A deep sleep and well earned lie in was followed by fresh croissants and sweet orange juice in the apartment. Josh and I took our time to collect ourselves together and with the things in hand which we would need for the day, we set off for the local bistro to decide on our plan of action and enjoyed a cup of cafe creme while watching the world go by.
Fortunately, our legs and feet were feeling refreshed so we planned to spend our last full day on foot and follow a walking tour of Paris.
Our starting point was where the city first began around 300 BC at the river island of Ile de la Cite. This is the home of the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame, a Gothic treasure built on the site of the Merovingian catherdral and the Roman temple of Jupiter. Building work began in 1160 and was completed around 1345. However, over the centuries, the building decade and some parts became dilapidated. Fortunately, Notre Dame was extensively restored during the 1820s and many of the memorable gargoyles were added to the fascia.
Afterwards, a well earned beverage was quickly drank overlooking Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, again watching the world go by.
Hunger had reared itself following the delicious 1664, so a delightful park just behind the cathedral was to be the location for lunch, the Square Jean XXIII. A picnic of bread, cheese and olives satisfied our needs before discovering a padlock bridge. Surprisingly, there is more than one padlock bridge in Paris and it appears that wherever a padlock could be placed, it was. Quickly, Josh was on the case, bought a padlock from one of the many stalls lined up along the Seine, written our names and secured it on the Pont de la Tournelle.
Thankfully, the weather remained on our side and a leisurely walk along the south side of the Seine, including a brief stretch of uneven cobbles, lead us to the Musee d'Orsay. Originally, this building was a railway station and served as such for just shy of 40 years until 1939. The building was reborn after it was saved from destruction and demolition by the well voiced public of Paris and in 1986, the interior was re-designed as a museum hosting great works of art from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist period.
The walk took more energy than we realised and with relief we saw the cafe was on the ground floor. Unable to find this cafe, we resolved ourselves to climb the 5 stories to the other cafe in the museum. However, what we found most strange was that the escalators took people down yet the public had to walk up the stairs - all 5 floors! A rather expensive cafe greeted us upon our arrival but the quality of refreshments and stunning view from the terrace outweighed the cost.
From here on in, we toured the museum and enjoyed viewing many great works of art and basked in the architecture:
The main hall
Pablo Picasso, Woman in Green (1943)
Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament, London, Sun Breaking Through the Fog (1904); The Japanese Bridge (The Water-Lily Pond) (1899); The Poppy Field near Argenteuil (1873)
Gustave Caillebotte, Les Raboteurs de Parquet (1875)
Vincent van Gogh, Bedroom in Arles (1888); Self-Portrait (1889)
Francois Pompon, Polar Bear (1923-1933)
With the evening fast approaching and the tethered balloon ride still on our list, quickly we rode the metro to the Parc Andre-Citroen in the south of Paris. This felt like a park for local people, with families, groups of friends and joggers all enjoying the somewhat modern layout and features.
One of the features of the balloon is a strip of LED s which indicates the air quality: at that moment it was orange which means don't panic! Sadly, due to high winds, the tethered balloon was grounded.
Walking north along the Seine and heading for the Eiffel Tower, Josh spotted a very familiar landmark (more expected in New York city than Paris) and some cool street art.
The light show of the Eiffel Tower was to be the final stop of our trip, so following a delicious meal around the corner from the tower, we stationed ourselves on the Parc du Champs de Mars, munched through a sweet crepe and waited for the lights to come on.
Gradually, as the day fell into dust and eventually into night, the tower became more illuminated and the rotating light at the apex of the tower was in full view. Unaware of the governments decision to switch off the lights at 10pm as a mark of respect for the victims of the Armenian Genocide, we waited in the ever decreasing temperatures until we realised something was amiss.
Feeling the cool spring night air, the decision was made to head back to the apartment for the final time, have a good night's sleep and be fresh for our journey back to the UK in the morning.
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