A Birthday in Paris

My Mom is the awesomest person in the world - so awesome that she deserves a word of her own (see previously, re: 'awesomest').  Example: she showed up in Paris on Wednesday afternoon with a suitcase full of fresh new clothes for me to wear.  After 10 weeks on the road, this was the best gift ever!  Anyway, I'm thrilled that she's joined me in Paris, where we will spend five days before heading to Nice for another four.

It's especially exciting because yesterday was her birthday, so we got to celebrate Parisian style.  We had a fantastic day and covered a lot of ground - it's funny how time just slips away from you here.  We keep looking at our watches and saying "how is it THAT time already!?".  Here's some highlights from our day.

"I'm in Paris!  That's the Louvre!"

We didn't go to the Louvre yet, but wandered through on our way down to the Seine to catch a boat along the river.  You'll note the puddles on the sidewalk - it rained for part of the day, unfortunately.  

Heading for the Seine.

Instead of taking a boat cruise, we decided to buy two day tickets for the Batobus, which has eight stops up and down the river from the Eiffel Tower to the Jardin des Plantes.  It turned out to be a great idea - a nice way to see the city, and a perfect opportunity for resting our sore feet during the day!

Birthday breakfast at a cafe along the Seine.

Love locks on a Paris bridge. 

Awaiting the Batobus -  we had terrible timing and kept missing the boat by about a minute and having to wait for the next one.  

A rare sunny moment heading down the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower.

After seeing the two hour line up to go to the top (one of the two elevators was out of order) we decided that the view from the bottom was pretty decent.

I finally found a decent selection of French beer (at La Grande Epicerie at the Bon Marche).  Unfortunately it was too little too late for Chad.

I couldn't resist taking my Mom to picnic in the Jardin du Luxembourg.  After lunch I convinced her to try one of the reclining chairs, which she loved - especially when I gave her my jacket to use as a pillow.  Our timing was also brilliant, as we picnicked in the sun before a serious rain storm began.

Hiding from the rain.  And the hail.  It rained so hard that it was raining through my umbrella, which wasn't the best birthday present for my Mom!  We ducked into this cafe... Okay, I'll admit it.  It's a Starbucks.  When it's raining through your shared umbrella on your Mom's birthday, you don't worry about looking for an authentic Paris experience.  Instead we had tasty raspberry blackcurrant frappucinos (I guess it's good these aren't available in Canada, as I would probably have to get a job just to feed my habit) and chatted with an Indian guy visiting from Ireland until the rain stopped.

Next up was a visit to Notre Dame.  It was, of course, lovely - and when we went by today there were about five times as many people there so we definitely picked the right day for our visit.

My new favourite model at the Jardin du Plantes.

My Mom's one Paris birthday request was to have champagne on the Left Bank.  So we headed for the Latin Quarter where she had champagne and I couldn't resist ordering a frambois beer.  So tasty!

Birthday beef bourgenion.

We finished a day of sightseeing, shopping, picnicking, garden wandering, and exploring with dinner at a place in the Latin Quarter.  The place was jam packed with people wandering and kids running around with silly putting harassing their poor parents and each other.  Our waiter told us that it happened to be the busiest day of the year, the day of La Fete de Musique.  He looked very sad while telling us about how the Latin Quarter used to be busy like this more often until the recession started.  As we walked back to our hotel we saw that it wasn't just the Latin Quarter that was packed - there were people everywhere and tons of music in the streets.  Very cool.

Happy birthday to my amazing Mom!  I don't know how we're going to match this day next year.