Il a fait brille à Paris

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a fine clear day with lots of sun.  There was little wind but it was very cold, a four layer day. 

Bev outside the Arc de Triomphe

We took the M2 line to Charles De Gaule Etoile where we visited the Arc de Triomphe.  It stands at one end of the Champs Elysees and at the other end is the Place de Concorde.  We climbed to the top of it and watched with fascination as people tried to negotiate what must be the biggest roundabout in the world.  Despite the look of chaos there are clearly some rules, such as waiting for people to come from your right then when clear proceeding through the rest of the roundabout. 

Jardins des Tuileries

After the entertainment we walked down the Champs Elysees to the Place de Concorde, through the Jardins des Tuileries and to the Louvre.  The Tuileries were bare compared to the last time I was there; the trees without leaves and a noticeable absence of people.  Even at the Louvre there was hardly any queue to get into it.  People were well wrapped up even though the sun was shining.  At midday where there was still ice present. 

We headed across the Seine to find Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf which had been suggested  by Janet as a good company to do our Seine cruise with.   To get there we went across a bridge which had all these locks on it with people's names on them.  It turns out that there is a sale of the locks which are called the locks of love where people purchase a lock and throw the key into the Seine.  You can even buy a range of sizes in locks, I presume the larger the lock the more desparate the person is to symbolically lock their love in some way. 

Ponts dessus la Seine

Bev was a bit hungry and in need of a coffee so we found a nice café nearby and had a late lunch of Gratinee de l’oignon before going to the Vedettes de Pont Neuf.  We got there just five minutes before departure.  The ride on the Seine was  well worth the money.  We went downstream and then back upstream past the Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis.  The commentary was in both English and French although I had difficulty understanding both languages due to the racket from the young children that were part of a class outing.  I think the woman who was commenting was having difficulty as well because the children weren’t taking any notice and the other passengers were struggling to hear.  Despite that it was informative and because it was late afternoon  the colours and shadings were wonderful for taking photos.

We caught the train back to Blanche, the station near our apartment, buying  some chinese food for heating up later.  We were rather tired from all the walking we had done during the day so it was good to get back and finish the day with a wine and some cheese.