Our second day in Paris my parents offered to watch Lizzie one afternoon so that JR, Ryan, Ker and I could hit some of the Paris sights, and so that my sweet girl could get some much needed extra rest. 

After strolling by the Notre Dame, we parted ways and began our trek to the Arc de Triomphe. I can’t remember whose idea it was but we decided we could easily walk to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs de Elysee. The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and we were not going to go underground to the metro with such beautiful weather. Plus we could hit a few other sights on our way there, right?   

 

Ryan checked his phone and determined we were about 3 miles away. Easy peasy, right? 
What we didn’t take into account is that there are very few straight streets in Paris. As we weaved through the center of Paris, three miles quickly became four and the Arc was nowhere in sight! 

I’m not complaining – there was plenty else to see – adorable bistros and cafes, impressive street performers, hidden squares and gardens. We strolled through the Royal Gardens and awed at the opera house before we rerouted our trek to another destination. What’s that saying about the journey being just as important (or interesting) as the end goal? Even though we didn’t spy the Arc on this outing, I wouldn’t change a thing about our walk.         

 

  

   

  

Our next destination was the Rodin Museum. The first Sunday of each month all museums in Paris are free. We wanted to check out the Rodin anyway, so getting in for free was just a bonus.

We expected long lines because of the gratis entrance but we waltzed right in without any wait. The museum is mostly a beautifully landscaped garden housing Rodin’s sculptures, including the famous Thinker and Gates of Hell.

Rodin actually commissioned the museum himself (so yeah, he was a pretty humble guy…) back in the early 1900s. The site used to be a school for girls run by nuns, but was shut down, turned into artists’ housing and studios, and then eventually abandoned. Rodin lived in the old school as he rose to fame and was able to buy and renovate the building and surrounding gardens.

I’m so glad he did. It’s a truly unique museum and with the beautiful gardens as background, Rodin’s work comes to life. Definitely a must see while in Paris!

 

          

  

   After the Rodin, we made our way back to our hotel to meet up with the rest of the crew. Lizzie had taken a three hour nap while we were away – woohoo!  We ended our day with a nice dinner near Place des Vosges by our hotel. A wonderful day in Paris!