Paris: Day 2

       Today I had the luxury of sleeping in until 10 AM (yes I did sleep for 13 hours straight).  My mom and I then decided to have some girl time and go shopping.  Our first stop was Galleries Lafayette.  Think of the largest department store you know and then double it and you will have an idea of the size of this.  It is actually located in three different buildings, divided up between departments.  We couldn’t have visited at a better time as all of the Christmas decorations are up and the Windows are decked out.  We had so much fun wandering through the whole store.  My favorite section was probably the wedding dresses, or shoe department (it is an entire floor).  It was also fun because the very top level had an outside balcony with a view of the whole city.  The building itself was gorgeous and is centered around a beautiful gold dome.  Our next stop was Ah Printemps, another beautiful department store. Their Christmas decorations were centered on these huge Matruskahs (stacking dolls) made by Channel.  

Inside Galleries Lafayette

Hello Kitty

Top floor of Galleries Lafayette

Channel Matruskahs

       After shopping for a while, we decided to go pull my Dad away from his book.  When we found him, he was just 10 pages away from finishing his 500-page book… that he started this trip.  Now I know where I get my love and determination for reading.  The three of us then headed to lunch at a restaurant called Café Le Bosquet.  We each enjoyed a really yummy bowl of French Onion Soup (seemed fitting) and sandwiches.  It rained while we were eating, but luckily it cleared up by the time we were finished.  We then walked to Bon Marche.  This was the very first department store in Paris and is similar to Harrods in that is has just about everything.  My mom and I were both happy to find some beautiful stationary and my Dad was happy to find a chair.  Our next stop within the store was the food hall.  There were all sorts of samples from juice to chocolate and my mom made a few good purchases.  We then jumped on the Metro to head back to the hotel.  We did make one last stop at a little grocery store to buy some fruit and our favorite peach juice.  Once back to the hotel, my Dad and I went and worked out in the Fitness center.  I must say that he may be getting old, but is in great shape.  He did agree with M.C. about me learning how to do push-ups.  I ended the night snuggling with my parents (like the good old days) and watching The Italian Job.  

John's Signature Pose

So tired!