11 October 2016

Our last day in Paris. It was going to be the day we drove out to the battlefields of WW1 but we decided it was too much to manage on our last day so will have to wait until next time. And there must be a next time as there is still so much to see and do. Traveling with a single teenager who whinges about walking and wants to catch an Uber everywhere isn’t ideal for visiting galleries and museums. It’s also not very romantic!

So instead of driving to Fromelles and Pozieres, we decided to do some eating and shopping and see what we bumped into as we turned corners. First stop on the Metro – Tuilleries, and a brief walk to some delicious pastries.

Angelina’s 

The cakes tasted as amazing as they looked. The hot chocolate is said to be the best anywhere and it was pretty scrumptious although Harry didn’t like it at all and called it ‘too nutty’ so we ended up having to drink it. The things we do as parents!

Even the toilets in this place were elegant!

As we left Harry bought 2 macarona and scoffed them as we shopped for chocolate gifts in the shop! 

Our Wanderings then took us to the Place de la Concorde – such wide, grand streets! I read that Napolean wanted them wide to allow for troop maneuvers and to intimidate  the peasants and demonstrate the ‘bigness’ of the government and keep them subdued. It only worked for a limited time. 

Heading towards Harry’s Bar for a drink, we passed the designer stores. Harry likes to think he’s all up with the fashion houses but he really only knows the brands that have the cheaper sports ranges that make plebs feel rich i.e. Ralph Lauren😂. When we came to Tommy Hilfiger he was so excited!  

A marvel around every corner!

Harry’s Bar

Where the Bloody Mary was invented so I had my first one. Not a fan.

Harry’s is obsessed with all the clown stuff on his Facebook feed and wanted to post this on ‘Clown Spotting’!!

Turned another corner and voila!

Shopping at Les Halles was a nightmare as Harry cracked it every time he was not allowed buy something. This is the face I had to deal with numerous times today.

Luckily there was something beautiful around every corner:

My favorite Saint – Jeanne d’Arc

And some pics of the local area we are staying in, Bastille:

The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison stood until the “Storming of the Bastille” and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. Nothing of the prison remains.

The July Column (Colonne de Juillet) which commemorates the events of the July Revolution (1830) stands at the center of the square.

Rue de Charonne

We ate Japanese for dinner and spent the evening packing for the long trek home. We have Eurostar to London in the morning and then the flight to Doha. The worst part about traveling is the traveling!

I fully intend to return minus teenager and with romance the goal.

Au revoir Paris❤️