It Takes a Viking: Second Day in Paris

This was a very busy day--again. We started out with a bus tour of the city which was included in our trip. We saw a lot, but some of the things were a drive-by. Or we were on the wrong side of the bus. Or I had someone's head in the way.

First a view from the 30th floor:

Morning View

First stop was Hôtel de Ville, or Paris City Hall. Our guide said that the current mayor, Anne Hidalgo, was unpopular because she was allowing the garbage strike to continue (see previous post) instead of forcing them back to work.

City Hall

Next stop was Notre-Dame de Paris, or more commonly, Notre Dame. In 2019, a fire broke out and it was severely damaged. So much so, that visitors cannot go in but the view is still certainly impressive.

View from the Front

Copy of the Virgin of Paris. The original survived the 2019 fire and is still inside the cathedral.

Charlemagne Statue

We had some free time after this, so we walked around the neighborhood a bit.

Church of Saint-Severin

Camino de Santiago marker. Few people start the pilgrimage from Paris now.

If God stayed here, it must be good.

The oldest public clock in Paris, Palais de la Cité.

Fontaine du Palmier, built by Napoleon in 1808

We ended the bus tour at the Eiffel Tower. It would not be the last time we saw it today.

Eiffel Tower

It was just after noon when the bus got here so we left the group and continued on our own.

There are those who will disagree with this decision, but we decided not to take the time to go up for the view. Maybe the next time we come to town.

View of Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro

The Arc de Triomphe

I did not think I would like (or want) to do this, but we did walk the Champs-Élysées. It turned out to be pretty interesting. We didn't go to any fancy or expensive fashion stores (of course), but Fe picked out a charm at Pandora and we also has coffee and macaroons at McDonald's. Simple tastes....

Fe on the Champs Élysées. If you pronounce the French right, it rhymes.

Next stop, the Louvre. Again, we didn't buy tickets to get in, but maybe next time.

Louis XIV Statue

The Pyramid by I.M. Pei

Always look up

After this we went back to the hotel a short time to drink some water and have a snack--then off to an evening river cruise on the Seine. I'm glad we did this--it gave an interesting perspective on some things we say during the day.