Sunday (Paris)…

We awoke to welcomed blue skies and a text message from Sherie announcing that she had made it in from LA and that her taxi was making good time from CDG. Hugs and laughs before heading out to grab some breakfast pastries. The roulé du chocolate was a repeat favorite 🙂

After breakfast, we took a short walk in the late morning sun and sipped coffees–hot and iced–with Maarten and Kristof at a cafe next to the Pompidou Center. We bid M&K adieu as they headed back to Brussels. We turned towards the Seine for some window shopping.

Eventually, we crossed the Seine onto the Île de la Cité and into the historic Conciergerie–the former royal palace and prison where Marie Antoinette was held before her beheading. The historic prison section of the museum provided a short-but-interesting glimpse into the workings of the prison and a replica of Marie Antoinette’s cell. The remainder of the museum holds special exhibits–currently a dark, often-disturbing collection of modern works exploring various aspects of human imprisonment. Elderly wax figures in self-propelled, motorized wheel chairs added to the creepiness factor.

Back into the fading daylight, we headed to Notre Dame for a few fresh ham and cheese crepes from the stands nearby. The crepe making devices were fascinating: long heated plates (a meter long?) with a sliding batter dispenser…I want one of these!! Mmmmm, the cheesy goodness was intoxicating. Warm from our snack, we crossed to the Île Saint-Louis. In spite of the post-sunset chill, the central shopping street was teeming with pedestrians. Even gelato was selling on this chilly night. We walked the length of the island before re-crossing the Seine.

We wound our way back towards the apartment, stopping in the Marais for happy hour drinks at Freedj. Bubbly vodka drinks all around. As we were leaving, the staff changed and the new bar tender walked in in a baby diaper with pacifier. Um. Time to move along. Haha.

Sherie stayed at the apartment to re-set her internal clock with some zzzzzzz’s. For the rest of us, dinner was at Le Dôme du Marais, with it’s cozy circular dining room beneath it’s namesake dome. A rich and creamy pumpkin soup with crème fraîche. Savory chicken with crispy skin and morel mushrooms paired with tender baby potatoes. A decadent take on tiramisu and a super-lemony tart for desert. A luscious Medoc red tied all of the courses together nicely 🙂

The streets were still on our return to the apartment.