Paris Take Two...

I was starting to feel a bit crummy as we were leaving South Africa but by the time we made it to Paris I was sick. A sore throat in a heat wave is not pleasant to say the least but I decided to just ignore it. I was in Paris after all, and time was a-wasting.

We arrived way too early to check-in at our hotel so we stored our luggage, cleaned up and grabbed some breakfast on a terrasse nearby . For those who have never had breakfast in Paris, "petit-dejeuner" generally consists of a coffee beverage (cappuccino, americano etc), orange juice, a pastry (pain chocolat or fresh croissant) plus tartine (toasted baguette served with butter and jam). Yes, croissant and baguette. Delicious.

After breakfast we decided to kill some time chilling in the Luxembourg Gardens. The sun was shining so we found a shady spot to people watch and listen to a student band perform in a gazebo . I was so wrapped up in what a perfect day it was that I decided to call my mother to check in and say hello...forgetting that it was 5am in Toronto. Oops, sorry Mom.

We spent the afternoon in and around the Eiffel tower and lunched near the fashionable Champs Elysees. Then, after a bit of a power nap we ventured out to the Marais for dinner at a bistro - Cafe Moderne. Dinner was delicious (and our waiters were cute and attentive...and French!) and we decided to splurge and treat ourselves to a good bottle of champagne to celebrate an amazing journey across two continents. And despite the fact that I wasn't feeling well, we still mustered up enough energy to visit the Rue de Lappe in the Bastille (an entire street of bars) to have a mojito at La Havanita. Bravo Janine!

Just one night in Paris isn't nearly enough time but I have no doubt that I will find myself there again very soon. Fingers crossed.