This year our France trip will focus on Paris, sort of a reduced-scale version of our first trip in 2013 when we stayed four weeks. This will be a stay of only ten days because we have our adolescent granddaughter with us. She will not figure in our blog, but she will provide new eyes for us to see Paris as we have never seen it before. So, as the French say to get things going, c’est parti!

Day One is always a short day from the point of view of the blogger or journaller, because half or more of it is spent on an airplane getting there. But get there we did. We are housed in an apartment on Rue Saints Peres at the boundary of the 6th and 7th arrondissements, about 100 feet from the intersection with Boulevard St. Germain, Anita’s dream street. She feels good being only a short walk to the Ralph Lauren store. We both feel good about being next door to food. Saint Pearl is a tiny cafe just next door to our apartment, and on the other side of that is a bakery. What’s not to like?

We tried lunch at Saint Pearl today and were not disappointed. Following our granddaughter’s lead I had a dish of pancake (no, not a crepe), eggs, bacon, and asparagus. I could do that again.

We’ll check out the baker for breakfast tomorrow.

After our late lunch, we headed down to Notre Dame to see for ourselves how it was faring. Like many of you we were pained this past Holy Week to watch the near destruction of this awe-inspiring symbol. I know it’s still very fragile, but seeing its towers still standing guard over the city was somehow very reassuring to me.

In the shadow of Notre Dame across the river is a little park hosting the oldest tree in Paris. It is a “false acacia” but called a Robinier, after M. Jean Robin who introduced the strain to France in 1601. This one still stands, even if a little propping up is required. It is listed among the 200 or so “Remarkable Trees of France.” Of course it is: any living organism that outlives so many wars, revolutions, and constitutions is indeed remarkable.

So we’re here and our seventh visit to France is off to a grand start. Tomorrow we’ll capitalize on the transportation system to see some of the iconic sites in the City of Light.