Versailles - Not So Much

NOTE:  New photo album:  Paris Part 2

Woke up to brilliant sunshine, which was a welcomed change of pace for us.  We took our time enjoying the luxury of not having to be anywhere. There will be plenty of that next week when we are back on the bikes. The first decision was Versailles or no Versailles.  We thought about the getting there, the crowds, and all that endless opulence, and decided to stay in the city and do some more sightseeing at our own pace.  Besides, after seeing what they did to the Louvre after 40 years, I wasn't too thrilled to see what has happened to the Palace - probably surrounded by Starbucks and MacDonalds.  That settled, we had a GREAT day!

After a quick yogurt and coffee in the room and  a leisurely shower, we were ready to hit the pavement.  Today the plan was to start out at Sacred Coeur, high on the hill at Montmartre.  As we were going to the bus stop, the aroma from the pastry shop beckoned us and we just had to have a morning cafe with a little something.  Got on the bus which took us passed the Louvre - good thing we went in the late afternoon yesterday.  This morning the place was crawling with people.  The line to get in was wrapped around outside for what seemed like miles.  We weren't sure which stop to get out and we wound up a bit further a field then we had planned.  This turned out to be a good thing.  Had a nice quiet stroll up to the church - no tourists.  We wound up at the back end and had to walk around - Bam!  That's where all the tourists were.  Not too interested in fighting the hoards, we took some pix, enjoyed the view.  Opted for a crepe and fries for lunch and sat down on a bench at the bottom of the hill.  Had to walk through the crowds to get down to the avenue to figure out our next stop - the Moulin Rouge.

Walking down the Boulevard de Clichy - which has a lovely walking path down the center, we passed through Place Pigalle (getting it's name from Pig Alley).  This part of town is lined with sex shops and I don't have to say what else.  Got to the Moulin Rouge, sneaked a peek inside and took some more stupid tourist pix.

Next on our list was the Opera House, which is the largest theater for lyric opera in the world.  Apparently everyone was at the churches because there weren't too many folks at the Opera House.  This place is amazing.  They were doing rehearsals and we caught a few lighting changes.  We took our time and enjoyed the view from the terrace, as well as being able to see where to catch our next bus.  Leaving the Opera House, I bought two small paintings from a very nice artist.  I hope he actually painted them and they were not made in China!

Our last stop was the Rodin Museum Gardens.  Again we (I) sort of miscalculated our bus route and we wound up walking a ways through St. Germain-Pres.  Not bad, since we hadn't hit this area before.  Took mainly back streets and came across some lovely neighborhoods.  Made it to the museum a little after 4pm.  Admission for the garden is only 1 euro  and well worth it.  At the end of the day, it is great to walk around, take in the sculptures, have a cafe, and put your feet up and relax on the chaises.  Today they were gearing up for a big dinner for the delegates from Azerbaijan.  The gates close at 5:45 and that was just perfect for us.  We went out to the main boulevard and caught the Metro 13 directly to our hotel!  One last stop for some morning croissants and we are now back in the room.

Headed out to a small restaurant in our neighborhood  that I found on the internet for dinner which specializes in Southern French cooking.  Unfortunately, it was too small and the place was packed.  Can't get in till 9pm.  We walked a bit further down the through the many outdoor bistros and turned down a side street.  Found another South of France restaurant that seemed very good.  The menu looked great.  Geoff had this cold meat salad that had duck stuffed with fois gras, a slice of  loaf guinea hen loaf, and a hambone.  I ordered the Coqu au Vin made the traditional way with rooster and scalloped potatoes with a small salad.  A delicious real French country dinner.  We are getting much better at picking dining options.  Stay away from the main drags!!

After dinner, we went to the Montparnasse Tower which is right down the street.  It is 210 meters high and has 360 degree views of the city.  The elevator goes up 56 stories in 38 seconds.  So we have more night shots of the City of Lights.  Don't think we would have gone out of our way to go up here but since it was in the neighborhood it was a cool thing to do.  The restaurant is being renovated otherwise we might have eaten at the top.  However, we were pretty pleased with our meal.  Stopped at the market one more time on the way back for a  yogurt for dessert and the morning to add to our croissants.

We are very used to being in Paris and getting around now.  It all feels very comfortable, which means that it must be time to go. All in all I'd say we did great on our own, We were never stressed with crowds or lines.  Our location also turned out to be very convenient.  It was great being close to buses, trains, and the metro plus having access to all the cafes and restaurants.  Our flight to Vienna tomorrow is not until 5:35, the hotel will let us check out at 2:00 which is great.  We have saved one more event for our last day.  This hotel borders the Montparnasse Cemetery which houses Jim Morrison's grave.  We will wonder through there after breakfast.  Have lunch and then be off to yet another country, language, and culture.

Next time.... Vienna