Yesterday afternoon I had a Paris Greeter walk scheduled with Pascal. He planned to spend approximately 4 hours showing me architecture and gardens in the 16th, an area I’m unfamiliar with. Susan decided not to go. In the morning she went her way and I went mine.

The first thing on my agenda was to get my Navigo Découverte (weekly metro/RER/bus pass) renewed. I originally got it the end of December 2008. I thought they were good for 10 years, but mine expired in July 2017. Once done, my next thing was to get train tickets for Giverny for tomorrow. First I tried an address in the Rick Steves Paris 2016 book. It was near Gare de Lyon. Unfortunately I shouldn’t have trusted an old book. But I was only 2 blocks from the apartment we rented in 2014, on maybe the cutest street in Paris. Of course I had to take a look.

When I came out of the metro to try the next place it was raining. Do I have a raincoat and umbrella? Yes. Did I have them with me? No. I ducked into the nearby Starbucks to use the toilettes and wait out the rain. When I left there to go to the SNCF boutique near the St. Paul metro stop, the rain had become a mist. When I arrived at the building there was a crowd of people waiting. It was after 10:00. After waiting 15 minutes without them opening I decided to go elsewhere for the tickets. I took 1 step and felt intense pain in my left knee. A knee I have never had a problem with. Great. I decided maybe Tuesday wouldn’t be good for Giverny. I took it fairly easy leading up to the walking tour. I even resorted to going to Five Guys on the Champs Elysée for lunch. So embarrassing…

I met Pascal for a very long walk in the 16th arrondissement. It was interesting, but too long in my opinion. Afterward I decided to go the the Eiffel Tower. It was disappointing to find the entire side by the river, or possibly more, is blocked off. Then the RER station I walked to was closed for renovations. And I walked, and walked, and walked some more. Susan texted to see if I wanted to have dinner with her at an Italian place on Ile St. Louis. I was exhausted by the time I arrived. I took a bus back to the apartment. It was a very tiring day. I walked 13 miles.

The locals enjoy hanging out along the river on a beautiful warm day.

Today (Tuesday) I went first to Marche des Enfants Rouge, the oldest covered market in Paris. There weren’t many stalls open, so I didn’t linger. I then went to Gare Saint-Lazare to buy my train ticket for tomorrow. That done, I went to Luxembourg Gardens. It is such a beautiful park, and there were many people out enjoying the nice day. Before I arrived I bought a sandwich and ate it there. I love picnics.

After hanging out in the park for awhile I just started walking. I came across a demonstration. The French like to demonstrate. This was to protest the Trump administration’s policy of forcibly taking children from their parents at the border. They were loud and passionate. It’s good to see the world is paying attention.

I went to Saint-Sulpice, a large church I hadn’t been to before. There was a flea market outside. I saw this table set up for lunch. I’m not sure if they were sellers or buyers, but the French know how to eat.

One thing we always do in Paris is we go to the pet store on the Right Bank near Pont Neuf to see the puppies and kittens. They are so cute! I also had my first crepe of the trip, so now I feel I’m officially in Paris! I wandered over to the nearby Louvre, but only to see the courtyard. I’m not sure if I will go to any museums on this trip. I think I’ve seen all that interest me. Some multiple times.

I had told myself I should take it easy after my tiring day yesterday. I went to the Monoprix near the apartment for yogurt and bananas for the rest of my breakfasts in the apartment, then decided to call it a day. I only walked 7.5 miles today and climbed the equivalent of 19 flights of stairs.

I’m so excited for tomorrow! I have to leave the apartment no later than 7:00 in the morning to catch my train. The traffic is loud outside the apartment. I hope I can fall asleep at a reasonable time. Maybe the wine I’m drinking will help.