Took the foot off the accelerator a little today, and that was a good thing. After we stuffed our faces at the complimentary buffet breakfast (now a morning tradition), we headed out to see if we could buy a couple of items that Kym needed in a department store. No such luck - they are all closed on a Sunday! Never mind, we will try again tomorrow. So, we caught the bus to another area of Paris we had not yet been - Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, etc. We are intending to return here tomorrow to visit the Sacre Coeur Basilica and the artists' village on top of the hill.
Our main port of call today was the Musee d'Orsay and we were completely overwhelmed by the paintings and artworks on display there. Undoubtedly the finest collection anywhere in the world. There were many Van Goghs to amuse Kym and countless Renoirs to appease Rod. We were fortunate that we had a pre-booked museum pass as the standard queue to gain entry to this museum was hours long. With our pass, we just walked right in. Also, it was another hot day (30 degrees), so we were glad to get out of the sun. Our tour of the d'Orsay was only interrupted by lunch at the cafe. Rod was very pleased that he used French entirely to order everything and even secured a table. He was very proud!
Upon leaving the d'Orsay, we headed down to the river Seine for a boat cruise. We thought it would be nice to sail along the river and gain a better appreciation of this city and, at the same time, reach the Eiffel Tower. Once at the tower, we were amazed at the sheer size of the structure and also the volume of people admiring it. Gosh, there were heaps of people. After weaving through the tourists and the street vendors, we managed to get some really nice photos of the tower. Rod even tried taking some black and white photos and they all came up really well.
We then headed back to the hotel to freshen up for a quick bite to eat in the evening. We ended up at a place called Hippopotomus! It was cheap and cheerful and full of French families. Tres amusement!
That's it for today. Tomorrow promises a proper visit to Montmartre, a little shopping and a good look through St-Germain des Pres on the left-bank. Au revoir!
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