what was supposed to be a grey, drizzly day turned out to be just the opposite.
the sun was shining when i went out first thing this morning to get my breakfast of buttery goodness.
today it was a brioche au chocolat and a croissant.
after a quick breakfast, i got an early start on the sightseeing as i had a lot of ground to cover today.
my route today took me south towards the seine and through the jardin des tuileries on my way to the place de la concorde.
i crossed the seine and followed the river bank around to the eiffel tower.
i was glad i got the early start as it gave me chance to see things without hordes of people around.
it was a very calming walk as i tried to soak in as much of paris as i could.
when i got to the eiffel tower though, i realized where all the people were!
they were waiting to take the cable car up to the top.
i wasn’t really interested in the trip up, but i wandered around the base for a while, admiring a structure that is far more impressive in person.
i walked through the parc du champ du mars and stumbled on the beginning of a paris-dakar motorcycle rally.
the heroes-legends rally is a two-week event that gives amateurs the opportunity to traverse this famous rally racing course.
today seemed as though it was just the ceremonial start, with things really getting underway in the south of france tomorrow.
very interesting stuff, but i had more of paris to see!
i continued through the park surrounding the eiffel tower, and walked over to l’hotel des invalides, then back across the seine where i encountered this little woman who’d just ‘found’ a ring on the ground.
she asks me if it’s gold, and i told her i didn’t have a clue.
she looks inside, and says ‘yes, it is!’
then she grabs my hand and tries to put it on my finger to see if it will fit.
i don’t like strange people touching me.
‘no, i don’t want to marry you,’ she says, ‘it’s your lucky day!’
right, i said, and i gave her back the ring.
in the end, all she wanted was money.
sorry, all of a sudden i forgot how to speak french, and off i went to the place de la concorde, and on to the place de la madeleine.
i couldn’t come to paris and not visit fauchon!
it’s quite the complex they have with three separate storefront - one for the patisserie and boulangerie, another for the cafe and restaurant, and a third for the chocolatier.
i was amazed to see how extensive it was!
i had to try some more buttery pastries, so i grabbed an almond croissant and a small kugelhopf for a snack, and i was back on my way up to the boulevard haussmann.
from here it was a straight walk back to my apartment and some much needed rest for my feet.
14km and five hours later, i’ve now seen many of the major sites in paris, but i’m sure i’ve hardly scratched the surface.
i haven’t decided yet what i’m going to do tomorrow.
it’s market day in paris, so i’ll definitely check out a few of the ones in my neighbourhood, but apart from that, my feet are screaming at me to stop with the walking.
it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, and if that’s the case, i’ll probably take it easy, get caught up on my laundry.
i might also try to track down a couple more of the pastry shops i have on my list to see.
i’m quickly realizing though that it’s impossible to see everything in only three full days.
time for a snack of duck rillettes with a great baguette from just down the street.
but first, the pictures…