Dog Trots Globe - To Paris & Provence by Sheron Long

Maybe she was a little jet-lagged, but not too tired to make one last stop at the Pont des Arts, where we bought a red lock with a heart and affixed it to the fence. And today, on her first day out in Paris, when we dillydallied over coffee, Chula caught some z’s.

She developed excellent under-the-table manners. A dreaded NO DOGS sign, like those at the museums, the metro and most other parks, blocked her way.Ī typical NO DOGS sign-this one even excludes dogs on a leash.Īt bistros, though, Chula was always welcome! She positioned herself to catch bits of crunchy French bread. She couldn’t stray into the gardens, however. (That’s when she realized the French have the right respect for dogs.) She liked getting her nose wet in these fountains, but they were just a quick stop to the real action at the north end of the Tuileries. Chula had never seen water bowls as big and fancy as the ones there. Once across, we took a dogleg right to Place de la Concorde. View over the shoulder of the nymph in the middle of Pont Alexandre. I knew Chula would love to prance across the Seine! And she did, pausing by the nymphs to stand on her hind legs and have a looooong look down the Seine. This magnificent bridge, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower were finished in 1889 for the Paris World Exposition.

With its Art Nouveau design, it leads in style to the glass-roofed Grand Palais. Of the 37 bridges that cross the Seine in Paris, the Pont Alexandre, named after the czar of Russia, is my favorite. Good thing Chula’s cute (her name means “pretty” in Spanish), and that day she was cute enough to charm the driver of the first taxi. The metro doesn’t allow dogs of Chula’s size, and only one in every three taxis (our estimate) is willing to take them. Getting around is always a trick when you travel with a dog in Paris. She was out! From there, the three of us headed to rue de Rivoli for a cab.

Soon we were all settled into an atmospheric apartment rental in the Marais.įor Chula, it began with a wobbly walk on cobblestones through the courtyard of our apartment and a big jump to get over the bar that frames the heavy doors to the street. We know-we were there at Charles de Gaulle to open her cage and see her twirl around. A sheltie by birth and a Frenchie by choice, she flew 11 hours from Carmel Valley, California (between a rottweiler and a standard poodle), to land in the City of Light. Chula Wula D’Augue has her fair share of savoir faire.

Dog Trots Globe - To Paris & Provence by Sheron Long