Chapter 3-The Little American Jumps On The City Tour Bus

Bonjour! I just got in trouble for sticking my head and hands over the rail. Anyway, this morning Daddy & Papa thought I would enjoy riding the double decker hop on and off tour bus around the city. We will hop off at the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and then walk through the Les Marais district which is their favorite area on the right bank of the Seine. Then, we wills stop for lunch at the Place Des Vosges.

Onward, our bus heads through the Place de Concorde toward the Rue Royale.

Here, we passed the Les Invalides. This building was ordered built by King Louis XIV in the late 1600s and is still used to house and provide medical care for retired and injured French soldiers.

A very famous French soldier named Napolean Bonaparte's tomb is in this building. We are going to see the inside later this week.

Pardon moi monsieur? Can you believe Papa just told me we still have several blocks to go until the next bus stop? I hope someone is prepared to carry me for some of those blocks.


Yes, I'm actually in front of the Notre Dame cathedral which, beside its historical significance, is the back drop for Esmerelda and the Hunchback!

This colorful and whimsical 2 story carousel was in front of the Hotel De Ville which Daddy says really isn't a hotel. It's actually where the mayor of Paris works. Well, I just had to jump on the carousel when I saw this horse that reminded me of my favorite story book," Little Black, a Pony". I know George & Sheep would have loved this ride. Daddy refuses to let me bring Sheep along because he says Sheep is too dirty and doesn't coordinate with my outfit. However, I am allowed to bring George so long as I don't make Daddy or Papa carry him the entire time.

We arrived at the Place Des Voges which is one of Papa's favorite sites in Paris. It reminds him of his first trip to Paris when he and Daddy stumbled upon it by accident while just strolling around. The buildings look nice but all seemed the same to me. Papa told me they were made to look the same on purpose and used to be the homes of the aristocrats which are usually rich and important people. I really really liked the park in the center which had a playground. There were even kids playing kick ball. I wanted to join in the fun but my parents said we would go but only after we had lunch.

Oh please oh please hurry up and bring my pomme frittes so I can finish them and play with the kids at the park.

After lunch, we went to the park as promised, I couldn't believe that even the French pigeons look just like the ones in America. I'm discovering that we have quite a few of the same things back home as they have in France. Well, I just had to get a closer look to make sure....come here little pigeon come!

As I continued to chase the little pigeon back and forth around the lawn, a couple of French ladies with upset looks were waving at me to come toward them. I wasn't sure what they wanted so I kept chasing the little pigeon.


Oh yay! The kids were still playing kick ball. One of them came over and started speaking French to me. Neither Daddy or I understood him but Daddy suspected that the young man was asking me if I wanted to join them. I was so happy to be asked to play.

It was great fun. The kids were so nice to me and made me feel welcome.

Even though I was smaller and younger, they played with me. They were nicer than the big kids at my play ground back home.

After kick ball, we strolled through the Marais district. It was crowed, but I had Papa's hand to help me through the crowd.

Daddy says the Le Marais area is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Paris.

Many of the streets in this neighborhood are very narrow with cobblestone allowing only a single vehicle to move through cautiously. Les Marais was not part of Paris' urban redevelopment in the 19th century, which explains the narrow the tight spaces.


Papa and Daddy were reminiscing about how much fun they had in this building when they visited in the past. They both looked at each other then looked at me and started getting all mushy telling me how much they love me and how I am so worth missing out on whatever it was they were doing in this place.


This hotel is the place where Daddy and Papa stayed on their very first trip to Paris. They really like this hotel because its right in the heart of the Marais district.

We stumbled upon this kid's clothing boutique and Papa wanted to look around at the "Soldes" which is the French word for Sales. I went in to join him in looking around.

Bonjour petite mannequin. Nice necklace.

But I think it will look better on the little American.

We're finally back in our neighborhood, next to the Eiffel tower behind me. We went up the tower earlier but I was little scared when looking down. I made Daddy stay with me away from the edge. The day was coming to an end so we went back to apartment for a bath and dinner.

After my fun filled day on the streets of Paris, I retired to my bedroom to read my favorite book by Walter Farley. It is all about Little Black, who is the pony I thought about on the carousel. Papa is so proud that I love this story because this actual book was his when he was a child. Grammy saved all his toys, clothes and books. Daddy loves when I wear Papa's clothes because they were all handmade by my great grandma. My only complaint is that their made with really itchy wool.
Bonne nuit à partir de la jeune Américaine