Today also happens to be my birthday. A dear friend once told me that on your birthday, you should do things you want to do more of in the coming year. Spoiler alert: I’d say I succeeded…
I started the morning with some fruit and yogurt at the flat… and then by hitting up the bakery on the corner at the end of our street. When I walked up, there was a police officer waiting outside. It turns out he was just waiting for his police officer friend to come out, but before I realized that, I asked him if he was in line. He didn’t speak much English, so he looked at me with a questioning look on his face. I said it again with some hand gestures to explain what I meant and he said, “Oh! No. I secure it for you!” I said “Merci,” we both laughed, and I went on in the bakery.
I made my way to the nearby metro station, where I had the place all to myself and could begin eating my pain au chocolat while I waited for the next train to arrive.
When we were planning this trip and talking about dates, I told Ken and Pauline that I would prefer to be somewhere amazing on Easter because if I was in town or somewhere nearby, I couldn’t bear to be away from UPC! Well, we made it happen. Today I celebrated the resurrection with the congregation (and many visitors) at the American Church in Paris (ACP). Here are some pictures from the walk on the way there (the green steeple is the ACP):
It was a stunning building/sanctuary. The service was meaningful with beautiful music and a thought-provoking sermon. The pastor preached on fear and doubt… and how we will always have them and yet thanks to the Easter message they will never win. A timely message for these days and everyday!
After worship was over, I had the opportunity for a long, lovely walk. The church is almost two miles from our flat and while I wanted to take the metro part of the way to get there this morning, I was looking forward to the walk back mid-day. And so I started walking along the banks of the Seine River. Eventually, I took a detour to grab a ham and cheese baguette for lunch from the Happy Caffe.
I made my way again to the Tuileries Gardens, though a different area than we were in yesterday. I found some tulips, sat on a bench, and enjoyed some quiet time and an Easter phone call from a friend.
Soon it was time to start walking again, because I was to meet Ken and Pauline a bit before 2:00 to hop on a boat for a river cruise on the Seine. I made my way to the boarding spot, we sat for a few minutes and then got on. Here’s a photo I took on the bridge as I was crossing it.
The boat ride, while a bit chilly, was a very fun way to see the city from a different perspective! Multiple views below…
The Sainte-Chapelle steeple from the river:
Notre Dame definitely still has work being done on it!
Next on the agenda for what I wanted to do on my birthday was ride another carousel. Not just any carousel, but a DOUBLE-DECKER carousel. We hopped on the metro and took it to the base of Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
Shortly after we got off the metro, we passed a crepe stand. It being my birthday and all, I had to partake. It was a super fun process to watch the guy make it (I have it on video) - an art for sure! My Nutella banana crepe did not disappoint.
Upon arrival at Sacré-Cœur and the Carrousel de Montmarte, I didn’t have any cash (we haven’t needed cash at all on this trip!) I had to buy a minimum of three tickets to pay with a card. I was determined, so I did it. The ticket person told me I could just ride three times. Ha! I asked if Ken or Pauline wanted to go and Pauline said she would, so we both rode it. It was a SLOW ride but still fun to be on the top deck!
After the carousel ride, it was time to start climbing the steps! Pauline stayed at the bottom, but Ken and I made our way to the top. What. A. View... Of the city!
We looked to see about going inside, but there was quite a line (it is Easter Sunday, after all), so we both decided we didn’t need to do that. Just as we started making our way back down all of those steps, it started to rain. It only got harder as we went down. Once we got to the bottom and got Pauline, we stepped aside into a more-dry area to make a plan. We decided to make the four-minute walk to the metro (along with everybody else who was visiting the basilica when it started raining) to head to our next stop.
Thankfully, by the time we got off the metro, the rain had stopped and the sun was breaking through the clouds. A church friend had told me about Harry’s New York Bar, the oldest cocktail bar in Europe. It’s where the French 75 cocktail, among others, originated. I wanted to go and try it! This is a bar with a fun vibe, filled with pennants on all the walls of various colleges around the U.S. We saw everything from Michigan State to UNC to Augustana and Presbyterian College… and so many more! It was a fun stop, for sure.
When we finished our drinks at Harry’s, we went back to the metro to take it toward our flat. We figured when we got off, we’d just find a place nearby to eat. We ended up at Happy Days Diner for burgers, fries, and milkshakes, which is actually just right across the street from our flat! We were commenting on the fact that we haven’t had a bad meal yet on this trip, and tonight continued with that pattern.
And just as a side note, it’s not lost on me that I ate lunch at Happy Caffe and dinner at Happy Days Diner. I see a theme here…
Now we’re back at the flat - likely with some more Ted Lasso episodes in our future.
The bar immediately across the street from us seems to be open at strange times. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be overly loud once it gets to sleeping hours, but it is definitely a hotspot! Tonight there was a spontaneous dance party out there (there’s video evidence of that, too, but a picture will do for now).
Tomorrow is a big day, so we’ll be sure to get some good rest tonight!
I’d say that as far as travel days and birthdays go, this one ranks at the top. And as far as that whole idea of doing on your birthday what you’d like to do more of in the next year… good worship, sunshine, good food, good friends, and adventures… I think I did pretty well in that department. It was indeed another banner day!
No comments:
Post a Comment