On the flight to Paris, direct from Salt Lake City, we all took No-Jet-Lag Homeopathic Tablets
. I was skeptical, but anything that says it will prevent jet lag and is homeopathic is worth a shot, and Grandpa swears by them. They actually taste pretty good, even the boys like them. H-Bomb would ask me every once in a while if it was time for another "pill," which served as a good reminder for me since you're supposed to take them every few hours.The other tip we got was to stay awake as long as you can once you arrive at your destination, especially if you arrive during the day. Try to stay awake until bedtime there. So, with an eight hour time difference, arriving in Paris at 10:30ish AM was like being in Salt Lake City at 2:30ish AM. And guess who didn't sleep a wink on the 10 hour flight? =)
After our fabulous lunch, we returned to the hotel to get our bearings, unpack a bit, relax. And I was about to drop. I couldn't keep my eyes open, and it wasn't even 5:pm so we knew we had to get up and go.
With Jean-Claude, I went down to the market on Rue Mouffetard to get supplies for our picnic. My favorite part of this was trying all the different pates at the charcuterie. (and the charcuterie guy wasn't bad, either)
Next the cheese shop for cheese, a fruit stand for some fresh fruit, a bakery for a baguette, and of course the wine shop for wine. All of this on the same little market street! I was so glad I brought my shopping bag, I used it every single day in Paris.
Jean-Claude and I joined everyone else, and we took off on foot through the streets of Paris, headed to Luxembourg Gardens for our picnic.
We passed by Ernest Hemingway's apartment, which had been a goal of both mine and Mary's--the first night! We saw it!
The architecture and the history of the streets of Paris are simply stunning. I have no idea on which streets we wandered, or of which buildings I took pictures, but here are some of the sights.
And here is our picnic at Luxembourg Gardens. Pate, cheese, berries, figs, bread, wine, (juice for the boys). Delicious doesn't even begin to describe it.
I think my absolute favorite thing about Paris is that you can drink wine wherever you happen to be. You can buy a bottle of wine, and uncork it on the street. Or in the park. Or anywhere!! And drink it! I think Americans (and Utahns in particular!!!) have got this All Wrong. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with drinking wine, as long as you're not hopping in a car afterward.
After our scrumptious picnic, we packed up and walked back. We found a gelatto shop for the boys (and us, who am I kidding) who wanted ice cream. YUM. We stopped at lots of fountains.
And by the time we got back to Rue Mouffetard, lots of shops were closed for the night.
Look, our hotel left the lights on for us! (down there on the left, past the bicycle)
Rue des Gobelins takes on a certain charm at night, as does the rest of Paris.
We fell into bed, exhausted, and fell asleep to the sounds of a wonderful city.
