New Year's Eve 2021

After a week of rain, we have finally seen blue sky the last couple of days. Kelly and Kate took Carter to the airport New Year's Eve morning. We were sad to see him return to New York City but he was needed at work. Kate and Luna will stay with us for a couple more weeks.

Kelly, Luna and Kate

Kate has been wanting to make potato leek soup so we loaded Luna in her bag and took the métro over to the marché at Place Monge near our 2018 apartment. We needed fresh leeks and potatoes and we even found fresh thyme at the marché. Luna loved all the new smells at the market. Dogs are allowed on the métro and the bus as long as they are inside a bag or some kind of carrier. Luna always gets smiles from the children on the métro. She is so quiet they usually don't notice her right away.

Luna blends in with her
black carry bag

Fromage and Dairy Stand

Marché Monge

We walked down the hill from the marché towards the Seine and our favorite Tour d'Argent Boulangerie. I love the pointy ends on their baguettes and their croissants and pains au chocolat are so light and airy. It was the perfect afternoon snack.

Boulanger de la Tour

Luna waiting for crumbs to fall

Ile Saint Louis

We wandered over the bridge to Ile Saint Louis and found some very old doors that we loved.

View of the Left Bank and the Panthéon from Ile Saint Louis

View of Hôtel de Ville

Panthéon 

Kelly and Luna were ready for home and the apartment but Kate and I wanted to keep walking on this warm sunny 60 degree December day. We walked them back to rue des Ecoles on the left bank to take the No. 86 bus home. 

Of course there was a line to get inside the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. And we also had to get a picture of Kelly's favorite landmark, the oldest tree in Paris (1601), that looks like it will fall over any day now.

Cute Side Street

Shakespeare and Company

Oldest Tree in Paris

The sun shining on the façade of Nôtre Dame made us almost forget it was undergoing major repairs.

Nôtre Dame

The bouquinistes were out along the Seine. Everyone was enjoying the blue sky and warm temperatures.

Bouquiniste Stall

We climbed up boulevard Saint Michel past the Sorbonne to a café by Luxemburg Gardens for a little late lunch.

La Sorbonne

Then we strolled down past Odéon back towards the Seine.

Cute Café

Kate at Odéon 

Everywhere people were eating outside and enjoying the sunshine.

Crossing the Seine to the Right Bank

Our last stop was the department store La Samaritaine. It was opened in 1870 by a couple who met working at the Bon Marché department store that we frequent often. La Samaritaine was revolutionary for its time, selling goods with a low profit margin, labeling items with prices and promoting daily sales that attracted crowds looking for the "deal of the day." It was the most successful department store in Paris with its prime location not far from the Louvre near the Seine. It eventually consisted of several art nouveau and art deco buildings. It's slogan was “On trouve tout à la Samaritaine” – “One can find everything at La Samaritaine.”

La Samaritaine 

However, by the 1970s, the department store was losing money. La Samaritaine was bought by LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate, in 2001. It upgraded the buildings but they failed to pass the fire safety code and had to close in 2005. After many setbacks, the department store reopened this year, along with other luxury goods retailers and a hotel in the complex of buildings. The last time I had been inside La Samaritaine was in 1980 when Kelly and I were students on study abroad. Every time we returned to Paris we had wondered if La Samaritaine would ever reopen. The store really was stunning.

View from lobby looking up
at escalators

View from the top floor 
of La Samaritaine

La Samaritaine Facade

Prada Display

We spent a quiet evening at the apartment resting our sore feet, but Kate and Kelly ventured out with Luna to take some pictures of the Eiffel Tower in blue for New Year's. What a dream to be able to spend Christmas and New Year's in Paris. We have been surprised at the number of tourists this week. We are hoping they all go home soon and we can enjoy a quieter Paris next week.

*Kate took her good camera on our adventures New Year's Eve and she deserves the credit for many of the photos included in this post. Merci Kate!