Paris, France 2

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Bonsoir, mes amis!

It’s our last night. We’re packing up and relaxing just a bit longer in our French hotel room before we head back to Greenville tomorrow. We’ve had such a good trip, but there’s also no place like home!

Saturday we spent the morning in London and came back to Paris via train around three, checked into our Le Dokhans hotel (a great location – only a ten or fifteen minute walk from the Eiffel Tower) and got settled. Taylor had been doing a little research and found a dinner + river cruise package for us, so we walked across the Seine River toward the Eiffel and found our restaurant on the river. You can’t see too well here, but we were right over the river, and right under the Eiffel Tower. Not to mention, the only ones in that area of the restaurant for a while. Score.

We each got to choose an appetizer + main or main + dessert, so we got it all to share. Taylor got a “cream of broccoli” something with “prawns,” which I knew were shrimp but didn’t think to tell him, so that was all his. (If there’s one thing on this earth I don’t eat it’s shrimp, if you didn’t know.) We both got burgers and fries, which were delicious, and we split a tiramisu for dessert. The dinner was all really good, except the broccoli appetizer, which Taylor said was like cold broccoli pudding. PASS.

After dinner we went on the river cruise which lasted an hour. It was getting dark so the tower was lit up and would sparkle for five minutes every hour, which is really mesmerizing when you see it in person. I can’t get enough of it! The tour took us along the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the end of the Ile de la Cite, which is all the major parts of Paris. If you ever visit, we recommend this dinner + cruise! It’s one of the highlights of our whole trip.

This morning we got up and headed straight to the Louvre, since it has free admission on the first Sunday of every month. We stood in line for an hour and a half, and were almost to the entrance, when a security lady told me I could bypass the whole line because I was pregnant and didn’t have to go through the security screening. Biggest regret of this trip by far is not finding that out sooner. I’m still thinking about it.

Whilst in line at places like that, you really get to see an interesting side of mankind. You meet people who cut in line right in front of you and act innocent. You meet people who seem to believe everyone in the ten foot vicinity wants to hear their conversation. And if you’re lucky, you get to see rarities, like the Asian woman we saw today, sitting on a bench who shot a snot rocket not only once, but TWICE, straight onto the floor in front of her. What a sight. If only you could all have experienced that special moment.

Alas, we made it into the Louvre and explored as much as we could handle. My favorite part is the underground portion, the “medieval Louvre,” which contains parts of the old walls of the Louvre when it was a fortress instead of a museum. Taylor was in awe of the architecture of the whole building, from the floor to the ceiling. It’s really a cool place.

We came back toward our hotel for lunch at Ducale Cafe and shared chicken with potatoes and steak with fries, along with chocolate mousse for dessert. The rain came and went for a bit but we ventured to eat outside, and created a makeshift covering with our umbrella. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of our design, but it was quite clever. The food was really good (as it always seems to be on this trip) and we had a fun waiter who was rushed but still so friendly. Evidently there was a rally going on right down the street at Trocadero for François Fillon (the French equivalent of Trump) so the street was quite full. We didn’t take part, but instead read books from the cafe front.

ATTENTION: THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY! We were giddy! We haven’t seen much of it at all this trip, which always puts a damper on things, but the Lord opened the skies for a bit today and it was lovely. We decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower and get a few more photos on our last evening.

After another bout of rain passed, we had crepes for dinner and they were purrrrfect. Taylor got a chicken and cheese crepe with fries, and I got a nutella and strawberry crepe. Here’s a photo of Taylor proposing to me with his fry bouquet and a rose that a guy handed us and then took back when we didn’t have any money for him. How could I say no to a man holding two things equally beautiful?

And now, as I said, we’re back in our hotel. This trip came at a perfect time – our last trip before Blake comes, and a good time for us to spend together after Taylor has been traveling so much. We are so blessed to get rewards from those travels to use together, and to have jobs that allow us the time off. If you’ve been keeping up with us through these posts, thank you for reading! We’ve had a good time away but are excited to get back and see the Greenville sun again. Wish us luck on our last day of travels tomorrow.

Love y’all!

Michelle & Taylor