So today is my birthday; the entire catalyst for this trip.
I had the best birthday I have ever had. We wandered the back streets of Paris. This city invigorates me, almost feeling somewhat intoxicating. We caught the Metro subway from a nearby station on the Champs-Élysées and hopped off at Hôtel de Ville. We watched the ice skating in front of the building for a little while and then headed over to the Île de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral.
As it's still the tail end of tourist season the line to get in was quite long, so we just enjoyed walking around the cathedral and then across the Pont de l'Archevêché, the bridge where pad locks are placed indicating a relationship of love, usually between a couple, family or friends.
We then wound our way through the back streets of the 6e et 5e arrondissements and found a great section of narrow cobble stoned lane ways with some great little shops, cafes and bars. A very typical older style Parisian area that houses many of the city's Universities. It was much more interesting than the decadent shops we had seen the last few days in the 8e, 1e et 2e arrondissements.
Once finished looking around this section for the day we made our way back across La Seine river into Le Marais section of Paris in the 4e arrondissement. Another great area full of bars and cafes. We stopped for a pre dinner drink at a cafe bar and then headed over to the restaurant we had picked out for dinner, a vegetarian restaurant specialising in French inspired dishes. Many of the dishes were vegan, including a great selection of desserts. The food, atmosphere and service was great and we'll surely be heading back there before our time is up on this visit.
We ended the night by catching the Metro train back to the 8e arrondissement and stopping at a bar close to our apartment and enjoyinga few drinks.
A great day in Paris which was absorbing, beautiful and amazing. More than I hoped it would be. It was a day just being who we are in a fantastic city.
As I said above, today is my birthday. Where life leads from here I cannot even predict, but for now I'm here and enjoying this day in Paris with my girlfriend and loving it.
P.S. Thanks to all of you who have sent me birthday wishes. I appreciate it greatly.
Today's Weather
Very overcast, a storm and rain throughout the day. Maximum Temperature: 11 C
