We pretty much "hit the wall" after the last several days of metro & museum hopping. We thought about going to Versailles, but it would be better viewed in the spring or summer when you could walk the grounds. We saw a representative room in Musée d'Orsay and we got the idea of the grand opulence we would expect to see. Another idea was to find a shop where Julia Child frequented, E.Dehillerin, and even figured out what route to take... But, we were bushed! We crossed Pont Marie to Ile de la Cité and walked around Notre-Dame. It was our first and only sunny day and there were huge lines around the cathedral. We passed on that crowded venue and strolled to ...
...La Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette was jailed) and Sainte Chappelle adjacent. But again, there were lines around the block. So, we just waled around the island and saw the sights from the outside. It was cool and brisk, but beautiful out. We enjoyed the views of the Seine - the boats, the bridges and the Louvre (across the river), and all the charming buildings: window-boxed, balconied apartments as far as the eye can see. Simply lovely!
We stopped for deli "pizza," hung out in the hotel and did some shopping. The pizza was a thin crust LOADED with tomatoes, veggies and a little bit of cheese.
So much just screamed TACKY Paris and/or were overpriced, naturally. We got a handful of Eiffel Tower keychains and some chocolates from the store next to the hotel.
I was after the winter scarves, all the rage in Paris for men and women. Bill, shopping with me, said "Buy that one," after I fingered half a dozen in one store. Clearly this was not like shopping with a girl. I also picked up a matching reversible TOC! set, a looped, double-sided fleece head/neck wrap that can be manipulated into different configurations, plus fingerless gloves. By the end of the day all we wanted was a scoop of the very popular Bertillon ice cream, heavenly.
We kept passing this very snooty store with jersey & lace wraps... it drew me in and I succumbed to the urge and bought one. SO Touristy!
Bill's POV:
Pretty much hit the wall with walking and rich French cooking. Lines at Sainte Chappelle and the Conciergerie were quite long, so we opted for shopping and a quiet day without much in the way of food.
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