Well I am coming to the end of my second full day in Paris. I arrived here on Wednesday evening. Thursday I headed out early and had a pain au chocolate and cafe au lait at an open air cafe type place - not the best and won't do that again but it was close and I was hungry and dying for a coffee. I got a three day pass for the metro - four day ones weren't available so will get a day pass for Sunday. Off I went - I like the Paris metro - not as much as London and way more than New York which is the most horrific one I've ever been on...confusing and dirty. Anyway first stop was St. Michel where I walked around the area a bit until a walking tour started at St Michel square at 11 a.m. However the group was huge and I could not hear the guide plus people were talking. I thought 'screw this' and took off on my own. I walked along the Seine and then crossed over to the Jardin des Tuileries and on to Concord Square where there is a permanent ferris wheel. It also marks the spot where many were beheaded including Marie Antoinette. I then walked down the Champs Elysees where the Xmas market was still in full swing - I walked by but did not look too closely - I think I have overdosed on Christmas markets! I stopped and had a nutella (a chocolate/hazelnut spread for those who are unfortunate enough not to know) crepe and ended up wearing most of it on my face and my jacket. Sigh....thank goodness I had some moist wipes with me. Then I wandered on and saw the new Marks and Spencers so flew in. I walked by and saw the Prawn and Mayonnaise sandwiches but said no Laurie you can have one on Monday. I tell you though if there hadn't been a line up for the till I might have grabbed one. Sick I know....I walked down to get photos of the Arch de Triumphe. Then I got the metro over to the Eiffel Tower. Did not go up as the line was way too long but took enough pictures. I was walking over to the park behind it and realized I had been pulling my small camera out of my pocket and oops no metro pass....I had meant to put it back in my wallet as a pocket is a silly place to put a tiny ticket when you are reaching in all the time. Well can you believe there it was laying on the ground. Thank goodness or that would have been 21 Euro down the drain. I then walked over to Rue Cler which is a street with all sorts of open air shops like a market - I stayed in a hotel on that street in 1999. Back on the metro and back to this area where I had a quiche in a boulangerie. It was okay - guess I had my hopes up too high....back here as I was really tired from not much sleep the night before. Sadie came in and slept on my sofa while I did my internet thing. I wore ear plugs and took a herbal sleeping remedy so the elephants upstairs did not keep me awake. I don't know what they do up there but it's loud. This apartment has charming wooden floors but they are old and they creak and basically no sound proofing.
I have decided to put the Thames Path on hold until I am back in London next month and we have more Spring like weather...I will be going into a more rural area that is prone to flooding as well. I am staying at about five miles maximum a day as well...my knees and feet have been giving me major grief so I am not pushing myself. However that doesn't mean I don't want to walk. One of my favourite British Walking Federation walks is one that starts at Westminster tube station and covers 10km to St Katherines Docks just east of the Tower of London. Yesterday I walked as far as St Paul's and will do the rest of the walk in the next couple of days. Normally I do this entire 10 km walk my first day in London but not this time... So here are some of the highlights along the way....what a gorgeous day it was. A different view of Big Ben Can you believe this was my first time on Parliament Square Another hero on Parliament Square Classic ...
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