My inner clock seems to be having the mood swings of a teenager. Today I slept through the morning. Once I roused myself, I made a quick cup of coffee and shortly after had lunch at the apartment. The same as yesterday, so no need for photos. 🙂

I had the idea that I wanted to walk along the river today. This neighborhood is lovely, and also, it could kind of be anywhere in France. I wanted that feeling of being in Paris. And that, for me, is, yes, seeing the grand monuments, but maybe even more, the Seine.

So I took the Metro down to Bastille and then followed the lower section of the Canal Saint-Martin to where it joins the Seine.

I turned right and walked along the river, crossing onto the Ile Saint-Louis. As I walked, the breeze gusted with the scent of fallen leaves. Then I walked along the southern bank, looking across at the Latin Quarter and catching my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, which is always how I really know I’ve actually made it to Paris. And that brought me of course to the backside of the Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite.

Even though I’m not religious, I feel like I always have to swing by the Notre Dame when I’m in Paris. Architecturally it’s not really that special — I mean there are like a million Gothic churches in France that are also really beautiful. But still, it’s the Notre Dame. And so I have to go.

From there I headed north across the island and one of the bridges toward the Paris city hall, which is maybe just a bit much, but hey. And also to the BHV, the grand department store across the street. Paris is still very much doing department stores, unlike Seattle (thank you, Amazon!).

And from there, back along the river up toward the Louvre. One of the things I love about Paris is the Easter eggs. The things you will never hear about but just happen upon, like this lovely square.

I remember in high school French class my teacher recalling how awestruck she had been at the sheer size of the Louvre. And then years later, when I first went. It’s one thing to hear that it’s just enormous and another thing to experience it for yourself. And it’s amazing to think that it was built for kings and emperors as a palace, as their special province, and now it belongs to the people, to all of us. I love that.

As I took a passageway into the inner courtyard, there was a cellist playing a lovely classical piece. I lingered for a moment to appreciate.

And then the main courtyard of the Louvre. Yes, it’s crowded with tourists, and still it’s so beautiful. There’s a reason why so many people feel the need to go there.

After that I headed across the river down to the Boulevard Saint-Germain to meet up with a Meetup group at a café for drinks. Which was lovely.

And then back to the apartment, a bit of a trek through the Latin Quarter, the Ile de la Cite, the lower Marais, the upper Marais, and finally the 11th (does it have a name?).

I thought about stopping somewhere for a drink or a bite, but it being Friday, everywhere seemed crowded and loud. So I just headed home to feed my cat and make some dinner.

Since it was too late to get a baguette, my plan for salad with a warm goat cheese crouton became salad with poached egg and some cheese whose name I don’t remember (there are several hundred different types of cheese made in France, and I hadn’t heard of this one but it looked interesting). And a glass of white wine from the Gascogne.

And so, at the end of the day, I’m feeling like, yes, I’m in Paris.

Side note: In case you think I’m being super fancy with my wines, the French would probably think so. For everyday drinking, the French lean toward wines in the $4-$7 range, which in France is totally drinkable. I’m drinking wines in the $11-$13 range, which the French would reserve for special occasions, but which I’m thinking is sort of an everyday luxury.