Thursday in Fumel found us dodging rain showers – as we walked to the weekly monsempron – libos market….full of produce and other market items….luckily we had just taken shelter at the cafe for our coffee break as the inky rain of the day came down…then back home to tackle bag packing, ready for our departure on Friday!
That done…yawn…we once again set off on foot for a final shop at the Fumel commercial centre….I know we will kick ourselves when we are back home having resisted the fabulous shoe purchases!
A grand finale with Kevin and Roland at the pizza restaurant in Fumel….treating ourselves to a pina colada before sharing a pizza and lashing out on a desert!
The next morning we did the final pack and went with Roland to purchase our lunch for the train and a coffee, and embarking on our last Train journey to Paris…..little train from Monsempron to Agen, time for a coffee and then on the 359km per hour train to Paris….leaving Monsempron at 1.17pm ETA Paris 7.07pm!
View from the window!!!! Rainbows and windmills….somewhere between Bordeaux and Paris!
Thunderstorms predicted for the day, we smugly congratulated ourselves how, in our travels, we had avoided the promised downpours! …… that was a “spoke too soon” moment….even though time wise all had gone to plan and we arrived on schedule…but weather wise our luck had run out!
We emerged from the Paris Montparnasse station as the heavens opened up….scrabbling for the plastic ponchos, trying to find shelter with about 500 other people on the street to order a taxi, while traffic jams ensued, rivers ran down the streets, ponchos ripped and every uber or bolt we ordered cancelled on us as they could not get near the train station!
Tired and drenched….bags and humans….we decided the best plan of attack was to get away from the station and try again for a taxi!
An hour after arrival we finally had some success and were collected by a very kind driver, who understood our (wet) misery and cranked up the heater for our ride! Arriving at my friend Sally’s two hours after setting foot in Paris by 9pm!!! After a dinner and drink with Sally it was off to bed….dry and relieved to be at our Paris home for the weekend….Carolyn’s first visit to Paris, weather permitting, a busy couple of days were planned….
Saturday, we sorted, with Sally’s help, a day transport pass and off we went by bus to our first attraction….The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, it is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs Élysées —the étoile or “star” of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues.
We consequently set off down the Champs Élysées (road) with all the star studded branded shops, posh cars, and expensive cafes…
The wind had come up (but no rain) and Carolyn found even the plants were having bad hair days!!!
The Louis Vuitton store….a silver treasure chest of fashion….encompassing an entire block!
We reached the end of the 1.9 Km street to be greeted by ….
The Grand palace known as the Grand Palais, a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex ….and opposite….
The Petit Palais which is an art museum. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts
Colourful art work….
Ladder on the Grand Palais and tulips in the gardens behind the Petit Palais….in these quiet gardens we took a moment to sit and enjoy our pre bought lunch sandwich’s….in an otherwise hectic area of must sees for every tourist in Paris, these gardens were very quiet and uninhabited!!!
As we stepped out to the….
Place de la Concorde, the largest public square in Paris, France. Measuring 7.6 ha in area! Teeming with tourists, buses, taxis and bikes! All foot traffic making a beeline for the Tuileries gardens….
Created by Catherine de’ Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution….it currently hosts the large Olympiad cauldron, monument produced last year for the Paris Olympic Games!
As one emerges from the gardens you are treated to the spectacle of The louvre (art museum) the home of the Mona Lisa….and finally out to the water…
The Seine river and one of its many bridges which span the river at regular intervals..
With riverboat sightseeing cruises whizzing past continuously! Quite a water highway in the summer season!
We walked a couple of kilometres along the river to our next destination….the Notre Dame Cathedral…
This Gothic style Roman Catholic Church, sits on the end of the Ile de la Cite (an island in the middle of the Seine river) Its construction began in 1163, completed in 1260….and through the centuries was modified and maintained until a fire in 2019 severely damaged it and forced its closure (for extensive repairs) until December last year….consequently a very popular tourist attraction now it has reopened, with crowds of humans queuing for hours to get inside….these two humans were happy to view from the outside as the afternoon was waning, we were still dry despite the threatening black clouds….and we still had one more crucial site to visit!….
The Eiffel Tower….still the most outstanding monument in Paris!
We were bag and body searched and gained access to the land beneath the tower…choosing not to test our vertigo and climb or ascend to its high viewing platforms!
Bearing in mind there is a link here to the sleepy country town of Fumel (where we had just spent the last week)….and this is the steel!
Some of the steel for this magnificent construction was supplied by the now closed steel mill (in Fumel) which opened in 1847 and closed in 2018…..and at its peak, in the 1970s, employed 3000 workers daily!
Enough of the history spiel….it was nearing the end of the day and we still had a two bus ride back home….10 kms footsore and ready for some R&R!
Carolyn’s R&R meant chatting to her new boyfriend Bert (Sally’s budgie) who instantly fell in love with her and chatted away for the evening!
Day two in Paris….again threatening rain, but again not eventuating…..meant plan B was not needed…and after a stroll around the local market and lunch, Carolyn and I took the bus to the Place de Clichy at the foot of the famous perch of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which sits on the top of Montmartre and overlooks all of Paris city…
Opting for the final climb to the top by cable car, we joined the crowds, once again, to soak up the views over Paris….
Even on a cloudy day….this is impressive….a little more excitement than we anticipated, as we happened to be in the path of the illegal hawkers selling there wares, who, we gathered, had been alerted to police presence and scooped up their blankets and tacky souvenirs and fled (on foot) weaving in and around the surprised tourists (us included) at breakneck speed!
The romantic notion of padlocks has migrated(from the Seine river bridges) to the fences bordering the plaza surrounding the church!
We walked around the cathedral and down through the busy cobbled streets of the hilltop town of Montmartre…
Stopping for a beer, toilet and people watching at one of the street side bars!….
The place (terrace) where, 15 years ago, was full of budding and struggling artists painting and selling their work….has now been mostly overtaken with cafe seating and only a small area designated to artists ….. mostly offering to draw or sketch your caricature or portrait! Kind of sad really as this area was dedicated to the art culture of Paris and now houses mostly souvenir shops and eating places….a total tourist trap! While still cute….it does retain its quaint buildings and architecture!
Meandering down the cobbled streets once more to the Place de Clichy we caught our bus home…to watch the Sunday inorganic collection from the terrace…
Not really a focus to be honest, but interesting that every Sunday any thing from large furniture to appliances to broken suitcases etc can be dumped on the street to be collected!
It now off to sleep to enjoy our last day in Paris tomorrow!
All who wander are not Lost girls 