Mr. President? Are you home?

It's embassy visiting season. We enjoy going up to Paris anyways so we headed out for another 2-for-1 trip during the long weekend. Of course, you might have ended up hearing about us on the news had I not caught on to the fact that Big Sister picked this embassy trip to stash a pair of scissors in her shirt (!) for crafting projects on the train . . . I wish I had a picture of the security guard's face.

I'm posting a few pictures of our day there and while I know that that is sometimes the modern-day equivalent of pulling out a box of slides . . . enjoy!

Gare d'Austerlitz

Once there you have to cross the Seine in order to get to the Tuileries gardens and to the Champs Elysées neighborhood.

This crew set up shop just in front of the garden entrance.

The gardens, with the Louvre on one end at Place de la Concorde on the other, are the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. There is a park for the children and the middle alley is strewn with little café shacks. Order "to-go" and you'll instantly save 25% over the sit-down price.

 

The gardens (on the left) run along the famous rue de Rivoli. As you walk along the arcaded gallery you'll find an eclectic mix of luxury stores and hotels and kitchy tourist fare. The famous Angelina tea room is here as are two English language bookstores- W.H. Smith and Galignani. The latter is one of the oldest bookstores in Europe.

Just at the end of the road, under the trees, you enter a residential area which houses a few theaters, this serious stamp-collecting market and also  . . .

The president's house. Seriously, you can walk past this gate and never notice you've just walked in front of the presidential abode. Understated chic?

The most beautiful avenue in the world is also home to the Disney store. I was happy to find very courteous cashiers despite the hot weather and masses of people.

Finally, this is what it really looks like to walk down the "Champs" as one friend lovingly calls it.