Day 41 September 25, 2008
Walking in Paris has turned out to be one of the unexpected pleasures from this trip. I know I said that it's not pleasant sometimes, but even with the tiny sidewalks in some neighborhoods, it's nice to feel a part of a neighborhood by passing the same small business shops everyday and not whizzing by them in a car.
The metro really is efficient and gets me wherever I want to go, but on this day, I just wanted to walk. I walked passed the massive Louvre, ate my lunch on the quai along the Seine in the same spot where I first sat when I arrived in Paris, crossed over the river and wandered through the St. Germain des Pres. Then I walked past the Rodin Museum and garden, but I didn't go in. I've done a lot of museums and tourist sights in this city, but I don't want to do them all. I want to have something new to come back to, because I'm going to come back some day.
I also just saw the Hotel des Invalides from the outside, spending time in the adjacent Jardin de l'Intendant. Napoleon's tomb is here but I'll have to say hey to the little guy next time. I headed further into the 7th arrondissement and shopped at the largest FNAC store in the world. It's not lying; it's quite large.
Crossing back over the Seine to the right bank, I stopped by Pierre Herme for some macarons. If you've ever had these French (or Parisian) pastries, you know they're not the coconut thingies. That's macaroons, spelled with two Os. These are ambrosia if ambrosia was a real thing and not fruit salad. Herme has arguably the best macarons on this planet. Laduree is the other shop that could hold the title. I'll have to do a taste test one of these days.
After being here in Paris for nearly 6 weeks, my legs did not want to explode in fury after I finished this walk. They weren't thanking me, either, but at least we weren't arguing like at the beginning of the trip. I think we've all changed a little.