Today we decided to hit up an out-of-the-way part of Paris, so as to free up some of our busy schedule next week. Before we could do that, however, we had to have some breakfast. I grabbed a few things from nearby shops.

From Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses, I picked up a lemon meringue eclair, a coffee eclair, and a baguette montmartroise, which as far as I can tell, is a house specialty, and not a known style of baguette. From Butte Fromagère, I found a pasteurized A Fileta cheese, and from the grocery store, some fruits and veggies. Not a bad way to start the day.

After breakfast… or lunch, however you want to call it… we took the metro to Port Dauphine on the western edge of the city. It was another sunny day, after, all, so why not enjoy some time at another park?

From the metro stop, we ventured out to Bois de Boulogne, the second largest park in Paris. It is about two and half times larger than central park, but much more sparse. The park itself is lined with dirt paths and an occasional road or two. It is a much wilder space than any other city space we have been to thus far.

The woods has served many functions over the years, notably a hunting space, a military encampment, and a racetrack for horses. To me, by far the most interesting, is that it is the site of the first manned, free (not tethered to the ground) flight- A hot air balloon in 1783. I didn’t see this commemorated anywhere nearby, but it certainly is a big deal in my book.

The park had a lovely pond, and what would have likely been a number of beautiful gardens, had it not been January. From there, we walked through a neighborhood full of embassies to the Musée Marmottan Monet, snapping a selfie at the site of the balloon flight before we entered.

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The Musée Marmottan Monet has a focused collection, not nearly as big as some places we’d been to, but definitely worth the time, money, and effort to get there. They house a large collection of early impressionist paintings, including Monet’s Impression, Sunrise credited for the name of the Impressionist movement, as well as number of Monet’s Water Lilies.

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After the museum, we headed back home, stopping at a nearby Croque Monsieur place, for some tasty sandwiches and french fries!