Les Lumières de Paris

(The Lights of Paris)

Daniel has recently compared our trip to a staycation we just went to Paris to do it. This seems to be very accurate. Saved enough, earned enough miles, sold enough to afford a fabulous Paris summer we did; save, earn, sold enough for a fantasy Paris summer we did not. So if it seems most my post revolve around shopping for dinner, adventures in maintaing a home and the cheapest of activites walking around Paris is because we are not on a endless budget. Now that isn't to say there are certainly allowances for these faboulas macarrons I have scored.

Rose Petal, framboise, chocolat, citron vert et basilic, et Pistaches

(Rose Petal, Raspberry, Chocolate, Lemon & Bail, and Pistachio)

 But to make sure we don't run out of money in three weeks and I can keep enjoying two macarrons a week we spend a lot of time walk. Besides I came here to sit in cafes and sketch which I am doing quite a bit of, so let the staycation continue.

 When you are planning your own Paris staycation here is one thing you should absolutley keep off your itenariy of inexpensive things to do: go to the Les Halles Mall. It combines everything you dislike about American malls: noise, crowds, lottering preteens with the added horror of everyone speaking a forign language and being underground. I don't often suffer from clostiophia but this place was certainly making me consider the appeal of it. It didn't help get got lost and could not find the escalator to the next floor for over 20 minutes.

The entrance is only escalators down into the ground.

In better activities, we walked to the Eiffel Tower last night.  A hardy 45 minute walk from our apartment turned into a hardier hour 20 minute walk going, what my grandmother describes as, the scenic route. I was surprised how crawling with people it was at 10:52.

Our belonged walk did time us fairly perfectly for the on the hour light show on the tower.  It is very pretty, greeted with "ahhs" from those on the lawn.  The show is about 5 minute and the lights speed up over the time or at least that is what Daniel convinced me of, though he has been know to lie before.

I took a quick video of the show you can see HERE. And no I don't know how to right the video. Daniel has more pictures of the night on our flicker stream.

We stopped for a nuttella crepe (my first crepe of the trip) on the way out and it was delcious.  The stand was fairly cute and you can see a TV over my left shoulder that was on a cart for those eating at the picnic tables. What you can't see is it is playing CSI Miami in French. 

It is was way more dramatic when David Caruso says the line in French and then takes off his sunglasses.  It was all we could do to not break out laughing in the crepe line.  On the subway home, wasn't about to chance the extend walk again, we watch some German fans taunt and finally moon a Portugal fan in our car from the platform.  Germany/ Portugal game in the Euro Cup last night.

The sun is breaking, out to take advantage of it.