Saint-Germain en Laye

There are many small day trips you can take from Paris, including some really cute towns in the suburbs of the city. Today we took the train about a 45 minute ride outside of Paris to a place called Saint-Germain en Laye. With its elegantly tree-lined streets, terrace cafes and the Chateau Fort, it is one of the more wealthy suburbs of Paris and the town where Louis XIV was born.

One thing that you instantly notice when you leave the city centre is how approachable and friendly the locals are. Parisians are known to be quite stuck-up and rude, but I think that only really applied to Parisians who grew up in the heart of the city and who have never left. Besides that exception, I find Parisians warm and welcoming.

We arrived in Saint-Germain en Laye at around noon after a nice breakfast at Cafe Francaise in Paris. The streets of Saint-Germain en Laye are filled with old French style buildings, cobblestones and people who say 'Bonjour!' to you as you walk by. We took a nice strole along the gardens where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Paris and got in some exercise for the day and then checked out the archeological museum before getting our afternoon tea at the local teahouse.

We then made our way back into the city in time to buy our train tickets to Brussels for Monday. We ended the day showing dad around the bustling streets of Bastille on a Saturday night and making us a mom salad with steamed salmon. Mark and I are now on his couch watching the Jungle Book streamed off of YouTube and eating gelato. Mmmm Mmmm! :D

Tomorrow we have plans to go to Montmartre to get dad to try some macaroons and bring him to the Sacre Coeur where Mark and I often frequent on Sunday afternoons. That's it for today - check back next week for updates on our trip to Brussels and the Netherlands!

xoxo

Alexis