Yesterday started using the open double decker bus to get our bearings- there are 4 routes an a 28 euro ticket givs you 2 days to do them- you can hop on and off as you please. The most popular route took us along the Champs Elysee around Eiffel Tour and past Notre Dame and surrounding streets- impressive layout-the powers during 19th century certainly mde the most of it-using grand plans of giant boulevards and visual accents at each end to great effect.Difficult to appreciate overall on foot how clever they were.We saw bits of Paris that we had not seen before and were impressed by its overall grandeur.Today did the other 2 bits- saw the new opera house at Bastille and the new development at Bercy-finance dept another modern grand building.The new national library recently finished looks good too.Reminiscent of the old Gas and fuel towers was the Montparnesse tower which stands out like a sore thumb when you see a panorama of Paris-bad 70s architecture-what were they thinking??.Angelus is ringing from Sacre Couer as I type this.
Anyhow after left bank tour we had lunch in a restaurant recommended by a friend ( Jan N) and hd a very pleasant lunch of steak with pepper sauce with a glass of red wine.Off to join the throng at Notre Dame after wandering through the sts of the left bank-(will get back there).Sun was out so the windows were magnificant.Then over to St Chappelle-wow!The old chapel of the kings of France was amazing- colours,gold and superb stained glass.Not too big, this is beautiful. Easy to imagine court ladies and gents in brocades and silk in here!Like a wonderful stage set but 800 yrs old. Thank Goodness the revolutionaries did not destroy it!
Being a tourist is excellent in this fine cool weather- let's hope it holds!
We have christened our orange card metro passes which will be worn out by the end of the week.
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