A Day and a Bit in Paris

After checking in to the hotel and having plenty of daylight left, we set off in the direction of the Jardin de Luxembourg. The gates were still open so we had a stroll through these magnificent gardens.These are now the gardens of the French Senate who meet in the Luxembourg Palace.

Our hotel was situated in an area surrounded by restaurants and cafes. Most did open until 7:30pm so we were looking forward to a meal. There was a whole block of cafes and bars across the street so we picked an Italian one for dinner. Helen ordered a main meal and I ordered an entrée and main. We were served Helen's main and my entrée and things ground to a halt. You guessed it. They had forgotten about my main. By this time the place was crowded and I was last on the list, or so it felt.

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After finishing our meal, it was off to bed to tackle Paris the next day.

We decided that we would visit the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and Notre Dame Cathedral as we had missed these two attractions during our previous visit to Paris. As walking was out of the question, we would utilise the "hop-on-hop-off" bus. This would also allow us to re-visit the sights we had previously seen.

The stop for the bus was within walking distance of the hotel. Finding the position of the stop was not as easy as we thought.  As the Boulevard  St Gremain is one way, the bus stop is on the opposite side of the road to which we are accustomed. We found the correct street number, then the small sign indicating the bus stop and caught and purchased our ticket on the next bus.

To get on the bus that went past Sacré-Coeur we had to change buses twice. This went smoothly but took a while. As we approached the stop for the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, the commentary indicated that there was a funicular cable railway from the rue Foyatier to the Basilica. From the bus stop we walked up Re du Steinkerque. On the way to the cable railway, Helen was "trapped" by a bloke "from Nigera" who was intent on selling a "lucky charm bracelet" to Her. Before she could determine a price, it was around her finger and half finished. Once finished, the asking price was "whatever you wish to give, maybe €50.00." I think he received the small change Helen had. His mate cornered me, but I resisted his "charms"

We caught the cable railway to the level of the Basilica. The Basilica is a magnificent building and is relative young, being built in 1873 and consecrated in 1919. The inside structure, especially the design of the columns, is not as ornate the churches and cathedrals we have seen on this trip

Photography is not allowed inside the Basilica.

After having lunch in  Montmartre, I spotted a fabric shop. Helen was in there before I could say "lets go."After selecting some colourful French fabrics for Leisa, we headed back to the bus stop and make our way to Notre Dame. But not before a thunderstorm washed Paris clean. We knew which bus stop we needed to get off at to catch the bus to Notre Dame but it was teeming down and with no awings on the buildings, we stayed on the bus as we could still catch the bus we needed several stops later.

The rain stopped just before we reached the stop where we were to get off and found the next bus in front of us. We hopped on and headed for Notre Dame hoping that it would still be open as we were now heading into peak hour traffic, although one would not know as the streets seem to be clogged all the time.

We arrived at Notre Dame and were able to spend some time looking around the building along with hundreds of others.

Helen wanted  to visit La Sainte-Chapelle which is located in the Palais de Justice, just near Notre Dame. But we arrived a few minutes after visiting time.

Back on the bus to take us around the Champs-Elysées,  Arc de Triomphe, Palais de Chaillot, Eiffel Tower, Hôtel des Invalides.

We planned to get off the this bus at Plaza Jacques Rueff to catch the one that would take us near to out hotel. But the driver did allow time for us and several other passengers to alight as we were on the top deck. So we continued and alighted in Place de la Concorde with the intention of slowly walking back to the hotel.

 
We had a leisurely stroll through Jardin des Tuileries towards the Louvre, across the Pont du Carrousel to the Institut de France.

We had our last in Paris dinner at Bistrot Pères Et Filles before getting back to the hotel, only to find that there was music in the streets until midnight, just what we needed before an early start next day.