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.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
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