We decided we needed another dose of the Musee d'Orsay today - those Manet's are so addictive! But first, the usual breakfast of French bread, fromage, jam, tea, coffee and bananas. Yes, bananas are getting consumed by the handful by greedy Aussies all over Paris, so it's a wonder there are any bananas left because half of the current Parisian population at the moment are Australiens! Bananas are cheap, big and plentiful here - just like the Aussies!
Already we're au fait with the Metro and it's easy to get anywhere in Paris by train. Metro stations are everywhere - the next station to our Cadet Metro is only about 5 minutes walk away! Trains arrive every couple of minutes and the colour-coded system is very easy to understand (we're on the pink line). We've walked scores of kilometres so far but today we took the Metro to the Louvre and walked from there - after taking corny photos in front of the palace and the glass pyramid - through the Tuileries and onto the Orsay, which was quiter than yesterday. I made a beeline for Dejeuner sur l'Herbe and stood in front of it in rapt concentration for a long time while Nettie sat under the beautiful curved railway station roof and watched real people go by. There was hardly anyone else but me around the Dejeuner. After feasting on that masterpiece, I moved on to Olympia for another good look. With both pictures, I was as close to Victorine Meurent's face as it's possible to get and she's as beautiful and haughty as she was 150 years ago; in Dejeuner she has an enigmatic look while in Olympia she's more blasé.
We returned to Rue Cadet for lunch at a local brasserie and then indulged in a chocolate pig covered in pink almond-flavoured icing and a strawberry tart. The French eat this stuff all the time and don't get fat so we should be okay:
Then we collapsed in readiness for the big night and at five pm dragged ourselves out of bed and into our smart casual gear and took the Metro to Rue Rivoli where a bus drove us to the Eiffel Tower.
Anyone who's been to this landmark knows what a knockout it is to see it "up close" for the first time. The tallest building in the world for 41 years. And, when you're up close you see how delicate it is. Consider these amazing facts, courtesy of Wikipedia: "The pig iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes while the entire structure, including non-metal components, is approximately 10,000 tonnes. As a demonstration of the economy of design, if the 7,300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125 metre square base to a depth of only 6 cm"!
Anyone who's been to this landmark knows what a knockout it is to see it "up close" for the first time. The tallest building in the world for 41 years. And, when you're up close you see how delicate it is. Consider these amazing facts, courtesy of Wikipedia: "The pig iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes while the entire structure, including non-metal components, is approximately 10,000 tonnes. As a demonstration of the economy of design, if the 7,300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125 metre square base to a depth of only 6 cm"!
Of course, it's a real tourist trap, with busloads of rubberneckers arriving every few seconds. We were herded into a queue and then onto an elevator for the ride to the restaurant on the first level 58 metres up. We were lucky to be seated with a lovely couple from Wollongong who'd been travelling all over Europe for 10 weeks. The highlight of the meal was the foam. I've never had foam served to me before, at least not in a restaurant. This was a mascarpone foam with truffle oil, though it didn't really taste of anything at all so it was a relief that there was real food underneath!
The cruise along the Seine was lovely, even with all the tourist-trap trappings. It was especially beautiful to see Parisians dancing the tango au bord de la Seine.
By the time we got back to the Tower it was night and that's when it really comes into its own. It's breathtaking, so I'll shut up for a while and let the pictures do the talking!
By the time we got back to the Tower it was night and that's when it really comes into its own. It's breathtaking, so I'll shut up for a while and let the pictures do the talking!
Then we trudged to the nearest Metro, being too stingy to take a cab back to our digs even though we were completely exhausted and it was about 10.45. We were apprehensive about travelling on the Metro late at night but it was crowded with civilized Parisians of all shapes and sizes (though they're mostly thin). A young man helped us a lot, taking great pains to explain to us which line to take (we were far from home), letting us onto the platform when we found the ticket machines were out of order and saying "you're welcome" when we said "Merci beaucoup". I think that from now on, when people tell me the French are arrogant and rude, I'll challenge them to a duel. We've found Parisians to be charming, courteous, friendly and helpful.
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