Sketch and stroll

So a few days late and many Euros short, but I am finally completing the blog for this trip.

Let the sketching begin

After the day long adventure to the Capital of Christmas on Monday,  I plan on the whole lot of us sleeping in for a relaxing final day on Tuesday.

Building construction has another idea. I never thought the French worked at 8:30 am. But apparently the unit above ours is undergoing renovation, either that or they just like to play with drills.

Actually this apartment has a mix of noise treats, one more decidedly pleasant.  There's a vocal school just beneath us and there's truly lovely Opera singers in training belting it out for good portions of the day.

So up and at it early, Pierce comes up with an inspired idea for the final day.  He would like to sketch his way through Paris. His goal is to visit some major museums and monuments with sketch book/journal in tow.

We start at the Pompidou, as it is closed on Tuesdays, he has the plaza to himself. A pretty good rendition of the 'inside out' modern masterpiece is drawn-up. It's another delightfully clear and sunny day, perfect for a final stroll about town.

Getting some perspective in front of Notre Dame

Next up is Notre Dame, it's still relatively early (11:30 am) and we set our sights on the line for the stairs up to the towers.  It's really quite short, so while Mitch stands in-line, Pierce takes a seat in from the the Grande Dame and produces a very pretty picture. While tourists linger about looking at his sketching, I feel like we should almost put a hat out for tips.

The line is all of 15 minutes, which is tolerable even for me, by the time Pierce is done sketching we are ascending into the winding steps of the tower

Rather than exit through the gift shop, you enter through it to visit the Notre Dame tower steps.  As with some of the other activities of this trip, it's been years since we went to the top of Notre Dame and with unlimited sunshine and clear views over the rooftops of Paris, why not?

A mere 400 twisting and turning steps later and we make it to the top at the ideal time.  It's Noon and the bells are announcing the midday in earnest.  Being able to see the action up close is remarkable for the eyes, not so much on the ears.. After about 40 minutes of admiring the vistas we descend the stairs and its on to the next adventure.

The Gargoyle view

Working up an appetite after the steps we hop the metro to hit up the culinary stop we do not want to miss, the sandwhich guy at Marche des Enfants Rouge (see previously blog posts for our adoration of this master). The stop is Arts et Metiers on the Metro, which breaks with tradition and foregoes subway tile for a cooper filled fantasy submarine effect.  It's a delightful departure that plays to great affect.

With the Marche in sight, a slight panic sets in that Monsieur Sandwich will not be there today.  And, panic is well warranted, he is off on Tuesday!  The market is open, but I forget that he is gone on Tuesday.  I won't make this mistake on the next trip :)

Not to worry as the area has a plethora of available options. We hit up the Cafe de Marche Des Enfants Rouge (no points for originality on the name).  But as random finds sometimes have a way of being exactly what you need, the Cafe is a find. A vegetable soup for me is divine, while Pierce falls in love with a creamy ravioli and gives the escargots a try. "A little too chewy, but not bad" quote the boy.
Mitch has what he calls a PETA nightmare, veal liver, which he devours.

Back on the Metro and it's off to the Jardin de Tullieries by the Louvre.  It's one of those days you can't waste inside and the gardens offer nice sketching opportunities to boot. Unfortunately the small boats you rent to guide around the  fountains are not for hire on Tuesdays, but we grab three of the iconic green chairs and just soak in the scene. It's one of those moments you can retreat back to when life gets hectic.

Back on the metro and we head for the Rue de Montorgueuil for some hot chocolate (which turns into a Nutella milkshake instead) and Affilgems for us. A short stroll back to the apartment and we chill until dinner.

For our last night we are thinking Korean BBQ, there used to be a great spot in the Marais. We discover it is no longer there but hit up a place a few doors down that is Japanese teppanaki.

And so we spend our last night in Paris enjoying la cuisine Japonais.  It's perfect.