I want to live in Paris

Our first day in Paris I awoke longing to see the REAL Paris. I have heard about Paris, seen it portrayed in movies, and wondered about it. Having been in France, I had a bit of an idea what France is like. . . But having never been to the city of lights, I was eager to see her charms.

I was not disappointed.

I loved the tiny shops. . .

The bakeries with their mouth water displays of baguettes, croissants, and every other delectable bread creation you could imagine.

The chocolate shops with their  amazing displays of chocolates, bonbons, truffles and who knows what else made of chocolate.

The cheese shops with their displays of cheeses that would baffle any tourist. 

The fish shops, which tickled my funny by being called "Poissoniere." How funny that the word for fish sounds so much like the English work for poison. The fish and seafood available was endless!

The markets with their loud-mouthed sellers and their vast display of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and cheese.I could go on and on and on.

The gardens on the rooftops delighted me. I was convinced I would like to live in Paris, if but for a month or so. The window boxes with their geraniums and other potted glories were oh so charming. I must admit I was quite enamored.

We left our place convinced we knew the way to get to the Eiffel Tower. We strolled on and on, past the street markets. We finally wondered why we weren't getting any closer and why the tower wasn't in sight. We stopped, turned around and looked back and there towering in the distance was the famed tower. Oh how silly we felt having not even looked up and seen the tower and having walked the opposite way the whole time!! 

The day was very lovely, with blue skies and sunshine. I was impressed by the enormity of the Eiffel tower, but thought it really rather plain. There were tons of young men running around selling Eiffel tower miniatures and key chains. The were very persistent, even annoying and asked outlandish prices, but could be quite easily be talked WAY DOWN. If you are ever in Paris, make sure you barter with these guys. 

We walked a very long way this first day, all along the river. We ate our lunch in a park, it sound romantic, but it was just leftover cheese sandwiches from home. The prices in Paris are very high. 

We then went on to Notre Dame. It was thrilling to see this impressive cathedral. After having had a very long walk we then decided to walk home too. We wanted to avoid the metro, despite having bought 10 tickets in advance to get a cheaper price.

By the end of the day and having literally walked all day my feet were killing me, my back was hurting and I had blisters. I was convinced I couldn't walk another step in those boots.