We were in no hurry to start our day. In fact, we began it by sharing memories of our previous visits to Paris. Eventually, we were ready for breakfast. We walked to a bakery at  the foot of Rue Mouffetard,  a street of shops that is only open to pedestrians. We were planning to get croissants, but instead we saw that they had  some large bar cookies that had pastry on the bottom, streusel on top, and and fruit filling. We shared one.

Like all of Paris, Rue Mouffetard always captivates us. Rather than shopping at a supermarket, locals buy food at individual shops there that sell the freshest  fish, meat, produce, cheese, bread, and pastries, as well as coffee shops and small eateries. We enjoyed taking in all the sights and aromas. A fruit seller gave us each  a juicy, ripe strawberry.

We decided to walk to the nearby Jardin des Plantes, where the flowers would be  a sure sign of spring. We stopped back at the flat for our rain jackets before heading out on our walk. I thought of the family in Home Alone who sat inside watching TV when they were in Paris because of a rainfall outside. Rain would not stop us!  The garden was filled with families. We saw that the roses were just starting and the poppies were just finishing. The statuary is quite varied.

Both of us wanted to see Notre Dame. We knew it would not reopen until  December, well after the  Olympic Games in July, but we wanted to check out the progress of the project. To get there, we strolled along the Seine among other walkers who were taking in the ambiance, as well as people getting various types of exercise (runners and bike riders).

Eventually we reached Notre Dame. Even behind scaffolding, its magnificence is truly awesome. Temporary seats had been added  in the square in front of the cathedral so that people like us could absorb the view, including the statuary, the bell towers, the rose window, and the gargoyles. I thought of all the people who worked for two hundred years to make this cathedral a reality.We  recalled  that  when  Carla  was  six  months  old,  we  carried  her  up  to  the big  bell,  called Emmanuel.

On the right of the cathedral is a statue of Charlemagne (742-814), the first Holy Roman Emperor, that I had not focused on before.

It was 2:30 PM, and we were tired and hungry. We stopped at a pizzeria and shared a four cheese pizza before heading back to the flat for a rest.

We had made a dinner reservation at a restaurant on Rue Gobelin that was a short walk from  the flat, called Dame Augustine. We were approached by the maitre d’ who began speaking to us in rapid French. When he saw the blank expressions on our faces, he switched to English. Nick began the meal by ordering a kir royale. My ability to handle alcohol is limited, so one was enough for both of us to share. It was wonderful! Nick ordered duck breast for his main course, while I chose cauliflower risotto with dates and a tandoori whip that was not spicy. Both were exceptional. For dessert we shared buckwheat ice cream with caramel sauce topped with chocolate mousse, unique and delicious.

After dinner we walked slowly back to the flat. The rain was still falling gently, but we were together in Paris in the rain after  a delightful dinner. What could be better?

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