Adventures In Europe; day 7

Rue Cler, The Eiffle Tower, and Scam Artists Galore

We caught our 6:00 AM train without any problems.  Well, maybe one problem... we ran into our very first pay-toilet in Europe.  Drew had to sneak into this pay-for-your-pee bathroom because we'd spent all our Franks (probably on chocolate).

Ha ha ha.

The train ride was long and uneventful, but it was pretty cool to see the Switzerland and France from the train.  We arrived in Paris, and maneuvered the train station & tube to get to our hotel. 

We did start to get the feeling that maybe we attract the crazies on the tube.  We had a guy hop on and give some sort of speech or rant or something... it was in French so we couldn't figure out what he was talking about.  Then he hopped off at the next stop, still shouting.  In London we'd gotten flipped off by a super scary guy on the tube.  This led to the very serious rule of traveling: The tube is not for people watching.  Seriously, hold onto your stuff and look at the floor.  Do not stare and for goodness sake never make eye contact.

After checking into our hotel we hit the streets.  I'd found a guided walk in our guide book of a street called Rue Cler and I fell in love with the descriptions.  This was our first stop in Paris and thank goodness, because it absolutely became our favorite destination.

People in France don't really shop in big grocery stores.  They have little neighborhood shops that sell items individually.  Like, they have a fromagerie (cheese shop), boulangerie (bakery), charcuterie (butcher), and wine shop.  The French are totally into fresh food, so they will stop on their way home to pick things up for dinner.

Flower Shop!

It is customary in France to take flowers to someone when you visit their home, so there are also tons of flour shops.  The flowers were amazing.

Fresh fruit!

The French are said to "shop with their noses".  They like to pick up produce and give it a good sniff to check for freshness. 

Oh la la!

Above is a charcuterie, which typically means butcher.  These shops also sell tons of mouthwatering deli sides to go.  We drooled over the cases of fresh salads and exotic sides.

Speaking of drooling...

And let's not forget about the most important shop of all; the patisserie.  This is where you will find all of the amazing French pastries such as macaroons and chocolate croissants.  This is where it's at!

More drool-inducing goodies at the Patisserie.

Probably our most important discovery on Rue Cler was Cafe Du Marche.  Paris is littered with open-air cafes, and we claimed this one as ours.  The service was friendly, the food was good, and the wine was plentiful.  What more could you ask for in a Paris cafe?



 

I love you!

After getting our fill of the wonderfulness of Rue Cler, we headed for another Paris icon.

Oh hello there!

Our hotel was less than a mile from the Eiffle Tower, making it an easy walk.  We instantly fell in love.



Love Love Love!

The tower is set behind a huge span of green lawn.  The lawn is covered with people.  Some are drinking, some are napping, some are picnicing, some are making out, and some are even doing CrossFit.  There are also tons of food vendors and people trying to sell you things or get you to sign a petition (this is a scam, walk away!).

We stopped so Drew could get some French Fries.

When in Rome France...

And Drew made the best discovery of all; sorbet!  There are tons of gelato and ice cream stands, which he can't have because of the whole no-dairy thing.  BUT, most of them also offer sorbet, which he discovered he loves!  Thankfully he could enjoy this while I was getting my fill of pastries and crepes.



Sorbet at the Tower.

We aren't the greatest planners when it comes to trips.  We kind of just go with the flow.  So after spending some time at the Eiffle Tower, we decided to make the short (ish) walk to the French Army Museum.  It was a beautiful building on the other side of our hotel. 

Army Museum.

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it had already closed.  Paris will mess you up on time.  It gets light at about 4:30 in the morning and stays light well after 10:00 at night.  It was so bizarre. 

 

So instead of the museum, we headed back to the Eiffle Tower to enjoy the evening.  On our way we were confronted by a French man who tried to pull the "gold ring" scam on us.  I had been so worked up about pick-pockets and scam artists the entire time we were in Europe, that it was actually kind of exciting to actually have a scam attempted on us.  I know, I'm easily amused. :)

 

 

Lessons Learned:

1.  Keep some change handy because sometimes you have to pay to use the bathroom.

2. The Tube is NOT for people watching.

3.  Check museum closing times and don't let the late-night sun fool you into thinking it's early.

4.  Read up on tourist scams, they are real!!!