I heart Paris...day 3

By day 3 of the trip we were both exhausted from all the walking around.  Our idea of getting to breakfast earlier so all the food would not be finished sort of worked.  With a lot of effort we got there a bit earlier but a lot was already eaten so I asked for more pastries and they brought some more out.  So with stomachs full of French pastries we were ready to start our final day.

Our plan was to go visit the famous Louvre Museum (http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en).  As it was the first Sunday of the month many of the museums were free (as they also are in Switzerland) and this included the Louvre.  We decided to head there with our bags as we had researched and seem that the Louvre has baggage storage facilities. 

When we got there the queue was incredibly long. There were people everywhere and the line snaked all the way through the courtyard with the pyramids, through the archway and into the next courtyard.  We had no idea how long it would take to get inside but we estimated it would be around 2 hours at least, so we decided to leave the Louvre for another trip.

The Louvre

The long queue

 

A section of the Louvre up close

Instead we took a walk through the Tuileries Garden in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe but lugging our suitcases around was not great. We walked as far as the Place de la Concorde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Concorde).  There are 2 fountains and at the centre of the Place is the Obelisk of Luxor.  We found the Obelisk very interesting as it contains Egyptian hieroglyphics. According the Wikipedia the Obelisk was a gift from the Egyptians.  It is a red granite structure that rises 23 meters into the air. On the day we were there, there was even a person dressed up in a golden mummy outfit trying to make some extra money. 

 

Obelisk of Luxor



The hieroglyphics

One of the fountains

The Arc de Triomphe in the distance

With our luggage that was as far as we got.  We viewed the Arc de Triomphe (http://www.arcdetriompheparis.com/) from a distance but this would also have to wait till another visit.  We made our way back to the Tuileries Garden and relaxed next to one of the ponds. 

Relaxing next to the huge pond

We then made our way along Rue de Rivoli looking for a place for lunch. We ended up going to Café Massena for a burger.  Then the time had arrived for us to make our way back to the train station.

A beautifully colourful street

We arrived a bit early so we headed upstairs to Le Train Bleu (http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/).  At first I was not too sure about going in as it looks very posh but once inside they took us to a cosy lounge area with big leather couches.  We plopped down onto the couches and enjoyed a lovely coffee.

Delicious coffee at Le Train Bleu

Then it was back on the train home.  We were tired and exhausted from all the walking but really enjoyed Paris and will definitely be going back a few times to see the rest of the sites, try more restaurants and do some shopping.

But at the end of the day there is nothing like arriving back at Home Sweet Home!