Touring Paris

Since we only have one full day in Paris, we took the Big Bus to try to cram in as much sightseeing into the day as we could. The bus is a 2-hour ride with narration past all the major sights in Paris and you have the opportunity to get off at select spots. We rode past the Louvre (first photo) but didn't stop as it is closed on Tuesdays. We rode past Notre Dame and didn't get off as it was closed due to the extensive repairs that were needed after the fire.

Our first stop was the Musee d'Orsay which is the home of a world-class collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings. The building was a former train station as you can tell from the photo. We had been to the d'Orsay about 25 years ago and as I recall, we went up, bought tickets and went right in. This time we queued for 30 minutes to get our tickets. You can buy timed tickets, but with the bus schedule it was uncertain when we would be there so we couldn't buy the timed tickets.

I selected one painting to include in the blog. I chose a self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh as he is my favorite painter but there are many, many other great paintings here.

After the museum, time for a quick French lunch of crêpes and crème brûlée.

Our second and final stop was the Eiffel Tower. The queuing for tickets and to catch the elevator was at least 30 minutes. Once again you can buy timed tickets, but it wasn't feasible today.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair. Upon completion, it surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930.

I had never been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and this was one of the items on my bucket list. In the photo of Jeanne and me you can see me trying not to look terrified or frozen. The temperature here in Paris was mild, in the upper 50s, but very windy at the top and hence very cold. 

Afterwards we had dinner at a very nice French restaurant right across the street from our hotel. Say what you want about the French, but their cooking is first class. We dined Parisian style tonight. I had foie gras (appetizer) and fish and Jeanne had duck breast. We shared profiteroles for dessert (shown in the photo). The food and the service at the Mollard were excellent.