Paris is always a good idea

I couldn't agree with Audrey more. The city is absolutely, fantastically, I can't use enough adjectives-ly beautiful and romantic. My preferred decor style is very French femme. Flowers, lace, anything delicate, pretty, feminine, and ideally antique and I want it. I also love shopping for food in outdoor markets, something Paris has no shortage of. We stumbled across this market near our hotel the second morning of our stay and revisited it the third.

After crossing the Seine we came across another fantastic market. We stopped for an espresso and a treat. If there's anything I love more than French-inspired decor, it's French patisserie. I love to bake and I've tried my hand at a few different French creations (macarons and croissant being the biggest two) but nothing compares to getting them from the source. This raspberry tart with custard was absolutely divine.

We picked up a baguette from the same bakery and a couple different cheeses from a nearby vender for lunch and continued to wander. The catacombs were nearby and as a giant osteophile, it was definitely a place I was interested in seeing. Unfortunately, there was a huge line. The website said that only 200 people could be in the catacombs at a time, and that each tour lasted about 45 minutes. Doing the math,  we realized we'd be standing there for at least a couple hours, best case. With only a couple days in Paris, I didn't want to spend so much of my time standing in a line. Fortunately, the Cimetiere Montparnasse was nearby, so I was able to get my fix of the morbid. The cemetery if huge. It's gorgeous, peaceful and awe-inspiring. They've also got no shortage of "notable interments", or in other words, famous dead people. Samuel Beckett and Emile Durkheim are two such notable interments. My best friend the feminist and her partner the existentialist have a huge amount of adoration and respect (if not downright obsession with) for Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre, so naturally I had to visit their grave.

We'd already decided on our lunch spot: a picnic in the park at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. It was a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for our Parisian picnic.

I've been pretty blantantly pro-Paris in my last couple posts, so I figure it's time to share a couple things I didn't love. First, Dad and I walked nearly seven hours around the city and I was wearing my cute new shoes, which made my feet less than happy. This is most certainly Paris' fault because in a city of so many well dressed put together people, how could I not wear them? Secondly, I got sunburn. This is mostly EasyJet's fault for charging me if I'd checked any luggage and the folks who make flight regulations from preventing me from bringing my 180 mL SPF 60 with me on the plane. Because of the sunburn (which was definitely worst on my face) and the seven hours of walking (in a cute if not entirely practical outfit) I was exhausted and fell asleep while trying to decide on the restaurant for the night. Dad tried to wake me and, upon being greeted with grumbles and something along the lines of "kindly leave me alone good sir", headed off on his own for dinner at one of the many sushi places the city has to offer.