I know I’m not supposed to be overindulging while on vacation, but it’s hard not to in Paris. We ate a fairly sensible breakfast at the hotel. Eggs, bacon, sausage, croissant, breads, granola and yogurt. I was pretty full after eating all that and figured I could go until late afternoon before I ate again.
Bruce and I decided to buy a Batobus pass, which is a river boat that stops at 9 locations on the Seine. On line, a 24 hour pass was $19 and a 48 hour pass was $21, so the 48 hour pass made the most sense.
Before we boarded however, we stopped at a cafe for coffee and crepes.
It’s about a 20 minute wait between boats which isn’t too bad. We decided to get off at the first stop which was Notre Dame. Unfortunately it is still undergoing repairs from the fire in 2019 so it is not open for tourism. But the Towers stood in all their glory.
As we walked around the cathedral, street performers and musicians set up shop hoping to make a few bucks. One violinist played Hallelujah and he was a crowd favorite.
We walked to the palace of justice and the Sainte Chappelle. We didn’t have tickets to go inside and really didn’t want to wait in the long line.
Our next stop was by the Eiffel Tower but going the opposite direction. I wanted to see the Arc de Triomphe. There was more street entertainers here.
It was a little over a mile away so we stopped at the Winston Churchill Pub for an afternoon repast. The downstairs was a barroom with booths which invoked a feeling of time gone by.
The main dining area was light and airy and the porch, where we sat had the feel of a solarium in an English Country setting.
I had my usual coffee with cream and a mango and coconut pavlova. This was sort of like a merengue. Bruce had an apple crumb with ice cream. We shared and both were delicious.
After our nourishment, we completed our walk to the Arc de Triomphe. Again there was a long line and I had no desire to wait on it.
We walked a few miles back to the Batobus. We just made it. It’s first stop was the Eiffel Tower and we were lucky to catch it when the lights were twinkling.
A few stops along the way and we made it to the one closest our hotel. The buildings looked lovely lit up, reflecting light on the river.
Bruce and I were beat so we decided to eat at our hotel, the Hotel Bel Ami. Besides I have a $100 credit to apply to food or spa services. Since I’m not going to get the chance to have spa time, food seemed the best choice.
Bruce ate pasta in sauce and I had shrimp with rice. Both were very good.
Now to bed because tomorrow is an early day,
#paris#arcdetriomphe#batobus#winstonchurchillpub#eiffeltower#hotelbelami
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