Our big vacation begins

Subtitle: Storming Paris like it's 1944
(nerd alert... subtitle courtesy of David)


Well after a fun day in Dallas hanging out with friends, we hopped on the direct Dallas to Paris flight. It wasn't too bad, but we definitely did not get a full night's sleep. However, when we arrived, it was sunny and bustling and we just kind of picked up the energy for the rest of the day! Our apartment in the Canal St. Martin is super cute and in a great location. Here's a self-photo a few steps from our apartment:





We headed out to explore and just kept walking... got a fantastic lunch at the nearby boulangerie, then headed down to the Marais where we toured the (free) Musee Carnavalet. The coolest part to me was the sign gallery downstairs. Apparently at one point in time there was a serious literacy problem and all of the shopkeepers had to draw pictures on their signs so people would know what they were offering. Took a pic of this iconic sign:






From there, we kept walking - went over Ile de St. Louis to Ile de la Cite where we enjoyed deux cafe and basked in the sun with a view of the Notre Dame while this gentleman provided background music:








We wandered through St. Germain, got lost in Les Halles (not really in the shops, we just lost our bearings when we exited and strolled in the wrong direction for awhile before we spotted the Pompidou and realized we were turned around), and finally wove the way back up through the Marais and home. When we mapped our route, we realized we had walked about 7 miles in total. Picked up delicious bread and cheeses at the fromager and are currently enjoying them with a glass of wine provided by our landlord. C'est ce bon vie!!