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Published: June 14th 2017
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This entry by Tom.
Today was our day to visit Paris. We strolled out of our hotel at about 9am and our first stop was the small supermarket just around the corner on the main road where we grabbed a bottle of OJ and a small pack of waffles for a quick breakfast. It was a bit of a hike to the nearest RER train station but we got there quickly enough by following a group of school kids who were obviously on a field trip who took a shortcut to a sidewalk over the massive train yards to the station.
Only a few minutes and about €7 later, we were on the commuter rail link to the centre of the city. Exiting the huge Chatalet-Les Halles subway station took several minutes; there are 14 exits to the street. We saw a group of about eight French armed forces with their weapons in hand wandering through the station. A bit scary.
The plan was to walk through the centre square at the Louvre (but not actually go inside--it’s just too big for a quick visit) and then through the garden to the Musée de l'Orangerie to see the
Claude Monet Water Lilies installation there. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and everything went to plan until we got to the l'Orangerie and found that it was closed on Tuesdays--d’oh! The two nice older Japanese ladies who we helped direct to the l'Orangerie just a few minutes earlier will be disappointed too.
So we sat on a bench overlooking the Place de la Concorde deciding what to do next. After a quick photo there we crossed over the Seine to walk back towards where we started, visit Notre Dame, and have a quick lunch at a street café before heading back. Along the way, we browsed the stalls of prints, photos (one fellow had an impressive collection of vintage TdF pictures) and trinkets. We bought a small drawing of a Paris street scene with the Eiffel tower in the background. I hope we get it home without damaging it.
Speaking of impressive: Notre Dame. On our first and only previous visit to Paris on our first France cycling trip in 2011, Notre Dame was our official start point but we only stopped outside for a few minutes to take some quick snapshots. Inside, it’s a marvel
of medieval gothic masonry and stained glass. We lit a candle (€2) to wish for a safe trip and read most of the display on the history of the construction of the church, which took nearly two centuries from the middle 1100s to the 1300s. There have been renovations and restorations since then, including some in this century.
A few blocks away, back on the north bank, we sat down at one of the less busy cafés for some iced tea, a Niçoise salad and some people watching before heading back. We stopped again at the small supermarket near the hotel for some supplies and snacks.
Back at the hotel at about 3pm we saw a few from our group, who had arrived while we were out touring, and the last bits of bike assembly. There were a few problems with damage during transport; a few wheels were out of true. But the big issue was that Sue had forgotten her saddle and seatpost (long story)! Luckily Don and Dan had spotted a bike shop not far away during the riding they’ve been doing and a cab was on the way to take them there. Later on, we
heard that all problems were solved.
After a few hours of rest, we met the gang for drinks and general hanging out at around 6pm at the Campanile. It was decided to have a group dinner there as well. It was about this time that Mark showed up on his bike. He likes to ride every bit of the way on these trips including from and to the airports. But cycling from Charles de Gaulle airport all the way to the southern stretches of Paris would have been long and complicated even if it all went perfectly, which it didn’t. Still, he got to the hotel in one piece and good spirits.
Caroline and I both had the salad bar; I had a chicken pizza that was much bigger than I thought it’d be so I gave away a few slices--usually it’s me helping out others finish their dinner, so this was a rare role reversal--and Caroline had the beef and carrots. We got a small discount by presenting our room receipt from our hotel, so that was nice.
Today was GB day in Paris. Prime Minister Teresa May was in town for a state visit with new French President Emmanuel Macron and there was a friendly soccer match between England and France at Stade de France.
The gang broke up by 8:30pm; they were all very tired from a long day of travelling just like we were the day before. So we went back to our hotel and turned in early too. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.
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