Paris by the riverside

Looking at the map: “well, we are here, we want to go there, it’s 3 little squares… it’s fine to walk!” And after walking by the Seine river for 2hours with a few stops for photographs, we understand that every little square is equivalent to 2km!

I lost count on how many bridges we passed, but the following one is special: it’s a footbridge, it is not the famous Pont des Arts – known for the lovers padlocks. It is the Passerelle Solférino, which also has some padlocks. Lovers come here to lock their padlock and throw the key in the river as a symbol of eternal love. One looking-old padlock has written: Sophie & Peter 13/4/2003. How romantic!!!

Already on the other side of the river, we pass a group of young people. They are students of an arts school, seated with a notebook and a pencil in their hands. Their eyes explore the details of the riverside and the teacher walks behind them supervising their draws, correcting their look, their posture…

Further down we start to distinguish the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral. We cross the road, we stop briefly to listen to a violinist playing elegantly, he is very good! I look for some change that in a hurry fell onto my pocket, the coins collide with the others in his violin case and I get back a beautiful smile…

2 minutes later we are in front of the famous cathedral, it is exactly like I remember from the movie. There is loads of people here, but my eyes are caught by this old lady teaching a little girl how to feed the birds, happily flying around them.

It looks fun! So I decide to do the same! I reach for a biscuit I had in my bag, and straight up my arm, copying the old lady, but nothing happens.

When I was about to give up, I feel a firm hand holding my arm and replace the biscuit by dry bread, when I look to check who is this person, it’s the old lady! Without saying a word, she smiles and straights my arm up to the sky. The birds went mad around me, euphorically flying back and forwards to pick up some bread!!