Au Revoir, Paris!

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we were prepared to explore Paris on our own. AmaWaterways offered an optional tour of the Marais, but everyone in our group had their own agenda -- shopping, Louvre, Notre Dame or just wandering the streets of the Left and Right Banks.

Several were novices with the Paris Metro, so Jerry and I started our day teaching a brief Metro 101 course while getting to Notre Dame.


The entry line at the Cathédrale was long so we opted to walk around the outside since we'd toured the interior before. Each side is unique and the flying buttresses spectacular.


The front façade is a must for all tourists, and we definitely fit that category!


By now our students seemed comfortable exploring on their own, so we began our day visiting familiar sites as well as some new ones on the Right Bank.  I used to be a "Left Bank Snob" but am finding more and more I enjoy on the Right Bank.

The bridges of Paris are some of my favorite landmarks.  This photo shows the famous Pont Neuf connecting the Left and Right Banks.

It would be a shame to say you had been to Paris without setting foot inside her most famous museum, the Louvre. Considered Europe's greatest museum, the Louvre has a magnificent art collection that was begun by Francis I with four Raphaels, three da Vincis and one Titian. On my first visit to Paris in 1971, I entered the museum, saw Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa and was out of there in 30 minutes!  Criminal, eh?  My goal, when I retire is to take art history courses so I can appreciate the great works of art in the museums of Europe.

We walked through quaint old streets and stumbled upon this charming crêperie.  The Calvados crêpes I had in Honfleur were
 a distant memory, but one I wanted to renew.  Those here were also delicious, but in a different way from what I remembered from Normandy.  I will keep sampling crêpes in search of ever new and wonderful tastes.

Lunch was followed by souvenir shopping and a stop for cappuccino at the bar in the Renaisance Paris Vendome Hotel.  Two years ago my friend, Tana, and I had stayed there on a Fam trip.  The hotel was as lovely as I remembered.  Coffee renewed my energy, and I was able to complete my souvenir shopping on the Rue de Rivoli.

AmaWaterways offered a tour of Montmartre and Illuminations of Paris for our last evening in Paris. Most of our group joined the tour and reported thoroughly enjoying the evening.

Since it was our last evening in Paris and we'd seen Montmartre and the city at night (lovely!) we slipped away to a romantic little French restaurant and enjoyed a delightful farewell-to-Paris dinner.

I know Jerry and I will return to Paris some day and hope others in our group will as well.  No one ever tires of the City of Lights!
Linda

Paris - The City of Lights

This morning we bid adieu  to our home, the AmaLegro, and  disembarked in Paris.

 Since  our hotel rooms for the next 2 nights would not be ready until 3p, Ama Waterways  arranged a tour of Paris  ending with a tour of the Musee d'Orsay.

Beginning with the Left Bank, our first stop was at the Eiffel Tower which we had seen beautifully lit last night.
 Today's view was the one I recalled from previous trips but still an incredibly striking example of Gustav Eiffel's architectural genius.



From here we continued on through the Left Bank  passing by L'Hotel des Invalides.  It was originally constructed in the 17th century as a hospital for wounded and aged soldiers.  Many other uses were found for the structure and eventually became the burial site for Napolean when his body was returned from St. Helena.




A unique structure on the Left Bank was L'Eglise de la Madeleine.

 Louis XV in 1764 laid the cornerstone but the Revolution haltedconstruction.  Napolean build the huge structure with a Greek
exterior and Romanesque interior.  After Waterloo and Napolean's demise, Louise XVIII completed the work as a church.



Lunch time was fast approaching as we stopped at the Musee d'Orsay.  We had a  1 1/2hr  break for lunch in the area around the museum.  Jerry and I stopped at one tiny cafe but only after placing or order did we discover they had no restroom facilities.  Since this was our main objective, we gobbled down our sandwich and left in search of a 'full service' site.  In the next block we found a larger brasserie and enjoyed a creme brulee, cappuccino and their restrooms.

Refreshed we were now ready to enjoy a tour of the museum and with our guide in the lead, we were whisked past long lines of visitors waiting to get in. A guide and/or pre-purchased tickets is a must for the more popular museums in Paris. The museum's art treasures became much more meaningful as our guide explained the transition from early pre-Impressionist works to works by Monet and his contemporaries ending with the start of WWI in 1914.

As our tour ended we boarded our waiting bus and drove through the Right Bank.  Since we had very special plans for the evening, there wasn't time for more stops -- there would be an opportunity to tour that area tomorrow.

BUT, tonight we were looking forward to a very special evening, the Paradis Latin Cabaret.  AmaWaterways had arranged this event for us as part of our farewell to Paris .  I had read reviews of this cabaret show which declared it to be one of the best in Paris.  I would definitely agree.  From the time we entered this lovely 19th century theater designed by Gustave Eiffel to the closing performance we were treated to what has to be one of the best cabaret shows in Paris.

Champagne was poured as soon as we arrived and wine with the delicious dinner.  And then  the young "Dandy" MC announced it was time for the show to begin. The scenes changed with talented dancers in a assortment of costumes.  From masked balls and musical comedies to modern ballets and amazing acrobats we were thoroughly entertained.  And then the grande finale -- the  French Cancan!!

Back at our hotel, we had a few hours to sleep before our last day in Paris!
Linda