Shopping, The Louvre and More Shopping

For our next day in Paris, we shopped local places for picnic supplies.  Near our hotel is a wonderful little street with fun specialty shops.  First we went to a boulangerie, my most favorite kind of shop, a bakery. We bought a nice crusty baguette, French doughnuts and apple pastries.  Then we perused the fruit and vegetable market.  Local grown strawberries, so fresh we found white blossoms on some, were eaten before we even finished shopping.  We grabbed a few apples too because they make a great portable snack.  I'm kicking myself for not buying some of the dried mushrooms to bring home.  The fromagerie is another of my favorite stops with so many yummy cheeses to choose from.  Sadly, most of those cheeses are off limits for me right now because the French use unpasteurized milk to make their cheese.  Of course that's why they taste so good, sigh.  I explain I am "enceinte" and the sweet ladies help me find suitable aged cheeses.  At least my precious mimolette is still allowed.  At the charcuterie we picked up single servings of prepared dishes.  Again, so many cured and raw meats that I would love to eat but just can't right now.  I would never trade being pregnant for anything but I am missing out on some of the best things France has to offer.  Case in point, we skipped the wine store entirely.  But we went to a baby boutique that made me smile.  We bought Baby Brother an outfit and a sweet little teddy bear.  On to the Louvre!         

Ryan checked his fragrant backpack, stocked with our picnic supplies, at baggage check and we did a speedy trip through this famous, but huge museum.  The Winged Victory was out for restoration so we headed on to Venus de Milo.  Trapped in an Asian tour group, Tessa and I pushed our way to the front to get a good view of this beautiful statue.  Next, we went on a mission to find the Mona Lisa.  It's not hard since this famous painting is well labeled but did I mention that this place is huge?  We found the proper room and fought the crowds to get up close and personal with da Vinci's masterpiece.  Tessa then announced that she had already seen the Mona Lisa at the Children's Museum in K5.  That's my girl, a reproduction looks just like the original to her.     

We admired the Italian and French paintings including this massive one of Napolean's Coronation.  To get perspective, look how small Tessa looks standing in front of it. 

We found Michelangelo's slaves and then decided we had seen enough.  We call this tour the Louvre Light and it was enough with a six year old. 

We exited the museum through the infamous glass pyramid.  To avoid crowds that morning we had entered underground from the Metro station. 

So we took a few minutes to take pictures in the palace courtyard. 

We had the perfect day for a picnic.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous with plenty of sunshine and a nice cool breeze.  We walked into the Tuileries Gardens and found a great spot to settle down.  The grassy lawns were off limits but all along the paths were chairs for resting.  We found a couple of chairs and claimed our spot.  Everything was delicious, I could live on bread and cheese.  Ryan had to fight Tessa for his fair share of the chocolate mousse once she discovered she liked it.  The chairs reclined and I propped up my feet.  I could have stayed like that all afternoon just enjoying the sunshine and the scenery.  Tessa was happy to color and watch nearby art students working with charcoal.   

Eventually we packed up and moved on.  Not far from our picnic spot, we discovered a playground.  Tessa played while I went off in search of a bathroom.  Those have been few and far between this trip which is not cool since I am supposed to be drinking a lot of water.  Oh well, I survived.  Outside of the garden gates, we took a short walk to the Chanel store.  Ooh la la, I could go crazy in here.  I don't do much high end shopping but I do love Chanel perfume.  Ryan had brought me back perfume from his previous trip so we were actually shopping for my mom.  The saleslady was very helpful and found what I was looking for.  Then she treated me to body lotion and perfume.  After a day of touring and basking in the hot sun, it felt deliciously refreshing.  Ryan and Tessa were pampered as well.  My sweet little baby smelled like expensive strawberries for the rest of the day.  Can she really be old enough to have her own Chanel scent like Momma and Gamma?  Apparently so!  Next we headed down the Champs Elysees.    

We walked to the Disney Store where Tessa happily picked out things to spend her piggy bank money on as well as gifts for friends.  It's pretty much the same stuff we have in our Disney stores back home but it made her happy.  We hopped on the double decker tour bus and took a swing around some of the famous sights, including the Arc de Triomphe.  Tessa had a great time taking pictures with our smaller camera and Ryan and I listened to the commentary.  We jumped off at the stop closest to our hotel and searched for a café for dinner.  We ended up at this cute place and claimed a sidewalk table. 

Since it was Friday night, things were getting pretty lively.  During our meal, street performers came by and did stunts right in front of our table.  Tessa then demonstrated that she could do stunts too.  She did cartwheels in the street while we enjoyed our leisurely meal.  Another great day in the City of Lights.