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2 October 2017

Paris 2017 – Day 2

Steps today: 23 556. I am shocked! I can’t believe its “as low as” yesterday when you consider I only really started that day at noon. I was so sure I would have had a bigger day today! Ah well, more in-room laps for me tonight.

I slept really well last night, I pushed the 2 beds together to make it feel like a larger bed. Single beds are so narrow that I was scared I’d roll over in the middle of the night and fall out of bed!

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It’s somewhat pointless to get an early start to the day (early by my standards) because the sun only comes up around 7:30 and most attractions on my list open at 10AM - so I slept until 7:30, lazed around and watched the local news and weather, showered, and hit the road by 8:30. 

I walked to Gare de Lyon, stopping for a coffee and croissant on the way…

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I set off from Gare de Lyon for my first sightseeing trip of the day: Château de Maisons. Easy to get to with the commuter train (RER A) but buying a ticket was an ordeal!!! When I got to the station I went straight to the RER area of the station and was stuck in the LOOOONG line ups to buy a ticket. It took forever!  I hate these scenarios because I always feel like the people in line are breathing down my neck and mentally hurrying me through my ticket purchase. By the time it was my turn, the machine would not take my card! I tried my debit card, no luck, tried the credit card again, no luck, pressure mounting… then I realised I had enough change to pay cash but by then the machine kicked me out! Instead of starting over, I let the pressure of the line get to me and gave up. I shouldn’t have… let the grumpy gusses behind me wait! Ultimately, I am glad I did give up on that machine because I learned a lesson: Instead of lining up again, I went to the main part of the train station to see if there any commuter train kiosks there, and there were WITH NO LINE UPS AT ALL! wow… poor people in the other section waiting forever!! Then, I also tried my card again and it worked just fine, perhaps I put it in backwards without realizing or something stupid like that. I finally got my ticket and got the show on the road.

When I arrived at the Chateau, I was dismayed to see it was completely covered with scaffolding!!!

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Thankfully it was only one side, the other side was gorgeous!

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I whizzed through the interior, I am SO SO SO “seen one, seen em all” when it comes to chateaux interiors, but I did not want to skip it all together… especially not with all the trouble it took me to get the train ticket!

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Next site on my list was Chateau Malmaison. It closes for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30 which is great because I was hungry, but every place I saw was closed. I arrived at 1PM, walked the gardens a bit and considered skipping the interior to get on with my day and EAT!

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Anybody know what these growths are on the leaves?

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I decided to stay and toured the interior in about 20 minutes. Good enough for me!

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From here, I took the bus back to La Défense to visit La Grande Arche again and try and EAT!

I never get tired of seeing this building in person – its so gargantuan it blows me away every time.

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I walked up the stairs and spotted a ticket booth for tickets to the roof! Well, that’s a must! Up I went. Nice views from up there, but not much better than the ground view.. so really the ride up the outdoor elevators are the novelty.

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The view of the Arc de Triomphe from here (bottom of the Arch!) is one of my favourites.

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I was so hungry by then, but I didn’t want to have ‘just anything’ to eat so I hoofed it over to what I call “Brasserie Row” and tucked in at Le Select for a very very late lunch. It was almost 4PM by the time I arrived.

It was great! I got a terrific table in a corner of the closed terrace, non-smoking, a perfect perch for watching the world go by. It was a delicious meal, but I was underwhelmed by the presentation of the beef tartar in a BOWL. Ugh, like dog food.

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I had no solid plans for after supper, I figured I’d wander northward until I got to the Seine and then see what I felt like doing. Like a moth to a flame, the magnetic force of Les Deux Magots pulled me in and I stopped in for a Sauternes. Nice outdoor table with not too many smokers. Excellent!

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After, I crossed the street to visit the inside of the St Germain Church which I have not done since 2004.  It was nice, despite the construction inside.

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Shots a little blurry since I took them with my phone…

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I thought I’d walk home through the Luxembourg Gardens, but they had just closed. Had I not stood on the street corner waiting for this bus-free shot of the Senat building I would have made it. Ah well, some other time.

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This is a great shot of the Pantheon don’t you agree?

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I had a night cap at Café de France, again outside on a smoke free terrace, within view of the hotel. It was great! Can you see the front door just next to that cluster of lights on the right?

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I’d like to get off to an earlier start tomorrow - based on my step count of the last 2 days I just need an extra 15 minutes! we’ll see how well I sleep tonight.

I’ll leave you with a few more random shots of my day.

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Good night!

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