5/19/25: Early arrivals in Paris

Bonsoir! Patrick and I had smooth travels from Montreal to Paris and arrived on Monday morning with no problems. We made our way to the hotel and were pleased to find that our room was already ready for us to check in. After getting settled in, we met up with Maggie and Yelena, who had arrived even earlier in the morning! My brother Joe also met us at the hotel -- he's looking forward to helping serve as a tour guide during our opening stint in Paris. 

After a quick café stop to get some coffee and snacks and problem solve some minor phone issues, the five of us headed to the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, a large collection of thrift and antique shops just a short walk from our hotel. We didn't buy anything, but we enjoyed browsing the vast collections of antiques, clothing, books, and other things -- it's an interesting place!

We split up after that, with Maggie and Yelena heading out to run some errands and grab a late dinner (and a nap!), while Patrick, Joe, and I headed to Montparnasse to scout out some potential spots for group meals later in the trip. 

After checking out a few spots in Montparnasse, we stopped for a late lunch on Rue Daguerre. We were really starting to feel the jet lag at that point and decided to keep moving so that we could push through until dinner. We gradually made our way back north and across the Seine, just enjoying the walk and checking out some places that were new to us. One of the many amazing things about Paris is the sheer scope and variety of things to see. The weather was beautiful all day today -- sunny and clear, in the low to mid 70s -- and the Paris streets and cafés were busy with people. Here are a few photo highlights of things we saw as we walked across town.

Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, a lovely church right behind the Pantheon. Some famous scenes from the film Midnight in Paris were apparently filmed on a set of stairs around the corner.

Les Arènes de Lutece, an ancient Roman amphitheater dating back to the 1st or 2nd century. The site was rediscovered in the 1800s and is now a popular public park for soccer, petanque, and picnics. Fun fact: the word 'arena' comes from the Latin word for 'sand,' since the surface of ancient arenas was typically made of sand.

Place de la Bastille, an open plaza featuring a column commemorating France's history of revolution and its march toward democracy. It's on the site of the former Bastille, which was a prison.

We've enjoyed hearing from the rest of our group as they make their way toward airports and gates, and we look forward to greeting them all at the airport in the morning, with fresh pastries in hand!