Monday, April 18 is Easter Monday. I didn’t even know that was a thing, but it is here. Many people were off work, kids were out of school, and they were out and about on this beautiful day. We were meeting up with people at 4:00 for happy hour, so we just wandered and soaked up the Parisian vibes until then. We saw Notre Dame, which I hadn’t seen since the fire in 2019. I was sad but hopeful at the same time that it will eventually return to its former glory. On the way to the cathedral I found a building that I had seen photos of, draped in wisteria. Beautiful!

As we were walking down the street we saw a shop with hats, and Jim found a replacement for the hat he lost in Nice. He was happy to find one.

I love Luxembourg Gardens and we spent a lot of time there. We cooled off in the shade at the Medici Fountain, enjoyed the sunshine while people watching, saw the Statue of Liberty and watched the pétanque/boules players.

It was time to make our way to La Coupole, where many famous people, including Ernest Hemingway and Josephine Baker used to hang out. Eight of us gathered and had some wonderful conversations.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable first day in Paris.