Day 16 & 17 Paris
Paris had been the most nervous part of our trip. With the metro strikes and the protesting that has been going on, I was a bit concerned.
We knew not to rely on the metro, so when we got to the airport in Paris we purchased Le Bus tickets, which are like our Skybus. The stop at Gare de Montparnasse is right near our hotel the Holiday Inn. Of course, because the metro is out, the traffic is CRAZY! And it took about 2 hours to get from the airport to our hotel!
Once we arrived we headed out to go find the hop on hop off bus. My navigation, even using Google Maps is never very good, and I end up going the wrong way before getting it right. I was also rushing, as the big bus tours itinerary indicated that it stopped running at 4.45pm! I much later discovered that this meant for a full circuit, not between stops ?
Anyway, we caught the bus (by running the last bit of the way). We got off at the Champs-Élysées stop and admired the arch, and had a late lunch. We went to McDonalds where I was going to try a McChicken. But I ended up with a fish burger, so my McChickens around the world experiment has been derailed slightly.
We stopped at H&M so I could replace my missing beanie and gloves. Especially as we had a night tour of Paris scheduled, I was going to need these items ASAP!
We watched a ceremony under the Arc de Triomph. The ceremony happens each night at 6.30pm and commemorates the Unknown Soldier who is entombed here. On the arch’s pillars are engraved the names of 660 national heroes.
We went on our two hour night tour on the top level of an open bus. It was cold, but also very beautiful.
We ordered an Uber to get back to our hotel, and then decided we needed to eat, having missed dinner. So ordered a meal on Uber Eats.
The next day (Sunday) we packed our bags again, and left our luggage at the hotel to continue our exploring. We jumped back on the Big Bus and continued our sightseeing. We departed the bus at the EIFFEL Tower in order to join a river cruise. I was looking forward to it – but I think we saw things far better from the bus than the boat.
We got off the bus across the river from Notre Dame Cathedral, had lunch at a local cafe, where I had duck with potatoes and Ulick had burger with FRENCH fries!
Across the road from here was a Christmas market, so we had a look and I bought another Christmas decoration.
From here we ordered a car and headed back to the hotel to collect our bags – allowing plenty of time to get back to the airport. Which was just as well, as it was another 2 hour trip.
We arrived in Dublin later that night after a good trip across with Air France.
Paris, you were great, and I would definitely visit again.
