Au Revoir Paris!

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Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097





Today I woke up to another beautiful morning, my son wanted to relax so we cancelled going to Sacre Cour. We took it easy, after breakfast we packed our bags and checked out, the hotel stored our bags and we strolled to Notre Dame. There was 20 minutes queue and we entered this magnificent cathedral with stained glass which tells the bible stories and yes it is worth the wait! There was a Sunday service going on at Notre Dame so we sat there for some time. Then we took a very long leisurely walk on The Ile Saint Louis and we continued on the left bank of river seine on the way we stopped for a creamy gelato ice cream served exquisitely with the different selected flavours arranged in the cone. There was big queue for the ice cream, mainly local Parisians so it was a popular place. We later sat on the bench and absorbed the peaceful activity of the river.

Then we walked back to the Latin Quarters. On a Sunday afternoon it was busy with many of the interesting small stores, souvenirs shops open for business, the cafes were humming. We were hungry so we headed for Maoz Vegetarian for falafel, salads and fries; this small place was cheap and cheerful with not the best seating which is in a tiny area with only 2-3 small tables so we took it away to the little park opposite the Notre Dame which is about 5 mins walk. Beauty of this falafel is that you can top on the pitta and falafel, the salads, sauces yourself.

We wanted some respite from the sun; the temperatures were sweltering hot in Paris so we took shelter under the leafy trees and ate our delicious food with beautiful views of Notre Dame. After relaxing for two hours, we had coffee at the riverside café then we went to our hotel and sat there for half hour in the lobby as we still had free wifi. It was time to leave so we set off wending our way to the station for our journey home to London. I thanked my son for the wonderful trip, we had lot of fun. Au revoir Paris!!


Our hotel Relais de Louvre

The hotel is quaint and very well located, we were allocated a nice room on the second floor, facing the Gothic church with gargoyles, Our room was an average size for Central Paris standards, beautifully furnished with bath tub which was important to soak our weary feet. The twin beds were very comfortable, the staff friendly. The hotel is on a small street so although being in the centre it is very quiet with Free wifi, the elevator is tiniest, I have ever seen but then hey it's Paris. Everything is walking distance, 2 mins to Louvre, plenty of cafés, restaurants along rue de Rivoli, riverside café s, 2 mins from the metro stops of The Pont Neuf and Louvre-Rivoli. The Pont Neuf Bridge across the Seine takes you onto the Left Bank on rue Dauphine in less than 5 mins. This hotel does offer breakfast in your room as there is not enough room for a breakfast area but we opted for the fresh local variety that the several Bakeries in the neighbourhood offered. I would recommend this hotel for a true Parisian experience.


Few TipsGet the Paris Museum Pass and for 26 years and below the admission is free if you are an EU citizenBuy a carnet of tickets for the metro which has 10 rides, two people sharing can have 5 rides each. Get the Bateaux Les Vedette du Pont Neuf tickets, (Seine river boat ride) in advance. There is an on-line discount option. It is good for one year and you are not restricted by the schedule. Get there early for the 10:00pm ride in the summer when it is just about to get dark to see the Eiffel tower twinkle at 10pm. Dress warm as it can get windy.People were very nice, no rude Parisians like the rumours you might hear.

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