, but I just can’t take that face seriously.
Or this one.
Or this one.
On a more serious note, it was super cool to see the Code of Hammurabi
The exit popped us right out into the Tuileries Garden Christmas Market, which much better matched my market expectations. We warmed ourselves up with some vin chaud and enjoyed taking in all the sights - a giant ferris wheel, plenty of rides, a long line of local vendor stalls, even a (pretty tragic) little ice skating area filled with children struggling to stay upright on the slushy surface.
Real American Corn Dogs!
Papa Noël even paid us a visit from above!
Neither of these videos are particularly eventful, but I thought they were pretty cute.
Another view of the ferris wheel from the walk home.
Boot Shopping and Window Displays
We checked off a couple sights while mixing in some errands and continuing the search for the perfect boots for K.
Canal view with the Bastille in the back.
Our first peek at the Picasso Museum (with a special exhibit, “Maya Ruiz-Picasso, daughter of Pablo”!). We’ll be back here later :)
Passage du Grand-Cerf, one of the largest covered arcades in Paris. Dark and deserted, a slight let down.
The Christmas window displays at BHV Marais more than made up for it. So dang cute!
And back home to our lazy loungers. Both babies really love the suitcase turned window perch K crafted :)
Jump to:
- 11-30 Wed - Back to Paris
- 12-03 Sat - Football et un marché de Noël
- 12-04 Sun - Space Invaders and Pizza
- 12-05 Mon - The Louvre!
- 12-07 Wed - Boot Shopping and Window Displays
Posted 2023-07-04