Paris Bucket List - Our First Day

We finally made it to Paris! We were in our rental apartment and jet lag had not hit us yet. We were too excited to be in Paris, France to worry about sleep or lack of! We had a full itinerary and we planned to do everything on it. We checked the apartment. It looked just like the photos that we reviewed beforehand. There were a few glitches like chipped paint and half a shower curtain. However, we were in Paris to enjoy ourselves. The apartment was good enough to shower, sleep and keep it moving!

First on the itinerary was to go to the grocery store. We had decided before leaving the US that we would cook a few meals to save money for shopping. We strolled to the nearest market. It was small and nothing like the huge supermarkets in the United States that contained many aisles. It was like a Ma and Pa corner store. I loved it! We decided on the items to purchase and split the cost. We had bought seasoning with us. Yeah. I know. Who does that? However, it was cheaper to do so. We purchased chicken, ham, eggs and a few other items. We each had a bag and we headed back to the apartment. 

Along the way, we window shopped. One of the ladies saw a beautiful necklace that she wanted. There were purses, jackets, shoes, clothes and other items that we were interested in seeing again. We were staying in the 4th Arrondissement. It is a lively area with bars, restaurants and plenty of shops. We were loving every minute of it!

We dropped the food off at the apartment. We headed out again! It was my plan to learn French before arriving in Paris. Time and my own procrastination did not allow. However, the French were more than friendly. Many of them knew some English and I recalled all of the Do’s and Don’ts of the proper tourist’s behavior.

We walked in and out of stores in total delight! The bakery had the most delicious items. I knew that my sweet tooth would go into overdrive! The baked goods were the best that I had in a long time. 

We found the Church of Saint Merri by accident. It was a small but gothic church, based on Europe’s description, with large statues. Inside, I sat down and sewed a piece of material to the community quilt. The giant quilt, after completion, was going to be sent to a church in Korea. The purpose of the church was to demonstrate community throughout the world. We were having a marvelous time!

Next: The days on our Itinerary!