It was nearly noon by the time we left the apartment
today. Lots of housekeeping things to do
with bookkeeping, etc. Time flies when
you are having fun!
We took the Metro to La Defense this morning. That is where the Grande Arche is located and
also the end of the Metro Line. We
checked the price for our tickets to Maison Laffitte for Saturday and by using
our Navigo Pass to La Defense it is only a small amount to complete our
journey. We are definitely enjoying the
weekly pass for our transportation.
We checked with the man at the desk and he confirmed that “no”
you cannot go to the top of the Grande Arche anymore because it is a security
issue and more importantly the elevators have been broken for three years! But
it is a beautiful structure to see and the views are phenomenal just from the
ground. You can actually see the Arch de
Triomphe in the distance!
We discovered the public toilettes in the large shopping
mall…find the Poste (Post Office) and it’s just down a hall. These are important issues when you are
traveling! LOL Then as we took the stairs down to the Metro
we discovered a McDonalds and enjoyed a sandwich before we headed back into
town!
When we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe we changed Metro
Lines and headed north towards Sacre Cour.
We arrived at Anvers Station and walked up the hill for a couple of
blocks past all sorts of seedy places in the red light district. But soon we were at the funicular that accepted
our Navigo Pass and after a few minutes of being packed in an airless glass car
on a very hot day…we were at the top of the hill in Montmartre. There was an unusual street performer; a
lovely lady in a red dress singing opera, beautiful. We entered the Basilique du Sacre Cour and
said a few prayers for our family while enjoying the quiet joy of perpetual
adoration there in the beautiful sanctuary.
Leaving the church we considered, but not for long, climbing
the 300 steps to the dome; but decided instead to walk pass La Masion Rose, a
very old restaurant on the hill, past the only remaining vineyard and then to
the famous Lapin Agile Cabaret. Only
open at night so we couldn’t go inside.
Rather than walk back up the hill we turned over our Metro
Map and looked at the Map for the city buses.
We figured it was time we took the plunge and started riding the
buses. We found one down at the bottom
of the back of Montmartre and climbed on using our Navigo Pass. Within six blocks…we hit the end of the
line. We followed buses around the
corner to see where to get on going the opposite direction and we soon found
the spot. Used our Pass again and
climbed on board. This was bus # 80 and
we found that it would take us all the way south to Pont d L’Ama and the Seine
River. On the way we passed all the
major shopping stores from Jimmie Choo, Dior, etc. etc. etc.
We hopped off when we crossed the river and walked a few
blocks to Eiffel Tower and the stop for our Batobus! Yeah…we have a pass for this also! Had to wait for the next boat but Jim found
shade from a post and I stood behind the ticket booth. The sun has been really hot today! And, tomorrow is going to be even
hotter! We have no air conditioning so
I’m sitting here in the dark typing with my flashlight. We have the windows open for air and there
are no screens. But…hey…it’s Paris!
We stopped for an errand at Notre Dame and then got back on
the next Batobus which took us back to the end at Gare d’Austerlitz. There it turns around and goes back to the
Eiffel Tower. We headed for the bus stop
and rode a bus home to the apartment.
Arrive before 7 pm. Time to
reheat the chicken dinner leftovers from last night and then phone calls home
using Skype and the Internet.
Another fun day in Paris…hope you enjoy the slideshow:
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