Paris in a day (and a half)

John had never been to Paris. So since we now live so close, we thought we'd just take a weekend trip to show him the sights. We got up at 4:45 a.m. to catch a very early morning train. Luckily we had not been out too late the night before, which made it easier to rise well before the sun. The train ride was uneventful, aside from the bourgeois middle age couple across from Leo and me, who took up too much leg room. When we arrived in Paris, we all marvelled at how much brighter the colours were, and how much better the smells were, and Leo and John kept noticing how much more attractive the women were. Once we queued for money and metro tickets, we started another one of Leo's death marches (aided by my expert navigational skills).

We began the day with a croissant in the 20th arrondissement, and a tour of the cemetery at Père Lachaise. We then took a stroll through the Marais having lunch at Le Bouledogue near the Pompidou (a brassiere we had been recommended the first time we went to Paris, but never had a chance to go to). After lunch we headed up the St. Denis (one of the red-light districts) to our hotel in the 9th arrondissement to drop off our stuff. With the day fading quickly, we headed south to Notre Dame, we found Hemingway's home with his first wife in the Latin Quarter, walked by the Pantheon, and stopped for a drink at a cafe near the Jardin du Luxembourg. We walked past the Church of San Sulpice, walked to the Odeon for a crepe, and headed back North, through the Ile de la Cite, past the Bastille to the restaurant Bofinger, where we would have eaten a lot more choucroute garnie, but were too exhausted.

On Sunday, since we had to get on a 2:45 p.m. train back to London, we awoke early and headed up to Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre. We then hopped the train to see the Arc de Triomphe walking briefly down the Champse-Elysee, as Leo and John envisioned German troops invading the city. We headed south again so we could get to the Eiffel Tower, which John didn't believe was that big until he saw it up close. We had a glass of wine at a cafe near by, headed back toward the Seine, picking up baguette sandwiches before getting onto the metro to head back to the train station.

In a day and a half, we managed to fit in a week's worth of sight seeing. My legs are still exhausted and last night I slept so soundly that not even our house guest's snoring could wake me up.