Sightseeing in Paris

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With it being the crew's day off today we had a day in Paris to do with as we wished. After two weeks of being told what to do and when to do it, we have struggled a bit to decide what to do on our own!!! The situation has not been helped with Bernie still on the end of his cold and me now coming down with it. I don't know how Bernie managed to keep riding with the cold - I think I have been fortunate only developing symptoms at the conclusion of our ride.

After a slow start, we eventually wandered up to the Bastille which is just above Port d'Arsenal. We wandered rather aimlessly all the way around the roundabout before deciding that we would head to the Galleries Lafayette for a bit of shopping action!! I have been struggling to buy jeans that fit in Australia so wanted to see what is available in Paris - the fashion capital of the world.

We bought five day tickets for the Metro and jumped aboard heading for one of the world's most famous department stores. When we arrived back at street level we found ourselves at the front of the Opera House. As we have never been inside the Opera House on previous visits to Paris, we decided to have a look there before heading to the Galleries Lafayette. We managed to make it into the Opera House just before the heavens opened with a very heavy shower of rain.

Le Palais Garnier is the 13th theatre to house the Paris Opera since it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669. It was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann. An unknown 35-year-old architect, Charles Garnier, won the competition to determine whose design would be used for the new opera house. Started in 1860, the Opera House took 15 years to build due to interruptions caused by numerous incidents including the 1870 war, the fall of the Empire and the Commune (that ruled Paris briefly between the Napoleonic Empires and a truly democratic government). The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 15 January 1875.

For €9.00/each we were able to make an unaccompanied visit of the Grand Staircase, the foyers, the auditorium and the temporary exhibition dedicated to the tragic heroines of the Paris Opera. Unfortunately, the museum was closed due to renovations.

The Grand Staircase is truly grand - built in an age when fashionable society ladies needed plenty of space to show off their elaborate gowns. In fact, the Palais Garnier seems to devote as much space to areas for people to see and be seen as to the auditorium where the operas were actually performed!! With some work going on on-stage (choreography?) we saw only a glimpse of the darkened auditorium - just enough to gain an impression of its Italian-styled horseshoe shaped red and gold splendour. In the dark I completely missed the (in)famous crystal chandelier!!

With the rain temporarily in abeyance we made the short walk between the Opera House and Galleries Lafayette. With the perfume and cosmetics counters arranged side by side on the ground floor it was, to some extent, just like department stores the world over. However, not every department store in the world incorporates a spectacular cupola a la Galleries Lafayette. The cupola is absolutely stunning! Bernie struggled to do it justice in a photograph.

After cruising around the floors housing Designer Fashion, Contemporary Fashion, Seductive Fashion and Outdoor Fashion, Coats & Raincoats, Fur & Leather Coats we found our way to the 4th floor which is devoted to Jeans, Swimwear/Luggage, Stationery/CDs Videos & DVDs and Video Games.

The first thing we noticed as soon as we started looking at jeans is that Galleries Lafayette has plenty of staff AND they want to help you!!!! Bonjour madam, would madam like some help? What is madam looking for? What a refreshing change from retail shopping in Australia!!! And boy, did I need help - their descriptions of their jeans are quite a mystery.

How did I know whether I should be looking at 'slight curve', 'demi curve' or 'bold curve' jeans?? All of the curve stuff is before you even consider whether the legs are skinny, straight, tapered or whatever. Anyhow, I ended up with a skin-tight pair of stretch Levis. Now I just have to be game enough to wear them. I have been wearing ill-fitting jeans for so long I'm not used to jeans that are so revealing!!

After a bite to eat we ventured into Printemps - another department store here in Paris. If possible Printemps seemed even more top end than Galleries Lafayette. It's all a bit overwhelming really, getting about in clothing that is perfectly practical for travel, but hardly a fashion statement as you rub shoulders with fashion conscious Parisians!

Feeling decidedly frumpy (well, me anyway) we headed back to the Elodie. With the head cold symptoms starting to get the better of me, I had an afternoon snooze while Bernie went to the harbour's internet cafe to do some emailing and blogging.

When I surfaced at about 6.00pm, most of our travel companions were already talking about heading out to dinner. See what Sander has done to us having dinner on the table at 6.00pm every night? We have all become accustomed to having our dinner early!! A few in the group had decided to eat at Bofingers and we were invited to join them. The restaurant is conveniently located on Rue de la Bastille and has been recommended as a good place to eat with a genuine Parisian feel to it.

We had a fun night at Bofingers with Robert, Frances, Clayton and Sharon and the food was good BUT the service was appalling!! We were pretty much ignored all night while the staff fawned over their French speaking clientele. They were simply not interested in their Antipodean customers - despite our best efforts (mainly Robert's and Clayton's) to try out some high school French!!! Gee, if we could make an effort you would think that they could at least try to be polite to us?? Without a doubt the rudest French staff we have ever encountered.

The service at Bofingers was so slow that it was after 11.00pm when we arrived back at Port d'Arsenal for the night. In fact, the gate was locked!! Feeling a bit concerned about whether we would be able to spend out last night aboard the Elodie, we went to the Harbour Master's office to ask to be let in. He pointed behind us - I thought he was telling us that we could enter via a gate other than the one that was locked, but Clayton says he was telling us to come back at eight in the morning!! Eventually he took pity on us and let us gain access to the port via his office. Not graciously though, he let us in and pointed us down the stairs and then retreated to his office and slammed the door!!

It was with relief that we slipped into our bunks aboard the Elodie for our last night on the barge!!

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