Day two in Paris (you can find day one here) was spent checking out the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars, Alexander III bridge, walking the Île de la Cité where Notre-Dame and Sainte Chapelle are located, and finally wandering through the Latin Quarter and St Germain to take in all the charm, eat all the things we could, and pick up some gifts for our family back home. From start to finish, we basically made a big circle since our hotel was in the 7th Arrondissement near the Eiffel Tower, and enjoyed a whole lot of what the city has to offer. We packed a lot in to this day, walking around seven or eight miles total, but highly recommend this itinerary if you want to see a lot and only have one day in the city.
Day 2 Itenerary: Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, St Germain (7th, 4th, 5th & 6th Arrondissements.)
It was very rainy and dreary for the first half of our day, so it felt perfectly acceptable to pop into a cozy cafe often as possible to grab our favorites: pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant), baguette with jam, espresso (Troy), and café crème (me). Believe me when I say, the breads were the best food part of our trip…
We walked to the Alexander III bridge on our way to Île de la Cité and it was so grand to see in person! I couldn’t get over all of the exuberant details… or the many fashion models and brides/couples who were having their photos taken there! It’s quite the attraction, and every bit worth it to see in person.
Before our trip, we made lunch reservations near St. Chapelle at Le Deux Palais. We arrived early and sat on the terrace facing the street which made for the best people watching. It was the best little spot to keep warm and dry as we enjoyed our charcuterie, salad, and a chicken dish, which were absolutely delicious. Our waiter may have been my favorite part though. He was so kind and really made our experience special. Side note: I love that Parisians do not rush their meals. They prefer to relax and enjoy the experience, so just know that you will never ever feel rushed to eat and move on. We indulged that mentality here for sure, and after over an hour and a half, we finally strolled to Notre Dame just in time for the sun to come out. 
When we left Notre-Dame, the sun had peeked through the clouds and it seemed like a good idea to walk across Pont Saint-Louis to grab ice cream at Berthillon, another food spot on my must-do list. They have a tea room and ice cream parlor next door to the walk-up area if you want to sit down for a bit, but because it turned in to such a nice day, the sit-down area was very crowded. Thankfully, the to-go line was quite short and we took our little cones of mint and strawberry ice cream to enjoy along the Seine. Perfection.
We walked back over Pont Saint-Louis to see Notre-Dame from the Seine before making our way toward St Germain. I was very excited about this area of Paris, known for its lively history, many romantic, cozy bars and restaurants, and quaint shops along the winding cobblestone streets. It’s what you think of when you imagine “old Paris”.
Because of all the walking (and all the snacking!) we opted to skip a formal dinner and just grab picnic-style items from a few of the many wonderful shoppes throughout St Germain and bring them back to our hotel so we could relax and watch the sparkling Eiffel Tower from our room. It was easy to find a fromagerie (cheese shoppe) to purchase a few fresh cheeses and meats, and this one had the nicest shoppe owner who kindly helped us select a brie, a roquefort, and a buttery comté cheese — hands down our favorite. A boulangerie was conveniently located just across the street, so we purchased a fresh baguette too and returned to the hotel to rest before another fun day in Paris!
**I received a lot of questions after my last Paris post regarding photography and which camera I brought, etc. Most of the images taken this day were with my DSLR (5D Mark iv) though a few were with my mirrorless Olympus OM-D (mostly the ones at the Eiffel Tower). I had a larger bag with protective insert with me for this day so it was easy to carry both. How do I capture fun images from our time there while still being present and enjoying the experience? Intentionality. I pace myself, and I “pick my battles” when it comes to preserving moments because I don’t have to photograph everything. I can’t. So I grab my camera and snap images when I see something that really inspires me, but I intentionally leave it tucked in my bag when I want to hold hands with my hubby and simply live in the moment. Sounds easy, right??? 🙂
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