A Stroll Down The Avenue

Having the hotel room to come back to after our weekend away was perfect. It felt like coming home. If you can believe it, we were famished, so after a quick shower we headed out to the Marais for lunch. We couldn't resist our new favorite: Croque Monsieur for Rosemarie and a Croque Tomato for me. I don't know how they do it here, but the crust of the bread is just crispy enough but not burnt, yet the rest of the sandwich is just lightly toasted. It's an art and I want to buy every print.

The weather is still cool, but the sun peeked through and we followed its path for the rest of the day, as we took a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysées. The flowers in bloom were exactly what April in Paris is supposed to look like - the crowds of a busy downtown are not. The avenue has all the stores you expect and although it was wonderful to be there, we were more excited to get back to the smaller neighborhoods of Paris. Our hotel is on the perfect street and to us, the quaint neighborhoods is where this city really shines. It's great to see the fabulous stores, but a Disney store is a Disney store.

The sun was out and we got the perfect seat at a cafe. We sat laughing and drinking and watching the men and women stroll by. My goal to get us to smoke has fallen by the wayside. I am pleasantly surprised that not a lot of people are smoking, or if they are, then we're not noticing it.
It's for sure a different Paris than when I was last here.

Once again, Rosemarie insists she's not tired, but as we relax in our hotel, where we are resting before we eat yet again, she is fast asleep. Of course, she'll deny it later, but so it is written, and I never lie on the page.

Paris Monday