Ahhh Paris!! Everything they say about this place is true - arriving in the centre of Paris gives you an immediate sense of culture and otherworldliness. It is magic. Trish and David have never been, and I am surprised how much I remember from my visit almost 15 years ago. When we visited as a family almost 30 years ago, my memories centered around the gravelly parks with long tree lined pathways, play parks on every corner and beautiful buildings all around. It hasn't changed. It was perfect.
The apartment was sensational - it was really more a shoe box, but with a view like that who cares?!! The Isle Saint Louis is in the 4th Arrondissiment right in the heart of Paris on the Seine. We overlooked the back of Notre Dame which, as you can see from the selected photos
above, was a visual dream. We squeezed, two at a time, into the tiny elevator which took us up to the third floor. We dumped our bags and headed straight downstairs for profiteroles and hot chocolate in a cafe overlooking the river.
Saturday was a glorious sun shiny day - chocolate croissants for breakfast on the run whilst walking to the Eiffel Tower. Aided by the owner's tres chic scooter, Jack powered through the crowds along the cobbled streets and we all played freeze tag in the sandy floored playgrounds along the way. A Croque Monsieur in Parc du Champ de Mars as we admired the view from underneath the Eiffel Tower not caring to join the hour + queues. We hopped on the Batobus ferry which took us slowly back home, admiring the sights along the way.
As per tradition, Davey and I walked the streets most mornings, exploring the Marais with its galleries and cafes; the Louvre courtyard with a view through the Garden Tuileries to the Champs Elysee; and the tiny cobbled alleyways of the Latin Quarter. We spent a fabulous evening here in the bustling Latin Quarter where every window displayed huge skewers of meat and seafood. Crowds gathered to watch street performers and fire jugglers; the window shopping was terrific and the ambience euphoric. Sunday we walked through the Jardin des Plantes and collected the car for our 3.5hr journey south to StMartin Terressus.
(Note: This article in the New York Times would have been a great guide had it been published prior to our departure - NYTimes - the lead photo was taken outside the most gorgeous restaurant just over the bridge from our apartment as you enter the Marais)
