Sunday morning 

I had a gluten event last evening so interrupted night till 2 am. Then fell asleep finally and slept in till after 9 local time.  Very comfortable and feeling overall better today.  Ready for the day.  We both really enjoyed the sleep in … my travel buddy friend Rachel says .”LOVE THIS FOR US”. Agreed. 

 Off to meet Christopher at market. He’s not there. (Christopher is a guy I know from cold water swimming in Victoria over the last year. ). He and his family have relocated to live in Paris.  

Off to find gf bakery. Breakfast cookie and apple blueberry crisp. Oh my. For later, a brownie on a cookie crust and praline soft mushy thing, and a huge cookie. So many good gf things to try and no gluten in the place :). 

Back to the market and connect with Christopher and his son, Xavier.  Wonderful two cheeked kiss greeting, we exchange hugs.  They have been happily living here this past 6 weeks and will stay – they just signed 3 year lease.  Xavier tries to play with some local kids on the playground but they reject him …. His dad tries to help out, asking what happened … with his young hand flung in the air he states … “They are French”. Enough said.  We part.  I will see Christopher in the morning for another walk about.  

Today I want to walk the river bank.  Off we go. Listening and noticing the sounds of Paris.  The sights.  The world so foreign from my own.  Intriguing and interesting… we walk on. 

We listen to Sunday morning Church bells of the basilica that we visited yesterday…. I stop. Breathe. Stop. Notice birdsong. Pigeons, other song birds in the trees. Tour guides speaking French.  Fast. Fluent. All can be heard on the corner of the street.  Love this. 

We see an intriguing entryway, mosaic tile floor, chandelier lights … many shops inside.  They are not open, it is Sunday.  Gallerie Vivienne.  Libraries shop (book store), Very high end Bridal and toy shops.  Wine store.  Outside on the steet again, We spy a bunch of bright orange statues … two basketball stars are bigger than life … I took pics to send to my grandsons.  We walk through the gardens by the Louvre.  Statues, flowers, people.  We stop for a rest and some water.

Then to the Jardins Palais Royal. Breathtaking. Rows of trees   Children with moms. Walking, playing. No cars. Sculpture. Pigeons. We sit and enjoy our breakfast goodies plus lunch foods we found.  

We find a bench in the shade. 3 kinds of French cheese. From a Fromagerie. Hard Aged orange Mimolette.   Soft white Brie. Mixed goat and sheep medium white firm. Wine rose from a wine shop. Cheap. Pink. Screw top. Roasted potatoes, skins on in olive oil and spices. Warm. With wine, water and a rest.   We see a marriage proposal, she says yes and cries to his kneeling on one knee and presenting her the ring.

Then we walk on. It’s 130 pm, Off we walk to the river. On the Eiffel Tower side of the river we stroll … Bridges and walkways lead to the Eiffel Tower.  So much people watching and enjoying families and couples everywhere. 

The river is the same, beautiful and hardy, lots of boats of tourists going by.  We walk in the groves of trees when we can to stay out of hot sun. People walking by. Many seated on the banks, just watching or having a rest.

We stop to pay our respects on Pont Alma where the memorial to Diana is … 

Parc Monceau. We stop to rest on a bench and watch the local families wander through the beautiful park.  Left over gf treats …. Almond creamy with praline tart base.  And Chocolate peanut brownie with cookie base. We also have some leftover aged orange cheese.  Lovely snack, sparkling water.  We are full again of the sweet and savory Paris foods. Supper will be veggies and fruit. Maybe salad. 

Walking through a few parks and Galleries Lafayette … up and up in the escalator, looking at the glass ceiling and fancy railings, luxury name brand items at ridiculous prices.  People excited about their purchases.  

Dinner in our room.  We picked up groceries on the walk.  A big head of fancy lettuce.  Goat feta and a fresh large yellow lemon to squeeze, jar of olives ( we did not find a place to get fresh local olives today … but we looked), small box of cherry tomatoes, …. Made lettuce role ups!  leftover rose wine from lunch bottle we bought, Crème brûlée for dessert.  It is all gone.

Grateful:  19 km walk about in Paris after a luxurious sleep in.  Wow …. Amazing.  The rivers, the parks, the gluten free bakery and wonderful foods, cheap rose wine from the region, sunshine, the river, tree lined streets and benches to rest from the sun.  It’s almost 930 local time, pm.  Pleasantly tired and physically weary, plenty full of rich food and salad….. bed time here in Paris