On our first excursion in Paris, one of the most noticeable skyline features across the river from the Bateau Mouches pier was this spire, one that I did not recognize from any of our guidebooks:It turns out to belong to the American Church in Paris, a congregation that originated in 1814. The church is American in its origins and style of worship, but counts 40-50 nationalities among its membership. Even though it's vacation time in Paris, the sanctuary was packed. And why not? With this kind of beauty around you, music from a grand organ, and a worship service that "feels like home", it offered a nice respite from the rigors of seeing this great city.
And rigors there are. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it--window-licking (window shopping), that is. Our bus stop across the river from the church is at the end of Avenue Montaigne. I suppose if I had planned ahead, I could have found another bus stop, but I have a highly developed sense of self-preservation. Can you imagine if Anita had found out later where we were and not taken a few extra minutes to check out this neighborhood? We started by looking for a lunch spot. Awnings are usually a good clue, as they often provide shade for the terrace tables. These awnings happened to belong to the Plaza Athénée hotel. Yes, they offered a lovely lunch in a lovely inner garden. No, we didn't eat here.
Crossing the street and heading back to the bus stop took us past a few little shops with names I recognized.
So even an illiterate engineer is likely to recognize "Prada" and "Armani" as names from the world of high fashion, but "Paul and Joe"?? These guys have the prime spot right at the entrance of Rue Montaigne with a lovely garden to welcome you in from the noise of the street.
And you've seen high fashion photos, yes? Thin-as-a-rail models wearing clothes that keep the international economy alive and well? Those pictures might well come from the street corner right in front of Paul and Joe's--I have proof:
Today was a short day, as sight-seeing days go. This is going to be an action-packed week, so we took the rest of the day off. Oh, except for one thing. Remember that brocante we discovered yesterday in front of our apartment? It took us only 35 minutes to traverse the quarter mile from our lunch stop to the apartment. I think Anita must be losing her touch.
