Honeymoon in Paris Day 5: Farewell, 1st Arrondissement
Saturday, January 13, 2018Our fifth morning in Paris was a bit melancholy, for we have to bid adieu to 1st Arrondissement. We were flying to Dubrovnik in the afternoon and by the time we go back to Paris, we'd be staying at a different hotel and location. As always, Paris morning was as confused as ever, unsure if the cloudy skies would give way to Mr. Sunshine.
Instead of going to our usual boulangerie at Rivoli Cafe, we opted for McDonald’s at the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Rue de l’Échelle. Inside McDonald’s is McCafe, which was somehow packed with people in the morning. Queuing at the cashier took a long time because of the amount of people grabbing their breakfast before going to work. Plus the crew had to manage the cash register AND make coffee and hot chocolate herself, which took a tedious process far from the instant serving of hot beverage we're used to (talk about multi-tasking!). Nevertheless, it was worth the wait because by the time my husband got his order, he was given freshly baked croissants straight from the oven.
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| McCafe's freshly baked butter croissant plus pain au chocolat (husband's favorite) and hot beverages. In Paris, it's very common that the breads are served on top of a tissue and without a plate or a saucer. |
I loved the warmth inside McDonald’s that morning, but I disliked the weather outside. My hands were dry and they hurt so much due to extreme cold, despite slathering hand cream every 30 minutes or so. I placed my hands around the cup of hot chocolate and stared at our butter croissants and pain au chocolat, wondering if we can find the same quality of well-loved viennoiseries when we get to our next destination. We didn’t even pay much for our food (it was definitely less than €8 for the two of us) and this was one quality breakfast.
After staying about 1.5 hours there, we strolled a little bit around the area to pick up some last minute souvenirs. I always purchase ref magnets as I find them decorative and useful, too. We leisurely walked towards Site du Palais des Tuileries, as there were very few people who pass by in the early cold, fall-winter morning. My husband and I took as much photos as we can, for these memories are our own treasure that’s worth more than gold.
Some parts of the garden were closed due to restoration so we walked towards The Louvre Museum as we prepare to go back to our hotel. We’re very enthused to have picked the right day at the right time because the amount of people were very scarce. Also, my husband was in a good mood so he snapped many photos of me, even if I constantly annoy him to pose for the camera (which he didn’t like most of the time).
Our usual entrance and exit to and from The Louvre was via Colonnade de Perrault. As we crossed the street, we took one last look at Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois together with the religious sculpture and gargoyles popular in Gothic Architecture, as we leave our footprints at 1st Arrondissement.
My husband and I don’t have much. We don’t go on expensive restaurant dates that often in Manila... but just being with him and enjoying our time at the opposite side of the world – and in our honeymoon – makes me thank God multiple times for bringing me a wonderful and patient man a strong-willed (and demanding) woman can ever ask for.
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