Worked out in the end

 

Day 4 – Worked out in the end

October 4 – Paris – Eating and drinking (A lot), Batobus, Eiffel tower, Shopping, Saint Germaine, Musee D’orsee

Weather – Sunny and clear, warm 7-21c

 

Early start to the day, getting ready to head off on our tour of Versailles (or so we thought). Up and out of the apartment by 7am and off to find some breakfast. Unfortunately, most of the cafes were closed, and the one that we walked past that was open was waiting on their delivery of croissants. I think most of the open ones were really just serving coffee at the bar for the early workers. We made the call to just hop in an uber and head out to our pick-up point, which was out by the Pullman hotel, right next to the Eiffel tower. I think due to some road works, the expected trip took longer, so we were in a rush and it looked like we would be skipping breakfast ☹

Arriving to the Pullman we were greeted to scenes of organised chaos, as hordes of retirees pushed towards the one employee who was checking tickets before sending people off to their appropriate bus. There seems to be a lot of older Americans in Paris at the moment – must be a good deal on? Or maybe we’re just in the same tourist traps? Anyway, I managed to elbow past a few of the oldies to get to the front while waving my bit of paper to get the ladies attention. Only to be told after a couple of minutes of confusion, that our tickets were for tomorrow. I coped a few dirty looks for taking up so much time, and we had to run off with our tails between our legs. Note to self – try to get in a bit earlier tomorrow or bring a walking stick – that seemed to be working for one bloke.

Anyway, we were all getting a bit stressed at this stage as we now realised that we had double booked for Wednesday – The Louvre at 12pm and the tour of Versailles which was to get back around 1pm. Not ideal. Breakfast meeting required. Positive was that we didn’t miss out on breakfast!

Very decent breakfast

After a little walk we settle in a place called café Fleur. A little more expensive as they didn’t have the Petit Déjeuner deal or maybe we just couldn’t figure it out. Not sure. Anyway, I couldn’t help myself and I ordered the Croque madame – this was a much better example of the sandwich than yesterday’s version, and Katie’s omelette was also very good. Although this time the bill was probably double yesterday’s breakfas. After some robust discussion, we all settled down and a plan was made that we were all happy with. Thankfully, I had purchased two days of access on the Batobus – all for an additional 6Euro, Katie at the time had told me that was a waste of money, of course I gracefully let her know that I had made a pretty good decision on that one. I might have made that point a few times throughout the day. Nice to get a win.

Not a lot of people on the Champ De Mars - perfect for a morning stroll

While the temperature was crisp in the shade, the sun was shining and the day looked a postcard, so the first stop was a wonder through the Champ De Mars – scene of some very important historical turning points. I really enjoyed just walking the same grounds and getting a feel for the history. back past the Eiffel tower and even though it was earlier than yesterday the crowds were out in force. Glad to have gone up yesterday, as I think it would have been quite the challenge to deal with the lines today.

Our revised plan for the day called for a trip to the Musée d'Orsay. Katie had managed to snag some tickets for the 11:30 entrance, so we took a leuserly boat cruise down the Seine, I’m not sure if I mentioned, but I had bought tickets for two days, for only 6Euro extra, what a smart move…

Back on the Batobus

We didn’t have to wait too long to get in, they have lines based on the time of ticket, so we lined up at 11am to get in at 11:30am – a relatively easy process. Katie was very excited to see the impressionists so we made our way up to the 5^th floor. It was very busy and Lucy and I were probably not as excited as Katie to see all the paintings… 

Katie's face... Apparently it's bad form to take photos at the gallery. Katie would refuse to get out of the way for people to take photos!!

Although I must admit, there were some really cool Monet’s and Van Gough’s. We managed about an hour before we needed a rest break. Lunch in the Musée was actually pretty decent. While plainly presented, it was of a reasonable quality. We went for light options and of course a little wine, because you know, you have to experience the culture and what not.

Another hour of Renoir and Gauguin was the limit for all three, and we decided to call it an afternoon and make our way to the next stop. Back down to the Batobus – did I tell you about the deal I got? Oh ok, well, anyway, back on the barge, and down the river in glorious sunshine, to our next stop Saint-Germain. 

Wondering around the neighbourhood was fun, a really interesting part of two, Taz had suggested we stay in this area when we were chatting about our trip, but we couldn’t find anything affordable. I can see why he suggested it – lots of really cool shops and restaurants. We decided that we would need to rest again after all the walking and stopped off at Le Pré aux Clercs, apparently a Hemingway favourite establishment. I feel like I’ve been to a number of places claiming that Hemingway was a regular – that bloke liked a refreshment… This time I opted for a Salade niçoise, while Katie went for the platter of cheese and meat, and Lucy got a huge ice cream. Again, we felt it appropriate to refresh ourselves, this time with a couple of nice Côtes de Provence rosés. A thoroughly enjoyable rest break here. 

Once refreshed we wondered around the area a bit more, stopped by a very fancy macaron shop – Laduree, and spent more money – because hey, who needs money…

The afternoon was a beauty, clear skies and warm – around 21c. We decided to wonder back home, stopping along the way for refreshments here or there. With all the walking and with the evening fast approaching, we needed to make a decision about dinner. Given we were all pretty tired, no one wanted to cook or clean, so we found a place not far from home – Nelson’s. 

We weren’t all that hungry, so we decided to share, I ordered the large onglet du boeuf, it came with fries and beans, and two sauces, including bearnaise. This was probably the best meal of the trip so far, with the steak being so flavourful and juicy. Following Taz’s advice I ordered it medium and it came medium rare, close to rare. I feel medium rare would have been pretty close to blue rare. Thanks for the heads up there Taz!

We managed to stay up until probably 8pm and then it was lights out – ready for an early morning start, with our actual trip to Versailles booked in for tomorrow.