Hello my friends!  I hope you are well and enjoying your summertime…

We have had a busy week – seeing the sights, visiting with friends and continuing our steep learning curve of the French language – bit by bit it becomes easier.

It is 2 PM (14:00) and the house is quiet.  I can hear tractors in the background working in the vineyards as white butterflies chase each other into the forest.  I needed some quiet time, to be honest – it has been busy for us since we arrived.

On Saturday, we did a day trip into Paris, and by ‘we’ I mean David, Mackenzie, Muriel, Murphy Brown and I.  We drove to Château de Vincennes where we parked the car and took the Metro line into the city.  I researched that the dogs were able to come with us.  France changed their laws regarding dog sizes on the Metro in 2017 – prior to this, only small, lap dogs were allowed.  Now, as long as dogs are leashed and a ticket has been purchased for them to ride, they can come along – so they did.

We went straight to the Tour Eiffel so that Mackenzie could see what she has been talking about since we arrived in France.  The first words out of her mouth were, “How do we get to the top?” Loved it.  We did a Bateaux Parisiens tour on the Seine River for about an hour which showed some of the Paris highlights and circled around the Notre Dame.

After the trip was over, we walked about a KM along the river towards Pont de Grenelle, famous for its Statue of Liberty replica – three years after France gave America the Statue of Liberty, a group of Americans in Paris gifted Paris a 1/4 sized replica in 1889.

By this time, we were all pretty much done for the day so we went in search of a restaurant that would let the dogs hang out with us.  The proprietor of Le Lutecia in the 15th arrondissement not only invited us inside where fans blowing with a nice, cool breeze, but also brought the dogs a huge bowl of cold water and said, “I love dogs.  I love dogs more than I like most people. Welcome.”  The dogs slurped up the water, Dave and I downed an ice cold bottle of Côtes de Provence rosé, and Mackenzie ordered a fancy juice that came with a little umbrella – we were happy.

And, yes, if you are wondering, I will be writing more about champagne … how could I not?

XO
C