Sacre Coeur

(Friday, April 25) Well before we arrived in Paris, Spencer, having heard about Sacre Coeur from the children's book This is Paris, vowed to climb the steps himself. Lo and behold if he didn't follow through on that goal, a little help from Grandma and Grandpa notwithstanding. The climb was worth it for the view it afforded of Paris below. We didn't stay long inside the church as Spencer protested having to stay quiet. Afterwards we rode a mini-train through the streets of Montmartre and Pigalle. Spencer fell asleep as soon as we transferred him to the stroller, dozing the entire ride down the hill top in the funicular.


Riding the metro to Les Halles, we walked around the Centre Pompidou admiring the wacky fountain before wandering into Le Marais where we ordered falafels from Chez Marianne for lunch. We brought our delicious falafel and eggplant pitas along to Place des Vosges where we ate our delicious lunch on a bench. The sunny afternoon brought out all of Paris. As much as we would have liked to sit and people watch a little longer, it was time to head back to tthe apartment for Spencer's nap. When he awoke, we visited St.-Germain-des-Pres, the oldest church in Paris, and strolled around Luxembourg Gardens, one of my favorite spots in the city, to watch children play with bateau and to see ducks swim around the pond. It was the perfect end to our last day in Paris.