Everyone woke up tired this morning but we had places to be. We had tickets booked for 10am at Sainte Chapelle so we left home just after 9am to get there.
There were a lot of police barricades around Ile de la Cite and a big police presence although we were not sure of the reason. We eventually found our way to Sainte Chapelle and into the right queue. It was not at all well organized and hard to tell which was the correct line but we got there in the end. Once we were through security, we were quickly into the lower chapel.
Up some internal stairs and we entered the main chapel. Sainte Chapelle is a Royal Chapel in the gothic style and was the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century.
The 15 stained glass windows date from the mid 13th century and are quite impressive to view.
We went and had a look at the outside from the courtyard before going to see Notre Dame Cathedral. Following the fire in 2019 you can only view it from outside and they have built a grandstand so you can sit and look at it.
We continued walking to find the famous Angelina’s Cafe. We went to the original store on Rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement. When we arrived there was a reasonable queue which we were expecting as you cannot book, but it didn’t seem insurmountable.
We waited for maybe 40 minutes (it would have been quicker if we were a smaller party as there were people behind us in smaller parties who were let in first). Once seated, we placed our orders. It is most well known for its thick hot chocolate so it seemed only right that we each try it.
The drinks and food arrived and they didn’t disappoint. It is not the cheapest place to go in Paris, but it is an experience and I would say if you can be bothered queuing it is worth the effort. They do have a boutique from which you can get takeaway but you don’t get the full experience.
Everyone’s stomachs full, we went a few meters up the road to Ladurée, the most famous macarons in Paris. Clearly we were too full to actually eat them so we got a wee box to take away for later.
We continued walking until we ended up at Tiffany. We went inside and waited (poor TJ) for some time for a sales assistant to come and help us, although we did get offered drinks and a seat while we waited. Eventually a lovely gentleman came and helped and the girls both selected the necklaces they wanted (late and early birthday presents). Wrapped in their little eggshell blue boxes, but put in a white paper bag to reduce the risk of pick-pockets, we headed off to the Louvre.
There was quite a decent line to wait to get through security in the Louve although it moved relatively quickly. Once inside we decided to go straight to the Mona Lisa first. There were a lot more people there than the last time we went. When Mark & I came over 20 years ago we could almost walk right up to it and there was hardly anyone there. We managed to eventually get to the front and view it. We had warned the kids that it is not that big so they were pleasantly surprised when they saw it – we clearly talked it down a lot.
We spent a good hour or two looking around other parts of the museum, but the kids (especially the girls) started to get over it pretty quickly. Away from the Mona Lisa, the crowds were much more manageable and there were a lot less people around so it made for a more pleasant experience.
Once we were finished, we were back on a forced march across town to the Adidas store to hopefully get Greer her trainers. It was a good half hour walk to get there so we were all hoping they had her size in stock. When I asked, the girl said they had them and would be brought from the stockroom but about five minutes later she said they didn’t have them available in any size. This seemed strange as her iPad had shown they had most sizes. Mark went and asked someone else who said they definitely did have them and they would be up soon. The original girl told Mark to “stop complaining!” when he went to check 10 minutes later. Eventually, the shoes arrived and they fitted her so we had a happy girl.
We wandered back to the Metro and stopped in at the market to get some food for the kids for dinner. TJ and Sophia watched qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. After charging our phones, Mark & I headed out to dinner at La Normandie just around the road from where we are staying.
We were the only ones there when we arrived but sat and enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay until the dinner service started at 7:30ish. The place filled up and we had a perfect spot in the window. They have a constantly changing menu with a choice of 2 dishes for each of entrees, main and dessert. The food was delicious and it was nice to be able to get out by ourselves for a change. We enjoyed our meal before heading home.
