Paris - Day Two

We have breakfast at the hotel this morning. A lovely buffet served in a dining room with tall windows looking out onto the streets. We have familiar foods - scrambled eggs, freshly squeezed juice, salmon, bacon - and we also indulge our sweet tooth with chocolate brioche. And a croissant or two. Our coffee is served (as it is in England) with cream so thick that a spoon could stand in it. Yum!




The bus tour is a good way to see the city so we hop on and climb to the top level, which is open to the cloudy skies. It's slow going through the traffic, but it's fun to just look around.








One of the many elegant apartments we see along the Seine.







And, guess what we see before we have gone very far?...ah, yes, le Starbucks. Even in Paris. We actually see two of them while we are here.




Notre Dame comes into view. My photo is taken under very cloudy skies so I am substituting another that was taken by a better photographer than I. Cathedrale De Notre Dame De Paris (The Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris) is the true heart of Paris. About 10 million people visit every year. Notre Dame is not just a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture but has also been the focus of Catholic Paris for seven centuries. I wasn't able to get a photo of the three magnificent many colored "rose windows", one of which has remained virtually unchanged since the 13th century.








Mike & I hop off the bus at the Musee de Rodin (Rodin Museum). Rodin is considered today the father of modern sculpture , but, in another time, his work was considered obscene. Rodin once said about "The Thinker", "he thinks with every muscle of his arms, back, and legs, with his clenched fist and gripping toes".




THE KISS

THE THINKER


Back on the bus, a light rain has begun to fall, but we decide to stay on the top section of the bus. We are approaching the exterior of THE LOUVRE. Our bus actually goes through one of those archways (!). There is not an inch to spare on either side!




The rain is coming down now. Of course we did not bring our umbrellas. Mike decides to rough it and stay up top; I go down to the interior of the bus! But I have to come back to the top again when THE EIFFEL TOWER comes into view. The Eiffel Tower was built for an 1889 World's Fair - many Parisians referred to it as "the metal asparagus" and it came close to being torn down. There are three levels open to the public, but we chose to just gaze from the bus. We are told that the pressure of the Tower on the ground is equal to a man sitting in a recliner.





Bus tour is over for us. We walk several blocks back to our hotel, "freshen up", and ask the Concierge for a dinner suggestion. He sends us to a restaurant where we sit outside, but away from the smokers. We order wine and olives and watch the people. Motorbikes pull up on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant (within a foot of where the tables are). The drivers park and come in for a drink or dinner. A fellow at the table in front of us sits with a beer and a newspaper. A lovely young woman meets him, he stands, they kiss on both sides of the face, and sit down to talk and drink. They leave as we are being served our dinner. They kiss, he gets on his bike, and she walks down the sidewalk. We see that sort of thing often.

I don't remember what Mike had for dinner but I definitely remember mine. Half a chicken baked in white wine and tarragon sauce, served with french fries! The chicken is fork tender and juicy; but the fries are the piece de resistance - they turn out to be the most marvelous french fries I have ever eaten. They are cut long and square, but there is a sort of hollowed out section down one side of the potato. They are golden brown and so light and tender they could float away. I grudgingly let Mike share!

We are falling in love with Paris. No doubt about it. But, for now, the day is over and we are looking forward to tomorrow.