By the time we actually got down and boarded Les Cars Rouges it was about 12:30.....but we had dosed up on bread and prepared to sit awhile and enjoy getting the lay-of-the-land. We boarded at Notre Dame, our landmark! We drive northwest down the Seine toward the D'Orsay Museum with the Louvre on our right across the Seine and observe the beautiful buildings lining either side of the Seine such as:
Check out the blue sky......are we lucky or what? The entire time we are in Paris the weather is supposed to be just like this - mid to high 70's! Schweet!
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| Tour boats on the Seine....so picturesque! |
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| The Assemblee Nationale aka where all the politicos go! |
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| We cross the Seine many, many times today. |
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| On the left....the Eiffel Tower. |
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| The Opera House - simply spectacular! |
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| THE MALL!!! Haven't been there yet. |
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| Busy front steps of the Opera House. |
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| Look at those gold statues with blue sky! |
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| Uh, yea, I wish. |
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| Place du Concorde. |
Now we start up the Champs elysees:
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| Ah, yeah, right. |
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| Heading toward the Arc de Triomphe----can you say Tour de France? |
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| Looking at the tiny people on top gives you an idea of how huge the Arc de Triomphe is. |
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| Another Cars Rouges. |
A drive up the Champs elysees
You have to watch the pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists in this video -
C R A Z Y!!!
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| The cobbles. |
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| And we go all around the Arc from various angles... |
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| Looking through the Arc down the Champs elysees. |
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| The Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero. |
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| We start our walk under the Tower... |
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| ......one of the "feet" of the Eiffel Tower.... |
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| ...heading under.... |
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| directly under! |
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| Awwwwwww! |
After we finished walking the park in front of the Eiffel Tower we re-boarded the bus to head back to our district. Here's something we've noticed and I'm not generalizing here BUT, there are people here who apparently don't think it's important to shower every once in a while. Today a couple got on the bus and sat in front of us on the OPEN AIR top of the bus and the guy's pits smelled SO BAD Gordon and I don't have to check our nose hairs for weeks - they are burned off! Seriously, we both jumped out of our seats at the same time and ran to the next available seats with tears in our eyes! And then we watched this couple - the guys arm up and around the gals shoulder and she's leaning her head onto his shoulder - UGH! WTF!?
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| Approaching the Louvre |
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| A peak through the arches to the Louvre.....we're going there on Tuesday....more pictures to come. |
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| The Seine side of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. |
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| awwwwwwww |
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| This is for you Phillip Vermont! |
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| Our hotel |
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| Top balcony on the left - 2 windows - that's us! |
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| More hotel photos. |
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| 4 o'clock snack time... |
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| Fromages, pain, vin and pomme = Y U M! (and cheap!) |
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| After snack time....we've been studying up! and a little tipsy....time for afternoon nap! |
About 6:30 we head out for a cocktail before dinner and then, well, dinner. Along the way we notice many, many bikes.
And after dinner of lamb for Gordon and sole for me we walk ...again toward the river and Notre Dame. We just can't seem to get enough. So here are pictures of the backside of Notre Dame and the far side which we had never walked past.
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| As we cross the Seine, again, we notice thousands of "love locks" attached to the bridge with lovers names written on them. Really beautiful in a metal lock kind of way! |
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| Gargoyles on Notre Dame |
Just exhausted ourselves again and feeling like we need to put our feet up. Tomorrow Gordon has set a pretty aggressive day planned. Climbing to the top of Notre Dame (422 steps -yes, Vicky, here we go again!); Versailles by train; and the Pantheon. My priorities - Moulles Marinieres and frites later in the afternoon with a nice rose' and a walk through another French market! We'll see.
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