Dave and Teneille's Excellent Adventure

WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK

A bit of a lazy start to Monday because it was a free day so I let Teneille sleep while I ducked out to the boulangerie to grab breakfast solo. I ordered everything in French and the staff didn't even need to break into English for me - proud moment. We phoned home to say hi to the childrens, tidied up the apartment a little and did a load of washing before organising our day - hence the name of today's blog.

A model shoot in the street below our balcony.

We decided we'd make the 3km walk up to Sacré-Cœur basilica but take our time doing so given we wanted to relax a little today. As we were meandering through the streets we forgot all about Sacré-Cœur because sacré bleu! We stumbled upon the museum of chocolate.

All you can eat!!!

Of course we went in and more fool them because included in the ticket price was as much chocolate as you can eat. Seriously. Throughout the museum, which tells the history of chocolate production since Aztec and Mayan times, there are little chocolate dispensers where you help yourself. The only rule: Don't fill your pockets or your bags. No problem! I think I scoffed half their stocks. It was awesome. The museum also had a giant chocolate Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. There was a chocolate demonstration as well. We finished with two hot chocolates. Staff essentially give you a cup of hot milk and you choose one of six flavours so they can give you a block of chocolate on a stick that you mix in your milk until it melts.

The Arc de Chocolat.

Teneille sorting out her hot chocolate.

With our bellies full of chocolate we continued our trek towards Sacré-Cœur. It was here we had our first run in with the string men. These are people who essentially block entrance to the steps up the hill and try to tie little bits of string onto your wrist, then charge you for it. And when I say string I mean shitty pieces of string. They are very forceful. When we tried to walk through I actually had one man repeatedly say hello to me then tell me I was being disrespectful for not conversing with him all the while he had his hand on my chest in a bid to stop me walking away. I was close to telling him if he didn't let me go I'd seat him on his arse. Teneille would have decked him if she'd known but was too busy fending off her own string men to realise what was happening with me.

The string men blocking the path leading up the hill.

Once through that ridiculousness we made our way to the top of the hill to see Sacré-Cœur. It is quite a lovely church. I would put it on par with Notre Dame in terms of splendour although where Notre Dame is better at stained-glass windows Sacré-Cœur is better at mosaic tableaux. I lit a candle for Nanny at Sacré-Cœur like I did at Notre Dame last week before we climbed into the dome for a view. We had been considering visiting the ugly Montparnasse tower to get a decent view of Paris that included the Eiffel Tower but don't need to do that now. Sacré-Cœur sufficed beautifully.

Sacré-Cœur is high on a hill overlooking Paris so as to be closer to God.

Lighting a candle for Nanny.

Once we'd exited the basilica Teneille bought a packaged ham and cheese baguette from a souvenir shop to eat on the hill while we watched the string men harass passers-by. The baguette was a mistake. Teneille said it was like something from Australia. We eventually packed up and began heading home with a small detour to the Louvre so Teneille could buy a jacket we'd seen at a shop along Rue de Pyramides the day before. It was here she ran into one of the teachers from her school. Seriously. Two teachers from Bradbury Public School running into each other in central Paris.

The view from the dome.

Sacré-Cœur selfie.

After purchasing the jacket we headed to the restaurant we had decided to eat at that night. We had French onion soup for entree which in France is just onion soup. I had the moules et frites (mussels and fries) while Teneille had steak that was actually cooked. All of it was delicious. Our waiter was lovely and tolerated our attempts at French. I asked for the bill in French at the end of our meal and he applauded me.

We're back at the apartment now where I'm researching how to get to Disneyland tomorrow. Teneille is running around in a cloak she bought that looks like the one Belle wears in Beauty and the Beast. She's either singing songs from the movie or saying she never wants to wear anything else ever again.

Teneille looking tres Belle.

We walked 8km today, 5km yesterday and 4km on Teneille's birthday. That brings our total so far to 52.5km.