Paris by open top bus

introduction to Paris  -   Notre Dame

We decided that the arrival of an old school friend from Australia who had never been to Europe was a good excuse for a few days in Paris.

parisian balcony

there's always a park

Sunday afternoon was glorious and we joined the crowds on the Île de la Cité and Île Saint Louis  and along the quais.

garden behind Notre Dame

house of agro engineers ?

Monday, the weather was the usual spring overcast but not cold so we took the big tour in the open top bus to give our friend an overview of the city. This is a good way to get a feel for the layout of Paris and the main sights, the abundance of parks, the tree lined boulevards, and the beautiful vistas.

the golden ladies of Paris

We were surprised at how many tourists had already arrived.  We usually avoid the city and the crowds during the summer months. Last year Paris recorded over 80 million visitors. Not bad for a country with a population of 66 million.

the trees in bloom at Trocadero

you know what !

the golden dome of Les Invalides - we once visited here at the same time
as a VIP - there were dozens of police in the streets and snipers on the dome !

front view of Les Invalides - beautiful topiary

always traffic on the Champs Elysees

if you are brave enough to drive here, you can rent a 2CV for a vintage experience

another hidden garden

a chocolatier with a sense of humour  - chocolate frogs

a lazy beggar ! - paper cup on the end of his fishing rod -
 perhaps he thought he could reach the passengers in the tourist buses

Luckily, we checked emails on monday night to find one from SCNF advising that there would be a rail strike on wednesday and thursday so our wednesday train trip home was not going to happen. Either we stayed in Paris until the weekend ( tough decision ) or we had to leave a day early. Since other arrangements had been made for the rest of the week, there was really no choice. After a couple of hours on the phone and internet that night we managed to get seats for the next afternoon. 

Since there was three of us with luggage, we chose to take a taxi to the station and thought it best to arrive early in case of any further issues. Just as well ! In the usual french manner there was a protest march outside the station and the area was closed by the police who were there en masse and suited up for trouble. The taxi could only get us to about 1km away so we dragged our luggage through the streets and managed to get to the platform with only a few minutes to spare. Very  grateful to be finally in our train seats.

So. missed out on the shopping I had planned and a few other activities. Graham grateful that the plastic did not get the workout he had expected.

relaxing at the end of the day

 Remember, if you are planning a visit to Paris, or anywhere in France, you never have enough time to see everything. No, that would be a life's work.

Bon semaine à tous