29 Rue Cler

Pictures of the street we stayed on.

The hotel was in a local neighborhood, not in a touristy area.

There was a cheese shop next to the wine shop next to the produce shop next to the pharmacy shop next to the seafood shop next to the bakery next to .....

There were also cafes to stop and have a coffee and watch the day unfold.  That is exactly what we did on our last morning in this part of the city.  We had coffee and crepes. Chocolate for Emma, with a 2nd one ordered by Mark, and a crepe suzette for me.  I can't even describe how much I enjoyed that crepe!

We watched the local older women go up the street with an empty cart, then return an hour later with their basket full of food, and a baguette sticking out the top.

We watched elementary age children walk down the street in pairs, on their scooters, some with a nanny, some not, headed home for lunch break.

We watched older kids, high school maybe, walk down the street looking for a cafe to stop and have lunch in.

We had an amazing time, just people watching.  This would be my greatest regret for our trip.  We did not take time out of our sightseeing to do this in every city.  Only in Paris.  But we now know what to build into our next travel itinerary....

Up next:  Random Paris photos....

Eiffel Tower and the Grand Hotel Leveque

Once we arrived at the Paris train station, we took a taxi to our hotel.  Those who know me well, know that I am prone to tears.  I cry if I'm happy, sad, excited, angry, afraid, or basically any other emotion I may experience.  I have "big" feelings.

Well, I sat in the front passenger seat in the taxi, and cried the entire way to the hotel.  I tried to keep silent, with just tears streaming down my face, but later, when I joked about it with my girls, they said they heard sniffling too from the back seat.

Paris was so over the top amazing.  I've been wanting to go there for many, many years and it did not disappoint. It looked exactly like I expected (thanks Instagram) and then when we turned onto a small street and the driver said we were at our hotel, I let out a gasp.  It was out of a dream.  Somehow, I had booked a hotel on a quiet, residential street in the 7th arrondissement, lined with shops and cafes.

It was an older, quaint hotel, with the smallest elevator. Only 1 person and luggage or 2 people and no luggage.  Odd at first, but charming also.  And since we were on the 4th floor, I appreciated that the hotel even had an elevator!

We reserved 2 adjoining rooms, and expected there to be a door connecting the rooms. Instead, there was a private hallway with only our 2 separate rooms, so we appreciated a bit of space apart but still felt safe with the girls in their own room.  The hotel was a gem for the budget traveler!

After we got settled in, we headed out for the Eiffel Tower.  It was about a 10 min walk.  The streets were narrow with tall buildings on both sides, so we couldn't see the Tower as we walked.  Then we turned a corner and there it was, plus it was "sparkling" since it was the top of the hour.

Both girls stopped walking and turned to wait for me to round the corner.  Why?  Because they knew I would cry the moment I saw it right in front of us.  Don't judge me...

It was cold and windy on the observation deck, so we didn't linger too long.  We grabbed sandwiches and coffee/hot chocolate for dinner from a shop inside the tower, then hopped into an "non-official" taxi and went back to crash at the hotel.

Notre Dame Cathedral up next...