Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Three cheers for Emi and for what M is calling the secret magic Parisen elixir. Now that I’ve taken it he says I’m one of them. I say – thank you Emi for pointing me in the right direction for meds, for the super attentive help you’ve been from my first inquiry on AirBnB, for “the book”, for ngr, for being willing to bring me meds from your personal supply if I couldn’t get out, and for your offer to extend our stay. Nous vous aimons! Merci!!

Day 6 (Saturday): was a shopping day YAY! We decided to get out of the city a little and check out what we thought was going to be an antique type shopping village in Bercy, but it wasn’t . Cute old stone warehouses had been transformed into little stores/galleries and restaurants. We walked through a really nice photography gallery (inspired), had lunch in a microbrewery (The Frog) and the pub food didn’t disappoint. The shops didn’t really have what I was hoping for – and I’m not even sure what it was I was hoping for. You see I have this idea of shopping in a flea market and finding a great pair of earrings, or a bag that I can’t live without. Then when we stopped in a vintage shop while we were in Marais, it was all I could do to get out of it. The smell of other people’s things all together in a small dusty store gives me the heebee-geebee’s! So maybe it’s the idea of shopping in an artsy market, or the idea of just getting a good deal – because we know where the splurging happens (LV, and that visit is bound to happen).

We left Bercy, it was fun, and cute and we weren’t too disappointed, everything we see is something we didn’t know about before, so it’s all good! Next stop was Village St. Paul in Marais. Is anyone picking up a theme? We’ve gravitated to Marais, and Ils st Louis more than anywhere else in the city. Getting there from the flat takes us along the Seine, through the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed (I’ve been in this tunnel more than I’d like to think about and it’s sad every time), past the Place de Concorde and the giant Ferris wheel that every big city seems to have now (come on SF, where’s our wheel?). The architecture is mind-blowingly beautiful. I could ride past Musee d’Orsay all day long and never get tired. The Louvre is blocks long – 4 maybe 5 blocks, I should count next time. It’s enormous and beautifully detailed on the outside. I can’t wait to get to the inside and only scratch the surface.

Village St Paul was everything I had read. Artsy. Shops open, shops closed, artisans working on their craft right there in the shop, and shop keepers on the phone too busy to be bothered to assist with questions. I loved it! We found a few baubles, M made his mark with a banister (his story to tell), and we headed straight to Berthillion for ice cream as a reward!

I have surprised myself – I really haven’t done much shopping, and as far as food I’ve been good with one meal a day. One really outstanding meal. 🙂

Dinner was at Spring (in the 1st arr.), and it was fantastic! Prix-Fixe dinner, six courses, wines paired, all we had to do was eat. Heaven.

Got in some shopping, some walking, and some delicious food, I should sleep like a baby – right? That part hasn’t worked itself out yet. I’m awake most nights until 4-5am while M is sleeping 10+ hours (grr). I’m not exactly tired, so when I crash – watch out.

bon nuit!