Macarons and Paris

As soon as we settled into our hotel in Paris, Alex and I hopped on the metro and went for a little sightseeing, and one of the first things I did was make sure to sample macarons from one of the world-famous Ladurée shops!

My photos aren't so hot because they were taken indoors in the evening rather than waiting for natural light the next day, but of course I simply had to eat these immediately! Oh. My. Goodness. I can definitely see why these macarons have the reputation they do as the creme de la creme of the tea table. The Salted Caramel one (second from left) was my favorite!

Since the visit to Normandy took up most of our time in France, we barely had time for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour in Paris, and alas, it started pouring down rain the day we went! I had promised my niece Cari a photo of the Eiffel Tower, however, so we got out in the rain with our umbrellas and grabbed some photos.

The Eiffel Tower is definitely the one thing you're *supposed* to see in Paris, and when we got there I gained a whole new appreciation for it. It was much, much more magnificent than I had ever imagined.

Neither Alex nor I care to stand in lines, so we didn't take a ride up, but I was intrigued to see that many people were waiting in line in the rain to ride the lifts. In fact, there were lines everywhere that day, and it was quite crowded for a Thursday. I wondered why, and only later did I realize they were celebrating Victory in Europe Day, a national holiday. No wonder we had a hard time getting around that day! The two shops I had most wanted to visit in Paris were Ladurée, which I did visit, and Fauchon, which I did not. It was so sad to stand outside not one but two Fauchon shops and wonder why they were closed (because of the holiday, I imagine), so I wasn't able to buy any of their tea as I had hoped. Next time!

Still, it was nice to zip by some of the famous sites, including the Louvre, although we simply didn't have time for a visit this trip. Before the rain sent us down from the top deck of the tour bus, we saw some of the wonderfully grand buildings such as the Academie Nationale de Musique. One thing I should add about our brief time here: I've heard for years that Parisians are snobs, that you can just expect to be treated rudely, but Alex and I didn't experience that at all, not at one restaurant, ticket window, or café. In fact, one young businessman and one young woman, both French but who spoke English, stopped to help us with directions when we were trying to figure out the lines in the metro and at one train station. They could not have been any kinder. The young woman actually offered to accompany us through the train station (I'm not sure she trusted us to get it right!), and she smiled and chatted with us all along the way. I so appreciated their graciousness, and Alex and I agree we need to go back when we can give Paris the attention it deserves. (And after I've learned some French!)

Tomorrow: Arriving in Tuscany