Paris: Getting To The 10th Arrondissement. Also Known As "Heaven."

The long walk (around 6km) took us a little over an hour. The streets of Paris are very busy, packed with pedestrians and motorized vehicles. Oh, and bicyclists (one of which almost hit me)! But eventually we found our way to the 10th arrondissement, and our long-sought destination...

It's name is Du Pain Et Des Idees ("Some Bread & Some Ideas"). It is a boulangerie (bakery), and we were there to have the "best croissants" in all of Paris.

We were quite pleased when walked into the little shop and were greeted by these beauties...

Chocolate croissants! So many delicate layers! There were other things nearby too, but these held my interest.

Bail preferred the simpler version...

Which she raved about afterwards. They looked equally gorgeous. But I had my heart set on one chocolate one.

Everywhere I looked on the counters, there were the most lovely pastries!

Bail had one of these little chaussons and said it was one of the best things she'd ever eaten in her life. And this is a woman who is very much an experienced foodie and knows her stuff. So you HAVE To believe her.

I noticed the a basket of various filled buns on the counter as well. And since I hadn't eaten anything yet, and I'd not only walked the 6km there but also hiked up the Eiffel Tower, I decided to get one of these as well.

While I would have loved to have had the one stuffed with BACON AND CHEESE, I went with the sundried tomato and goat cheese bun. I'd forgotten that I loved that combination of ingredients. They're perfect on pizza or pasta! (And add in some black olives too!)

After we'd procured our pastries, we crossed a little canal in the middle of the winding, crowded streets... And found what we had read to be one of the most amazing cafes to grab coffee...

It's called "Ten Belles" and it is teeny-tiny! But surprisingly, they made great use of the space with a lofted area for sitting, as well as outside. Bail ordered an espresso. And even though it was after 10am, I ordered a cappuccino...

Well worth the "hustle and bustle" it took to get us over there. The sugar and caffeine recharged us enough to get ready for the hustle to the train station to catch our train to Bordeaux. We only had about 40 minutes to criss-cross Paris to get there.  EEK!