Picnic in Paris

It started off with my first Parisian pan au chocolat. We had ducked into the beautiful patissiere on the corner of our street to get a bite to eat to tide us over. 'Why are you taking a photo?' Asked one of the girls. 'You only have your first pastry in Paris once' I replied. And it was perfect, of course.

We arrived on the edge of the Siene at the Notre Dame, wandering around wide eyed in awe of the stunning building. We chose to admire it from the comfort of a cafe, croissant and coffee in hand.

We wandered aimlessly along the Siene for the next hour, taking in the sounds, smells and sights of Paris. When our legs grew tired we jumped on bikes, and headed for what we were told was one of the best cheese shops in the city.

Fromagerie Barthélemy is a cheese lovers dream. We opened the door to a waft of strong cheese, and I knew we were in the right place. To my delight they spoke no English, and basically decided what cheese we wold be buying. We left with a round of goats cheese, and a wedge each of a blue and a brie. 

With our haul of cheese we again jumped on the bikes and made for the Eiffel Tower. Touristy, of course, but it there was no better place for our picnic in Paris. As we continued along the Siene, we passed restaurants and markets, stopping for fruit and bread to add to our stash.

We sat, we ate, and we dozed under the enormous tower. The gorging of cheese and the hot sun left us sleepy, and barely able to move from our little oasis.