I’m a Happy Camper

Today was a cloudy day but no rain, thankfully. The group plan was to go to the Montmartre area. I elected to stay behind and give my legs a rest from yesterday. I rested in the room and met the group outside the Louvre in the Tuileries gardens. We chose a place to meet that was pretty easy to spot. I took a taxi and he let me off exactly where I wanted to be. I walked toward the arch where we were supposed to meet and I saw Rudy waiting. He didn’t think it would work but I knew the area and it was a good meeting spot. It was around 4:30 and the area was filling up. There is a Christmas market in the gardens. We walked toward the market along with everyone else. There is a big Ferris wheel just as we entered the area. Rudy offered a ride for us all. I was the only taker so we went. Some of my photos today are from the ride. The market is a long, narrow section that runs along the side of the gardens. The Christmas markets I visited before were full of handcrafted items with a few food tents. This was more of a food and wine affair with kids games and rides along the way. Betty and Verna got hot wine in decorated plastic cups. I found a stand that had hot cider in the cups but my cup wasn’t as nice as theirs. The other markets I’ve been to gave ceramic mugs with the drinks. We felt a little cheated. Finally about 2/3 of the way along the market we found some booths with handcrafted items. Of course I checked out a jewelry booth.. He had a very nice turquoise pendant. I asked if he made all the jewelry and he did. He said the turquoise was from Arizona. I told him I was from California andI saw lots of turquoise. He did have some beautiful pieces but I resisted the urge to buy. We have many more markets to go in Germany.

‘From there we walked toward my favorite restaurant in Paris. I thought I remembered the way but I overshot the street by a couple of blocks. So we turned around and went back by a different route. We ended up on the Rue St Honore which is one of the priciest shopping streets in the city. We saw many stylishly dressed women with many shopping bags in their hands. Every store had a guard by the door. We decided they were there to decide if a person could afford the shop! We ended up in a small plaza in front of an old church that had a setting where you could have a photo taken. I took a picture of Rudy and Betty. A couple more blocks and we were at the restaurant-30 minutes early. Our reservation was for 7:00 and that’s when they open. So we strolled a bit but it was 40 degrees out and we were cold. We went across the street to a bar and the others had coffee. Then it was time to go to Le Souffle. As the name implies, they are known for their soufflés. I have been going there since the 80’s and the food is perfect every time. I ordered a ham and cheese soufflé, with a chocolate one for dessert. They didn’t disappoint. Everyone enjoyed their meal and wine. It was a pleasant dinner. We took an Uber back to the hotel.
‘Tomorrow is the ladies shopping day. We’ll see how that goes.

Photos; a couple from the Ferris wheel and from the market. There’s one of the Louvre and also the girls sitting with Santa. Enjoy.