What a big, drag it out to death in the hot sun kind of day L&P had. We promised to walk their little fannies off and we did. They appreciated the frequent cafe stops and as usual, the bountiful sidewalk buffet.
First we hopped the M to Pont Neuf and hiked to St. Michaels and had some lunch at a sidewalk cafe where they took the order twice and lost the order three times. But they did bring L&P a very large bucket of water which they thought perhaps was a swimming pool. At least P did. L has a little more sense, but not much more. It was very warm in the sun. Yes, at last, some sun in Paris.
Voila, Fifi. No, not another dog. La chien is also a fifi. I cannot count the number of people who have called L&P - ooo la la, fifi. And here is the best part - fifi is for sure a poodle. On signs that prohibit dogs, the silhouette is a clipped poodle. So, L&P are now both bulldog Francais or Fifi the poodle. Take your pick.
L&P were very happy to find Pinceloup, the doggie stuff store. It is a very nice, small shop owned by a couple from Holland (I think) who have a small toy, real live Fifi. The store was charming and we purchased some exclusive to Pinceloup items, but no clothes. Every sweater or tee was made in the US. And they already looked pretty cool in their Jasper & Lenore b/w striped tees. Very Paris.
Next we wandered over to Notre-Dame so L&P could get a glimpse of the thing, and a good sniff, which was great fun for them. They also had a chance to visit the entrance to the Crypte where there are lots and lots of bones. Can you see how excited they were? We told them about the bones and they insisted no one would know they were chiens because they were wearing tee shirts. Could they not go on the tour, oh pretty please? Lots of "leave its" all around.
Notre-Dame is a wonderful piece of engineering, but as I've mentioned before, a bit creepy. L&P agreed and we left as quickly as we could lose the paparazzi who were stalking us again. As soon as L&P were ready for their Notre-Dame portraits, the cameras were whirring once again. Some small Italian children threw themselves into some of the photos and were asked to leave by the Spaniards. The Americans think L&P are French so they speak very loudly to us, and slowly and the use lots of gestures to help us understand. I cannot tell you how many hand signals they utilized unknowingly with their wild gestures, causing L&P to sit, stand, sit, down, stand and stay. No wonder L&P were exhausted.
We've begun to just smile and nod and do the salutations in French so that they tourists think we are from here (Who else would be carting around dogs in Paris? Not idiots from California certainly). And since the dogs don't speak a word of English, we can get away with it. Saves us from having to explain how you travel with dogs 55 times a day.
We took another M over to Rue Rivoli to venture to Le Louvre. Le Louvre was blocks and blocks from our stop because Dad chose the stop thinking another walk would be great fun. Rue Rivoli is a big big Rue apparently. At least L&P and Momo thought so. Finally, Le Louvre loomed large (which means it is off on the horizon somewhere not at all close). We got there only to discover that the only cool place was the passage to the court and the court was warm enough to fry an oeuf. L&P were unimpressed. They preferred the passage which smelled yet again like a zoo. What is it about that area?
It was time for another cafe stop and we found one in the shade and sat for another hour for coffee and water. It takes long time to do anything at a cafe. No one should go to a cafe or brasserie in Paris and be in a hurry. If you are, you won't like it. There were many tourists who sat and left before a waiter even ventured out to notice them because tourists often run out of patience. L&P enjoyed the stop because the sewer was wafting some of their favorite flavors - ou du pee and more ou de very old pee. With a little mix of zoo. I ask you, what is up with that part of Paris?
Finally, we visit the English book store that makes you cry when you check-out (not only are the books very full retail, but they are in Euros, so add in the George Bush tip for the EU from the US, and a book that costs 20E is now $26. And did I mention that a/c in Europe, and moreso in Paris is a guideline? Much like other things, traffic laws, health hazards like smoking, and tiny tiny toilet paper, a/c does not seem to be a priority. Maybe we will have some and maybe we won't. And we aren't telling! For example, you would think a museum like Le Louvre would utilize a/c to make sure the artwork is not subject to overheating. Oh heck, why bother. No one will notice. Or why a/c a store. We don't care if people shop here anyway. So sweat. Leave. We don't care. Our job is to be here from opening till we close. That is all. Thank you.
Thankfully the M is right there and we are deposited at the top of our street because we have started to learn to pay attention to the sorties. It is only every so often now that we walk half the city underground. Yes, indeed, you could spend days under there and never come up and still be looking for your Metro.
The minute we hit the door, L&P hit the water bowl and after that the couch. They were snoring inside 3 minutes. We had really messed up their nap schedule that day. However, before they slumbered, they asked Momo to rate the Cathedrale Notre-Dame a 6 because it smelled pretty darn good. The Crypte they wished to rate as a 3 because they were unable to get any of the bones. And Le Louvre they said should be a 5 because it was just a little bit over the top. And the bookstore does not even get a mention because it had not one thing for them. Pinceloup, the dog stuff store got a fabulous 9 because they scored some organic treats from Holland which were in a box that looked like a crayola crayon 64 set box (?). I swear. Fortunately, it didn't smell like crayons.
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