Walking and Talking in Paris

Paris is turning out to be as much fun as I expected. I just needed a good nap first. That's exactly what I did after we got to our hotel at noon on Friday. I should have only napped for just an hour, but I slept for 3 instead. Then Mom came to get me and we went out on a mission to get our travel cell phones set up with SIM cards and explore the neighborhood.

At The Phone House (yes, the name is in English) we got one phone working quickly, but the iPhone 3GS balked. I was sure it was unlocked. After I reset as much as I could, the salesman offered to connect it to iTunes and restore it completely. After we started, we realized it would take an hour. So we left it there and went to dinner. That's where I ordered a Cheeseburger with a Beer (actually listed on one line that way - take that McDonalds!) When we got back, the phone was working perfectly! I guess I had started to doubt, because I basically did a Snoopy Happy Dance when he told me it was working. 

We explored some interesting little alleyways full of shops - including a chocolate shop that I will be returning to. We also picked up some champagne at a little grocery store, and scouted out options for breakfast. 

After walking Mom back to the hotel, I went to a nearby Brasserie and enjoyed a delicious pint of Leffe Brune.

Saturday started with a British breakfast at a nearby café. I hadn't had soft-boiled eggs in a long time, and it was a nice memory to revive. I got tea, but realized I should have ordered hot chocolate instead. 

We had a few errands on our agenda for the day. I bought us a pack of bus tickets from the subway station. We walked to Forum Les Halles to pick up our Eiffel Tower tickets for Sunday. After all the walking we needed to sit down. What better place than the Belgian Brasserie? This time I had Leffe Ruby, and an order of frites to accompany it. After relaxing a bit, we crossed a bridge over the Seine to the île de la cité, where we saw Notre Dame and other monuments I can't keep track of, but photographed anyway. Next door is the smaller île St. Louis, and we explored its tiny streets since we were there. Then we took our first city bus ride, successfully getting home as it started to rain. We would get more rain when we went to dinner, but overall it was a great first full day.