Our apartment on Rue de Babylone is directly above a very popular patisserie, and the smell of baked goods has woken me up the past two mornings. This is a truly lovely part of my day – until I remember that I am gluten intolerant and can’t actually eat anything they are cooking in that shop.

Instead, Sarah made me toast with banana just after noon this morning (this afternoon?), after I had already worked for several hours in bed. Whilst Skyping with my boyfriend in Melbourne (and his best mate in Brazil – seriously, how cool is Skype!?) it really was amazing to realize four things – it was Tuesday, after midday, I was still in bed AND I WAS IN PARIS.

At 8am in Brazil, noon in Paris and 10pm in Melbourne, I loved being able to realize just how brilliant life – and technology – can be. And with that, Sarah and I started our day in Paris by grabbing coffee from the café across the road and heading off for another afternoon of shopping.

Our first trip on the Metro and we thrilled ourselves with our ability to purchase tickets with ease… unlike Melbourne’s Myki ;)… and change trains on the epic network of tunnels that make up Paris’ public transport system. Our destination was the Champs-Élysées, a shopping mecca and the home of the Arc de Triomphe.

We arrived around 2pm, walking through the park and the intersection with the Ferris Wheel to begin our afternoon shopping adventures. Within five minutes we were walking coat and scarf-less – four degrees in Paris is apparently quite warm when you are really putting your back into it. Ultimately? Shopping is hard work!!

With purchases at H&M, Promod and Sephora, we continued on to take in the sunset at the Arc de Triomph before joining the peak hour commute back to our apartment.

After last nights dinner of wine, cheese and crackers (I LOVE Paris!), we are heading out tonight for something more substantial. My jetlag has finally worn off and I’m ready to really give Paris my all. Au revoir pour l’instant!