Paris in the rain doesn't lose her sparkle

So we've had a bit of rain in Paris!  But it's not dampening our spirits and Paris in the rain is really very gorgeous.  I'm a bit sad this afternoon - have had a few friends come from London to visit us and they left this afternoon. I'll really miss them so much, it's hard to have friends who live all over the world, hopefully they'll be home in Melbourne for Christmas. I'm grateful I got the chance to spend a weekend with them here in Paris.

The moon is lovely and full.  As we were passing under it on the plane, I couldn't help thinking that I should be planting more garlic or more anything!  Wasting the full moon! Love sitting quietly on the balcony at night and watching clouds move across it.  Doesn't get dark until 10pm here at the moment.

I really love the buildings here in Paris.  They are so elegant and really divine.  This is our apartment here below.  The blue door is our door and the balcony second row from the top is us!  I love living in a neighbourhood where Parisians live, work, eat, it is lovely walking around and seeing people having a chat together and just going about their day to day.  The pianist downstairs never stops practising.  His neighbour is renovating.  I like bumping into these folk on the stair well or in the tiny lift.  They are friendly.

Our apartment...blue door is ours

The local gendarme go to the same boulangerie as we do - have been seeing them there each morning collecting a croque monsieur and a cafe creme!  

Up above the shops on the local street - hello!

 Not much vegetarian food to be had so far but the bistros are so delish!

Had to take a photo of the local chemist. Even that is so gorgeous!

What we have for brekkie...

Heehee and this is my brekkie. Yup if I don't return home twice my size it'll have been a wasted opportunity!

More delicious stores in our neighbourhood

The eiffel tower is about a 5 minute walk from the apartment.  What strikes me about it is it's enormity, I hadn't imagined it would be so large.  Master Bok (2) however looked at it appraisingly and dismissed it as a 'Big A'.  Waited for it to 'turn on' last night and felt a ridiculously childish delight in seeing it being lit up slowly until it sparkled in the dusk.

 

 

Master Bok is currently playing with his new cars.  He hyperventilated to see the Cars section in the Disney store!  We hadn't meant to go shopping, but needed to collect tickets for the Louvre from Fnac and this was right there nearby on Champs Elysee so we went in and walked out with cars and tickets to EuroDisney  :)  I love Annick Goutal fragrance and the store is so pretty.

Love the way the chairs at bistros all face the street for people watching.

 

The Louvre is amazing, would have loved to have spent more time there but with children, about 2 hours is enough!

Even ducks enjoy the grounds of the Louvre!

 

Miss Bok (6) cracked up laughing over this painting and is still giggling about it...

Locks for love on the Pont des Arts...we are adding our own

Alecia, we found a space invader tile!

 

 

Love the green wall at the Musee de quai D'Orsay

'Ou est l'ecole Militaire?' The gentleman just pointed across the road where obviously military exercises were taking place!  Felt like a right fool.

We attended Sunday mass at Sacre Coeur this morning.  What an amazing place.

There was also a bike competition going on just outside, they have built ramps all the way down from Sacre Coeur to the street and bikes were jumping and speeding down the pathways.

 

Montmatre is a fabulous little neighbourhood, we'll have to return to spend more time here.

News from back home - hens are still laying! Not all of them as they are laying 2 eggs a day between the 5 of them. Unless of course they are hiding their eggs again...