Walk and Wonder 

We abandoned the trip to Giverny to see Monet’s  Garden in favour of wandering around the City.

Did some pre buying of tickets for tomorrows trip to the airport then went down and looked at the Pompidou Centre which is reverse engineered with all of the utilities on the outside and colour coded.

Moved down through the Bastille area which was abuz with Gypsy markets and gave them a miss.

Next it was a walk along the St Martins Canal which was full of an assortment of commercial boats and houseboats. Plus a few fishermen trying their luck.

A short walk along the cobblestone path next to Seine along with joggers, cyclists

and toursists. Fascinating mix of people , with one innovative homeless guy building a quaint garden edged with upside down bottles – great recycling.

Over the Seine onto the little island and then Notre Dame. It was heartbreaking to see the fire damage in such an comic building but pleasing to know the World had donated €900,000,000 towards its restoration in time for the Olympics in  2024. It’s just one of many historical sites being renovated.

Despite the damage it still remains majestic.

Searched unsuccessfullly

in the forecourt for Ground Zero from where all distances are measured in Paris.

Wandered further and  found the Shakespeare and Co bookshop which was a home to many struggling authors who eventually became famous, such as Hemmingway,

Walked the words of old song Where Do You Go To My Lovely as  we passed Ave St Michel, The Sorbonne and bars with people sipping brandy. We didn’t see the Aga Khan.

Searched high and  low for a recommended restaurant called Le Baux which did not turn out too flash and had none of the specialties Jane was after.

Instead we enjoyed lunch in a  terraced restaurant , chatting with some ex-pat Irish ladies.

Must say our waitstaff – a Cuban American still thought she was in IUS providinding shit service and still expecting a tip. She locked out.

We decided  on a whim to go  to Arc de Triomphe  and see if our unused tickets could be redeemed. Luckily they were and after 300 winding stairs we were on top enjoying a panoramic view of Paris, with 300-400 other tourists.

It was a good finish to a day of sightseeing. 

Went to dinner at a restaurant we thought served Jane’s favourites Croix xxxcxxx and French Onion soup. Slightly disappointed that there was no soup and the Croix was nothing more than a ham and cheese toastie. At least it was washed down with happy hour priced drinks which get served for about 6-7 hours.

A quick trip to the Post Officr then it was home to pack.