May 15, 2017. Walking all over Paris

LOCATION:  Paris, France

WEATHER:  Beautiful.  Sunny. Highs in mid-70s

 

We grabbed a savory roll at a nearby bakery and enjoyed it with last night's leftover cheese for breakfast.  Then, we stored our bags in the hotel and started off to see more of this beautiful city.

Our walking route took us by the Eiffel Tower again.  This time, a view from the other side of the Seine.

The tourist boats were just getting started for the day.

Then, another mile or so to the Arch of Triumph.  

We strolled down the Champs Elysees.  There are tons of high-end shops.  These cars (a Lamborgini and 2 Ferraris) were parked in front of the Louis Vitton shop.

The high-end shops were endles.  This is the fancy entrance to Abercrombie and Fitch.

We are not sure if a decision has been made about the location of the 2024 Olympics, but there are flags here everywhere about it being in Paris.  

We stopped at a cafe along the Champs Elysees.  George had a double expresso to keep him going!

All of the trees along the Champs Elysees and parks are trimmed verfically.  There must be some really high hedge trimmers to do this!

We continued walking, seeing lots of famous buildings, including the Louvre and Notre Dame in the distance.  Back across the Seine, in the less touristy areas, we found a sidewalk cafe for lunch.  We sat outside and watched a fashion parade go by.....the business men and women from the companies in the area were out for lunch.  We shared a tartine - a piece of toast with smoked salmon. Really nice and light.

They say Paris is for lovers.  We watched this couple mouth-locked for about 15 minutes....

Parisians use all kinds of transport to get around.  The newest popular mode is a scooter.  We saw fathers with their daughters commuting to school in the morning.  Business people use them, too, and lock them up in front of their offices....

Then, back to the hotel to pick up our bags.  We are always trying to find the cheapest way of doing things, so took metro, then train to the Charles De Gaulle Airport.  We did fine, but travelers with lots of luggage would have been out of luck, lugging suitcases up and down stairs - no elevators.  At the airport, we took a shuttle to our hotel.  We are staying near the airport so we can get on a morning flight without too much stress.

 

DINNER:  We ate in the hotel.  Not terribly exciting, but ok.  I had French onion soup.  George had red mullet.