Our guide was a German girl, Inga, also an actress, and it showed in her enthusiastic and spirited delivery, which included some ballet steps (as Loius XIV was a dancer), and very theatrical reenactments of historical events. Here we are outside St Chapelle.
We went to Pont Neuf, the new bridge, but now the oldest bridge over the Seine. One of the Paris beaches was set up on the other side, and it was amusing to see this barge with a car going past.
Also on the route was the Louvre...
..the Tuillerie gardens (with photographic tricks)...
..and Place de la Concorde, where the Egyptian column marks the place of the most used Guillotine. It was interesting to be reminded that 80 percent of the French nobility was executed in the French Revolution of 1789, and in total 40,000 were killed.
We then headed to the Luxembourg Gardens for lunch.
It was a chèvre chaud and prosciutto salad with a glass of rosé for Julie.
...and the paper placemats were almost frameable.
Afterwards we headed to the pond to watch the kids with their sailing boats.
..and digest the meal.
We walked home via the Pantheon...
...the bookstalls etc along the Seine..
...always drawn by the views of Notre Dame..
...and admiring the new lock display on Pont l'archeveche, where there are hawkers all about who will sell you a lock and key and lend you a permanent marker....that's entrepreneurship.
The afternoon and evening were characterised by intermittent thunderstorms. We ducked in and out of the hotel during the breaks. Others had no such nearby refuge and took shelter where they could.
In an evening break we ventured out in brilliant sunshine. We went up to our old haunts at the top of Rue St Denis, stopping for Brittany gallettes and cider for dinner.
With another storm looming we headed off quickly back to our hotel. We didn't quite make it, but got Berthillon ice creams to eat in our hotel lobby.
No comments:
Post a Comment