I am doing this last day back home & bit hard to remember, I do remember trying a recommended bistro in the 13th for lunch Chez Gladines. The 13th sounds a long way out, but really just out of the 5th on the Left Bank. Anyway the place was packed, long shared tables and was recommended for Basque cuisine. I tried the cassoulet du maison, which is a meaty (duck leg, pork belly & sausage in my dish) beany flavoursome casserole with breadcrumbs & parsley on top, absolutely delicious, washed down with a half carafe of the house Cote du Rhone. The chap sitting opposite me on the table gave me a clap when I finished it!
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| Notre Dame, from yesterday |
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| The "committment" locks, much thicker than last year |
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| Gateway into the Louvre courtyard |
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| Louvre courtyard with glass pyramid |
Being the first Sunday of the month, Paris museums/ galleries are free, so took myself off after lunch for another go at the Louvre. I thought the crowds would be huge, but really no different to the previous visits......just horrendous covers it. This time I did manage to get to some other areas, god that place is huge. When I got sick of that, walked down Tuileries Garden - lots of Parisians & tourists out enjoying the day - to L'Orangerie the home of Monet's waterlily series in 2 huge oval rooms, (just as wonderful as last time!) also many other impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, my favourites being Cézanne, Matisse & Modigliani.
All arted out & the afternoon gone, I crossed over to the Left Bank at Place de la Concorde & walked along the Seine to the Tour Eiffel, which is not quite as nice approached from that way due to hawkers & unsavoury looking characters hanging around. Best approach is up Champs de Mars from the other side. Crossed the river again & dragged my sorry a. around Place du Trocadéro-et-du-11-Novembre, named after a victory over Spain at some stage (11th Nov I guess) From there up hill all way to Arc de Triomphe & home........ I'm pretty sure I walked off my excesses at lunch!
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| Grand Palais & Pont Alexander from the Left Bank |
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| Tour Eiffel |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| Toilet in b&b apartment, presume 1903 as that when built |
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| B&B apartment block, was on 4th floor, lift this time though! |
Sat with host C & her friend M for a quiet wine & cheese (me) they had the leftovers of a casserole C had made the first night I got there, chicken & peaches !!!! strange combination. Both very nice women & both thinking of making major changes in their lives, eg M thinking of moving to Barcelona & C moving anywhere. Anyway it was a fruitful conversation as I found out about the Air France bus which goes from Avenue Carnot, 10 minutes walk,just 2 steps up from where I was going to the RER station, but whereas RER would have involved dragging 18 kilo case (plus carryon bag) down & up metro stairs & then same at Chatelet to change to RER B for CDG.......much easier.
That will have to be it for this trip, next 2 days were a blur of plane trips, with the layovers seeming longer that the flight times, Paris to Helsinki, then 6 hour wait, Helsinki to Singapore, then 5 hours & then Singapore to Adelaide, phew. Jet lag at home, very bad, but coming good now & best thing is I don't have to go back to work!
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