This may be a record for us…. two hours post landing at Charles de Gaulle we were checked in at the Hotel Duquesne ( just as friendly as last time) showered and treading the cobblestones on lively Rue de Cler.
Rue de Cler is well known in Paris for its delicious Sunday market, what better starting point for our re integration into French culture? Each time we visit France I am always a little worried that the whole market scene may have lost some of the charm that it had on our first visit to France, but happily it never does.
Confronted by beautiful fresh flowers at 8 euros a bunch, mouth watering cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables to die for and the all pervasive smell of the rotisseried chook, we were back in French heaven.
First stop was breakfast, coffee, juice and croissant for 10 euro, the people watching is free.
A slight sprinkling of rain did not deter the combination of families, tourists, the odd beggar and of course the obligatory collection of French pooches.
Listening to French patter for a while and waiting for the sun to eventually appear (which it did) we commented to each other that we were now truly in holiday mode.
After visiting the wine store, we added baguettes, cheese and quiche for our bed picnic later this evening and couldn’t go past raspberries and blackberries almost the size of golf balls for dessert!
With the weather improving all the time, we purchased tickets for the “hop on hop off” bus – something that we often do in cities just to get orientated and curiously have never done in Paris.
It proved to be a good decision, especially when we got to the Champs Élysées and realized that Sunday trading hours were in.Importantly, we purchased the micro sim for the iPad but haven’t put it to the test yet.
Back on the bus with the sun now warming our backs up top, we headed toward the Trocadero. We disembarked here simply for the pleasure of gazing on that which is most Parisian, the Eiffel Tower. This iconic structure, originally built in 1889 as the (temporary) entrance to the World’s Fair has become a cultural icon and the world’s most visited paid attraction.
The Trocadero meanwhile, bathed in warm spring sunshine today was hosting a diverse collection of events ranging from a Mexican left wing political rally, youth bands attracting elderly Asian ladies and tango lessons, thankfully not all in the same area.
Our walk back, punctuated by many photo stops and a quick but successful search for a cheese knife, meant that we arrived back at the hotel at around seven o’clock meaning that we have been in France for just over 12 hours!
Fortunately, the champagne is nicely chilled, the cheese is soft and the challenge will be staying awake long enough to eat it.
Vive la France.