Retour à Paris!

We flew from Bucharest to Paris to end our trip with a brief stop in the City of Light. Anne was thrilled to discover that nothing had changed, and she still felt like jumping up and down when she first hit the Parisian pavement.

We stayed at Hotel Abbatial Saint Germain, a sweet little family-run hotel that reminded us of places we'd stayed at years ago when we first started traveling together. Best of all, our hotel was near Notre Dame, which was important because our primary goal was to get inside the newly reopened cathedral.

We arrived on a Thursday, which is the one day the cathedral is open until 10:00 p.m. We headed straight over about 7:30 p.m., hoping to get in, but knowing we could make a second try the next day. And if nothing else, we could see the outside.

We were surprised to see how much of the back of the cathedral was still under construction even though the front was restored to its original magnificence.

But the biggest surprise was that we were able to walk right in (after we negotiated the lengthy winding queue line, which seemed to go on for a mile even though no one was in it). 

The inside was simply stunning. The last time we were here the inside was dark and a bit gloomy, but freshly cleaned, the nave positively glowed!

And the stained glass sparkled as if it had been made yesterday. What a remarkable achievement!

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With Notre Dame checked off our list, we had a day to do what we enjoy most: wander this incredible city. We started our day by stocking up at a Parisienne boulangerie (bakery) near our hotel and a small grocery with beautiful-looking fresh fruit. 

Then, we walked over to Ile Saint-Louis to eat our goodies in a small park by the Seine. We'd forgotten how delicious real Parisian croissants tasted! And just how gorgeous the Seine is.

We spent the day wandering the small island, doing some souvenir shopping (yes, Anne found a bookmark!), eating lunch at a typical French cafe, and eating famous Berthillon ice cream for dessert. Perfect!

We ended our trip with a memorable night with friends Eric and Helene, a couple we first met in a French B & B in 2006. We'd stayed in touch and visited over the years but hadn't seen them in over a decade, so it was a happy reunion! We ate at Bistro des Lettres, a cute little place near our hotel.  

Bistro des Lettres earned its name by offering us envelopes and stationery to write letters to ourselves--which they will mail in one year. Can't wait for the wonderful surprise of receiving our letters in June of 2026!