Paris – Day Two

We awoke at around ten-ish in the morning. Breakfast in the hotel was only served until 10:30 so we skipped that and went to nearby brasserie (=sell meals and baguette with something on it) just at the corner called Le Chateau De L’Ouest. We had Navarin d’Anreau (lamb) for lunch and a Bavarian fruit crème for desert. All very delicious. Nice place.

Then we proceeded to the Eiffel tower. For that journey, we had to master the Metro and local train system of Paris. Task one: Decide which ticket to buy, like day tickets, single tickets, zone tickets etc. just like home. After some consideration including ticket prices, places to visit, saving we could get from the one day ticket and the actual amount of places we really could visit between 15:00 and closing time, we determined that the 10 fares tickets are cheaper and would suffice.

Task two was to find a route to Eiffel tower. One option included a local train similar to the RE in Germany. This option resulted in two tickets used for this first trip. Nevertheless, we have learned: While a single ticket is 1.70 € and if you by ten you get them for 1.33 €, which is cheaper than any short distance ticket in Germany, switching train types is not covered.

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Task three, climbed the Eiffel tower. Entrance fee 14.50 € each. After a rather sloppy security check, we entered an elevator to transport us to the first and second level. The first level is currently under repairs, so we only visited the second level and saved the rest for our next visit to Paris. On the second floor we admired the view and did some shopping, especially one bol for coffee. They also have a restaurant called Jules Verne on that level. While the name is well suited for the location, the prices on the menu suggested that we might not be able to meet the dress code standards. So we proceeded the second elevator going up to the top.

The top provides an amazing view over the city over two floors. In addition you can find additional information on the history of the place, its construction and famous visitors. We also learned, it was build in under two years. Very impressive.

Afterwards we went to the Arc de Triumpe (height 50m) and I must say, the Brandenburger Tor (height 26m) looks like a garden entrance in comparison. Subsequently, we walked down the Champs-Élysées, which goes downhill from the Arc which is a well chosen location to make the Arc even more prominent. We walked all the way down to the Louvre and examined the pyramids. Inside the biggest one was one large statue covered with a dark curtain. We could not determine if the cover was part of the installation or just a protective cover.

Our next stop on our way home was the Bastille or at least the place where it stood in pre-revolution time. However, the French had it abolished after the revolution and the only thing to remember the Bastille is a small sign and some arcs on the ground. Nothing about a great victory or something. In the US, there would have been a monument and a museum and someone selling little Bastilles.

After admiring the place we went back to Montparnasse by Metro. In Montparnasse we had then a late dinner at a place called Le Plomb du Cantal. Omelette with salad. Delicious!

Well fed, we walked home and checked out our e-mail just to find out that our train was canceled! Eeeeek! The first solution was to get a proper translation to English for the e-mail so we do not miss anything, but it looked like we understood it quite well. The hotel receptionist tried to call SNCF for us, but their help line was not operational at night. So we went to bed for a short sleep to get up at six to handle the mess.

2 thoughts on “Paris – Day Two

  1. Super Reiner
    many thanks very well written quite a pleasure to read. Now, where is the continuation?
    Frederik

    • When I am back from a conference in Munich and have time to fiddle around with pictures and already written text samples 😉

      Cheers
      Reiner

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