Any Monday that you wake up, find yourself in Paris on a beautiful fall morning, find you don’t have to go to work, and there’s one of Paris’ best patisseries at the foot of your apartment building, it is a great day. And it was!

After stuffing ourselves with all-too-many pastries from downstairs, we walked it off by starting at the Arc de Triomphe and walking down along the Champs-Elysée to the Place de la Concorde then through the Tuileries to the Louvre. It was a perfect day for a long walk through the city and its public spaces.

In the evening, after an afternoon nap (this is vacation, after all), we ventured out to the east a bit to visit the Marais District, site of the restaurant we had chosen for this evening. A crisp fall evening seemed like the perfect night for fondue … one of our favorite dishes. The restaurant’s name, Pain, Vin, Fromages (or Bread, Wine, Cheeses in English) says it all. It was some of the best, if not the best, fondue we’ve ever had and the funky wine cave below ground where we ate our meal added to the overall enjoyment.

Loaded up with pain, vin, et frommages, we walked a bit through the Marais, out to Île Saint-Louis and then across a small bridge to Île de la Cité. We reflected on what a great day it was and how fortunate we are to be here.

The photos below can be clicked on individually and made larger with descriptions …

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And here’s a short video we shot tonight on Île Saint-Louis …