Phil has been working out between eggs & bacon for breakfast & cream pastries for morning tea. What a physique! What a tower of strength!
If you are planning a trip to Paris & you wish to visit le Louvre, please note, il a ferme le mardi, that is, it is closed on Tuesday! With Plan A in tatters, we found ourselves at Musee du quai Branly, a cultural institution showcasing anthropology of non-Western cultures. My reaction to the facility & the exhibits within showed I am a humanitarian, not an anthropologist. The space would house many of the destitute we have seen on the streets of Paris.
We ventured across town to the 5th Arrondissement, known as the Latin Quarter, in search of streets & sites where the instigators of the French Revolution lived & planned their revolt. This was Phil's search. I was happy just to photograph streetscapes that appealed.
We trained it back to Boulevard Haussmann. Negotiating the numerous stairs & crossings of hidden tracks in Stations Invalides & Chatelet was a challenge. Even armed with a map! Gallery Lafayette's rooftop terrace provided some panoramic views of Paris. A few clicks & we were gone. In hot conditions, the 1.3 kilometre walk to Place St Augustin was a shade-hugging test of endurance.
Paris has a lot to offer. I've enjoyed my second visit. When researching accommodation options, relying on advertising pictorials & testimonials comes with risk, but Hotel Malesherbes has delivered excellent value. Staying in & getting to know a different area of the city was a good choice. The Place St Augustin, in the 8th Arrondissement, was an excellent location. A €19 door to door shuttle service from Charles De Gaulle & Orly Airports & situated just 100 metres to bus & 200 metres to either Stations Mirominsel or St Augustin, it offered very good transport connections. I'm disappointed we didn't make it to the Louvre. An assumption that an attraction of its calibre would be open seven days a week was our undoing. Perhaps reason to return just one more time.
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