Traveling with Laura

Sunday in Paris. Day 2 in Paris started with a walk through the Latin Quarter and along the Seine to Le St Régis on Île Saint-Louis. This little café came highly recommended by a friend and it was a perfect spot for breakfast. While there were tables outdoors, it was a little cold so I settled in at a table by the window for a traditional Parisian breakfast: pain au chocolat, orange juice, and chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). The orange juice tasted freshly squeezed and the hot chocolate was rich and indulgent. There were only a few other people in the small café so I took my time before heading out for a walk around Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité.

Île Saint-Louis is a small island in the middle of the Seine, connected to both sides of the river and Île de la Cité by bridges. There is one road along each bank of the river and another road down the middle (plus a couple of cross streets). I wandered aimlessly from one end to the other and just enjoyed the quiet morning.

From there, I walked back over the bridge to Île de la Cité and wandered a couple of quaint streets before sitting down in front of Notre Dame for a few minutes. Though the cathedral was heavily damaged by fire in 2019, restoration work has been moving along and the building is scheduled to be reopened in late 2024. Near the church, there are large placards describing the work being done. I walked through the Marché aux Fleurs (flower market) nearby and all the way to the far tip of Île de la Cité.

My next stop was at the Musée du Cluny (Cluny Museum). Before getting there, I stopped at Square René Viviani, a favorite little park with lots of benches and flowers. On my way to the Cluny Museum, I passed a little cafe, Odette, with small choux pastries filled with cream in several different flavors. I decided it was time for a snack. For €2, I got a vanilla filled one to go. I had just started walking when I took my first bite and said, “wow!”, out loud. It was really that good. The cream had a yummy vanilla flavor and the pastry was light and soft.

It turns out I wasn’t really in a museum mood today, but I gamely spent about an hour wandering around the Cluny Museum with an English audio guide. The museum focuses on the Middle Ages and medieval art, with a strong bend toward religious artifacts. The museum includes ancient Roman baths and formerly housed a religious college. It was interesting to see, but my feet were tired and I needed a break.

I spent a couple of hours in my hotel room editing pictures, writing this blog, and watching YouTube videos before heading out again. I had an early dinner tonight at Chez Bartolo, just a couple of clocks from my hotel. Known for their Neapolitan pizzas, of course I had to try one. The crust was homemade and perfectly chewy. I had my pizza topped with gorgonzola cream and Parma ham. If you know me, you know prosciutto is one of my favorite pizza toppings and I enjoyed every bite.

I couldn’t linger for long after I ate because I had plans to attend the (free) organ concert at Saint-Eustache church. The masses were out this afternoon, with swarms of people filling the sidewalks, the banks of the Seine, and the gardens. By 5PM, Saint-Eustache was filled with hundreds of people who had come to hear the great organ being played. The organ at Saint-Eustache is among the largest in France, with nearly 8,000 pipes, so hearing it was quite a treat.

Speaking of treats, I treated myself to a salted butter caramel crepe and a “glacier” (cider with crème du mûres) at Crêperie Saint Honoré on the way back to my hotel. Don’t ask me exactly what the drink was; it was a little sweet for my taste. Not that the crepe wasn’t. It was pure, decadent, buttery caramel wrapped up in a light and fluffy crepe. You never would have thought I’d just consumed an entire pizza by myself not three hours earlier by the way I devoured the crepe. If you’re keeping track, I’ve eaten nothing but carbs all day. But I also walked about 8 miles, so I can easily rationalize it.

I decided to put another mile on my shoes by walking back to my hotel instead of taking the metro. The late afternoon sun on the Seine by the Pont Neuf made me forget all about my sore feet and tiredness. Isn’t Paris incredible?