Paris 2016 – Day 6

Steps today: 25 731. We had a super-busy day and LOVED being so occupied!

The beginning of the day was not so super mind you, we started off with one big screw-up! Or as my mom said: This was our vacation blooper.

First on our agenda was breakfast. Up until now, we’ve been having breakfast in cafés and they are pretty much always the same thing: Coffee, O.J., Baguette with butter and jam, Croissant, once I added a hard boiled egg. Depending on where we are, it costs anywhere between 8 and 13€.

This morning, we took the metro from our hotel to the Palais Royal stop in order to gawk at the original entrance and then, straight as an arrow, went to the first place we saw for breakfast which was right behind it:  Brasserie du Louvre.

It was really nice! The tables were all prettily set, they gave us a great seat… and then disappeared. We sat there for quite a while before I realised that this place was attached to a hotel and it was a buffet breakfast. We wondered if it was ONLY buffet but there was no one to ask; I finally just said screw it and got up and filled my plate. My mom did the same after me. I said to my mom that they must have just assumed we were guests at the hotel and figured we knew what we were doing.

I didn’t want to eat too much because I wanted to save my appetite for lunch so while I did eat more than usual I didn’t go crazy-overboard  just medium-overboard. ha! Cheese, salami, scrambled eggs, sausage, baguette, croissant… I forced myself to stop there.

While we were eating, we tried to guess at the price. We both logically concluded it would be more expensive than our average total based on the food and where we were - my mom said probably 20€, I guessed 18€. HA! it was 30!!!!!!!!!!!  we spend 60€ on breakfast!!!!!!!!!!! Lesson learned, believe me.

If we were assholes, we could have gotten it for free because when we asked for the bill the waiter told us that it was included in the price of our room (and also confirmed my earlier assumption that they thought we were hotel guests), but we were honest and told him we were not guests. He thanks us profusely for being so honest, but a tiny part of me wished I was an asshole when I saw the bill.

After breakfast we peaked into the courtyard of the Palais Royal:

Went for a walk along St-Honoré, a street full of expensive boutiques. Check out this sweater – it’s 745€! I think I am going to quit my job and take up knitting or crocheting for a living. I would make a fortune in profits!

From there it was on to Place Vendome and the Ritz. There must have been a dignitary or someone famous getting ready to leave – the place was swarming with secret police (I presume since they were all wearing ear pieces) and fancy cars with dark windows parked out front. We didn’t stick around to see who it was.

We then went for a tour of the Opera House / Palais Garnier.

I know I said I was done for life with opulent interiors, and I am! But the Opera House is mind blowing. I think I enjoy it because it’s not roped off or on fake-display like a museum, but it’s an actual building still in use that we can roam around in as we please. My mom and I both agreed that this as a billion times better than Versailles. I visited in 2012 and remember clearly how blown away I was – it was fun to see my mom’s reaction: she lost the ability to speak coherently!

I had trouble with the camera settings and my laptop doesn’t really show colours nicely – I hope these pictures look better on your screen! None of them do justice to the real thing anyway. It really has to be seen to be believed.

Chagall’s Chandelier is amazing:

Even the floors were beautiful!

After this, we saw the Centre Pompidou. I’ve never really been impressed with it.

City Hall:

Went for a tour of the Conciergerie:

Walked trough the Louvre Courtyard and the Tuilleries Gardens:

I like this picture because you can see straight through to the Obelisk in Place de la Concorde, The Arc de Triomphe and La Défense:

Saw Monet’s Water Lilies at the Orangerie:

Then had a later than planned lunch (because we still so full from breakfast) at the Boullion Chartier where we gave up on on Sunday because of the line-ups. As per always, I had foie gras and cheese. This time with steak tartare as my main dish. It was terrific.

After lunch, we walked up to Sacré Coeur again now that there was no hoards of people and we climbed the Dome (300 steps). It was exhausting after that huge lunch but worth every step!

Perhaps I should say: worth every WORN OUT step!

The views were great, albeit hazy in the distance:

From there we went to take some pictures of the Moulin Rouge.

And then went for a nightcap at a café on the Champs Elysée. This turned into supper since we weren’t hungry at all. It was a Kir aux Pêches heavy on the Pêches for me again; I realize that when it comes to food on this trip I am being quite repetitive! But I’m just not done indulging in my favourites.

Very last on the agenda was a night shot of the Arc de Triomphe before calling it a day.

Fantastically full day! Can’t wait for more tomorrow.

Goodnight