I had a nice wander around the sixth arrondissement this morning, noticing lots of interesting artwork up on the walls – including an alien, C-3PO and Chewbacca from Star Wars and my favorite, the figure of a retreating old man in a long coat.
I also found a few cute little alleyways and the ornate Fontaine Saint-Michel. I met up with Marie for coffee from her favorite neighborhood coffee place then went to a local park to enjoy the sun and chat. I think she liked having someone to speak English with. There was a group of toddlers from the local Montessori school playing in the sandbox, they all looked adorable wearing their little reflective vests as they walked back to school.
I hopped on a bus to check out the Arc de Triomphe, seeing several different views of the Eiffel Tower along the way, including one with the Statue of Liberty flame in the foreground. The Arc was busy but not too crowded.
The winding staircase up the Arc gave me a good workout, but it was totally worth it for the views at the top. Wowser! I stopped at the gift shop to pick up a few items and was complimented on my French speaking abilities. 🙂
I loved the look of the spiral staircase from the bottom and the top.
I checked out all the magnificent carvings on the Arc and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier then headed to my next destination, the Pasterelle Debilly, a pedestrian foot bridge over the Seine. On my way there I passed the Fashion Museum, an absolutely gorgeous building with beautiful grounds. It was a good place to sit and have a snack.
The Pasterelle Debilly is one of those bridges with thousands of ‘love’ locks on it. It was fascinating to see the layers of them in some areas.
On my way home I stopped at the little crêpe stand near my metro stop and got a savory crêpe with sausage, egg and cheese, and a sweet crêpe with coconut. It was a very decadent and yummy lunch! I also picked up a fresh baguette to have with my dinner tonight. I can definitely get used to this food.
