My 2022 Global Adventure: Day 9 (Cats! Other Things Too But Do They Even Matter? Cats!)

 Wednesday, August 3: I had been in Europe for about a week at this point, and I already missed my cats back home, so I decided to visit Les Cafe De Chats, a cat cafe that was about a mile's walk from our hotel. I got there at noon, right as it opened, and there were already people waiting to go in. By the time I left, the place was pretty packed.

A few of the cats came around to say hello, but most of them seemed indifferent. A lot of them slept. Still, you could walk over and pet the ones lying on the piano or other low-lying furniture. I needed my cat fix, and I got it. I can't comment on the food here, as I didn't order any, but I did get a tiny coffee and a regular-sized tea and they were both good.

Next I walked to the Musee Carnavalet, a history museum that happens to be free. It had a variety of things: furniture, art, artifacts, documents, all pertaining to the story of Paris. I really liked the exhibit that featured old shop signs and salvaged architectural decor from around the city. 

It was a warm day, and the museum was a little uncomfortable, so I only spent an hour or so here. Still, I would definitely recommend this place. There's a lot to see here and it's laid out well. I probably wouldn't recommend it for kids.

I was planning to meet H. in the late afternoon to visit the Centre Pompidou, but I still had a little time, so I wandered around a bit, taking photos. I then found a nice shady spot in a greenspace around the Tour Saint-Jacques. 

And at some point I bought these wacky cookies. They were good!

A little while later, H. met me there and we walked over to the Centre Pompidou. (€14 or less for adult tickets/ timed entries as of 2022.) This is a modern art museum and it's wild: 

Unfortunately, that red tubey thing on the outside of the building is NOT a giant slide, but a series of escalators, and even more unfortunately, at the time of our visit that tube was basically a sweltering greenhouse. (Read: NOT whimsical or fun.)

The museum itself was a little confusing. First we went to one floor, where they had a large modern art exhibit. We spent an hour or so looking around.

Then we tried going to an exhibit on the top floor, but when we got up there they said our tickets didn't include that one. 

We went to two exhibits on a lower floor, but one was meh and the other was creepy.

We attempted to visit an exhibit on the fourth floor, but there was literally nothing there, even though the museum map said something was there.

We also tried to find the children's museum room, but it didn't seem to exist either.

So we went to the gift shop.

The views from the top balconies of the Centre Pompidou were pretty cool...

A little before 8, we left the C.P. and walked over to the nearby LEGO Store. Google said it closed at 8:30, but we got there right after 8 and the employee at the door wouldn't let anyone else in! But because we still had another full day in Paris, we could always try again. We did take a few pictures of the window displays...

We returned to our hotel (probably stopping for some dinner first, as we often did) and called it a day.

Tomorrow: Versailles!

Things I learned today:

*Don't order any more coffee in cafes; the cups in Europe are made for dolls. Order tea -- it lasts longer!

My 2022 Global Adventure: Day 8 (Mickey! Macarons! Minifigs!)

 From the moment we started planning our trip to Paris, H. and I were continuously changing our itinerary. Should we visit this museum or that museum? This chateau or that one?

But one place we were SURE we wanted to go, no matter what....

Disneyland Paris is located about an hour outside the city, but you can get there easily by public transit.

We got there just before it opened. We had a tentative itinerary -- a list of things we both really wanted to ride, things with both kind of wanted to ride, etc. We also downloaded the Disneyland Paris app so we could keep an eye on the wait times.

We went to Phantom Manor first (the equivalent of the Haunted Mansion). It was fine, but nothing special.

We got some snacks, including this one...

 Throughout that warm day we also rode Pirates Of The Caribbean twice, the teacups twice, the Canal Boats, Alice's Curious Labyrinth (a walkthrough), and the Disneyland Railroad. 

We also did the walkthrough of the castle. This one is way more elaborate than the walkthrough in Dland California.

We  had reservations for the Plaza Gardens restaurant around 2:40pm. I'd had a tough time trying to figure out exactly what they served there beforehand. The app said one thing, the website said another... it was a mess. But the restaurant turned out to be your standard buffet, with plenty of options.

You walk in, pay, order a drink, then sit down. Then you go get your food. You can go back as many times as you want, but if you want more drinks, you have to pay for them. (The waiters will bring you a carafe of still water if you ask.)

Even though I didn't eat much (the whole buffet concept is so strange to me after 2.5 years of not having it) it was nice to spend an hour sitting in a cool environment.

We split up for a while in the afternoon. I explored Adventure Isle and went to a showing of Philharmagic. H. rode Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain.

I met Piglet's French cousin, Porcelet...

We left the park in the early evening, then made a stop at the LEGO Store in the next-door Disney Village. They had a Minifigure Maker, which is a machine that lets you customize a minifig torso and a 1x3 brick (the first of four we'd encounter on our trip!) 

As the sun set, we rode the train back to the city.

Tomorrow... another day in Paris!

Things I learned today:

*Need postage stamps in Disneyland Paris? Visit the Stroller Rental place near the entrance.

My 2022 Global Adventure: Day 7 (Montmartre! Eiffel Tower! Croissants!)

Day 7

H. and I started our first full day in Paris the most Parisian way we knew how: 

By buying croissants and enjoying them on the shores of Canal Saint-Martin.

We then traveled by metro to Montmartre. We climbed ever so many steps, and then -- finding our way blocked (they were filming a movie?) -- we trekked back down and took the funicular up to the top. (Funicular cost: one metro ticket, about €1.90.) Then we visited the Sacre-Coeur (cost: free.)

We also rode the merry-go-round, but it was kind of a dull ride.

After exploring Montmartre for an hour or so, we hopped back on the metro and took it south toward the Seine. We'd bought tickets online for the Batobus, a hop-on-hop-off boat thing. Unlike some hop-on means of transportation, there wasn't any narration or info. on board. You just floated. Still, for €17 (and 24 hours to use it), it is a nice method of transport that takes you to/past many of the major sights.

While waiting for the boat, we had fun watching a guy repairing/adjusting that clock. You could see him through the glass, and sometimes the clock hands would start rotating rapidly.

We rode the Batobus for a few stops, then disembarked. We walked to the Ile Saint-Louis, looking for two food places I'd marked from my Rick Steves guidebook. Since the guidebook was from a few years back, and lots has changed in the meantime, I was pleased to find the Cafe Med still in operation.

The crepes and the ambiance were both fantastic.

We ordered from the "menu," which for me included a savory crepe, a dessert crepe, and a glass of  cider.

After leaving the restaurant, we happened to spot this sign:

A LEGO exhibit, here in Paris? We took a photo and promised ourselves we'd look into it.

But first, some sorbet...

We walked around some more, then hopped back on the Batobus. We rode to the Eiffel Tower stop and got off again...

It was a warm day (one of many on our trip), and by about 4pm I was beat. We went back to our hotel and rested for a bit. While there, we googled that LEGO exhibit, and discovered it was within walking distance of our hotel! Okay, we had to go... so why not this evening?

Tickets to the exhibit were €10 apiece, and we both thought it was worth it. There was a very good "history" section featuring vintage LEGO sets and paraphernalia. The exhibit also featured MOCs, sculptures, and interactive elements. It was very colorful and well thought-out.

Galerie Joseph, 116 rue de Turenne, Paris

Things I learned today:

*If you see a souvenir you really want, buy it right then. Don't anticipate ever seeing it somewhere else. #noregrets

Tomorrow: Disneyland Paris!