Les Vacances: Day 16 - Long Day's Journey into Night

The day began early with modest expectations of shopping for souvenirs and lunch near Jardin des Tuileries. (Not sure how I drew the assignment to write about shopping since I'm definitely an amateur when it comes to browsing and have the endurance of a wounded elephant seal when it comes to retail exploration.)

Once out the door (after two false starts), we hiked to the Mo stop on Bd d'Italie for the ride to the subterranean Carousel shopping complex which is underneath the Louvre. My first reaction upon seeing the Carousel was that it was going to be like the Great Mall in Milpitas. Fortunately, first impressions were wrong and the Carousel is more like Santana Row sans the Tesla dealership and Best Buy. It is home to dozens of up-scale stores that cater to tourists but also has familiar storefronts including Apple and even Starbucks. I lasted about 1.5 stores before beating a retreat to a comfortable stool in Starbucks while Gail immersed herself in retail therapy - Parisian style.

Fast forward some indeterminate period of time (I'd lost track of the time and space continuum) and Gail led me from the retail cavern to the light of day in Jardin desTuileries. Tuileries was awash in sunshine and full of busy people strolling, picnicking, or relaxing on chairs or benches. We found ourselves a place in the shade and enjoyed our PB&J lunch we had carried from home. Nearby was a well-mannered goat that was part of the landscaping crew tasked with weed control on the fringe of the plantings. He was a true Parisian: totally non-chalant about what he was doing, outwardly oblivious to those around him, but completely in tune with his environment. Frankly, I would not have been surprised to see him take a break from his grazing and light up a cigarette. Mais non.

After our gourmet lunch, we walked to the grand Ferris wheel and had a lovely ride that featured great views of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, and parts of the Champs d' Elysee. Elevation always enhances perspective of one's surroundings. When we got off the Ferris wheel, we enjoyed a short respite along one of the broad pathways of Tuileries. I gave Gail a brief shoulder massage as we sat in the shade. I thought of turning this service into a money making venture and imagined patrons from all over the world queuing up for a bit of Tuileries R&R. I thought imagination was turning to reality as a young couple approached where we were seated but, alas, they turned out to be interested only in the adjacent information board.

We headed toward the Seine to enjoy the activity around the river. On the way we saw a lovely vegetable garden in the middle of the Tuileries grounds. Growing there were tomatoes, beans, rhubarb, cucumbers and other common veggies. We wondered who cared for the garden and who reaped its bounty. It was well fenced in.

Along our way back, via St. Germain du Près, hungry (Gail) and thirsty (John) mused about finding a place that served both ice cream and beer. (Life would be much simpler if Gail liked beer.) Shortly thereafter we came upon a bistro that satisfied our needs fully -- Berthillon salted carmel ice cream and Guiness. Paris has everything!

We headed back to our apartment where we expected to spend the rest of the day and evening relaxing. After dinner, we had a burst of energy and decided that with the good weather, it was a good time to take an evening cruise on the river. Such spontaneity wouldn't be possible without the excellent and reliable public transit options available to us. It's gotten very easy to hop on the bus, metro or RER (or some combination thereof) and be whisked across the city in minutes.

At 9:30 pm we boarded a bateaux near Notre Dame and had front row seats for the hour long tour that took us down to the Eiffel Tower and back. Seeing the city at night is a different experience. Unfortunately, our cameras were only somewhat effective in night shot mode. The banks of the Seine were lined with people walking or sitting and even dancing as we passed by. The buildings adjacent to the river were awash in lights. The highlight of the cruise was seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up against the night sky. We caught the reliable 21 bus at St. Michel and found our way back home for the second time in the day. This time all our energy was spent as our heads hit the pillows. --John

P.S. Let it be known that I stayed up until midnight! After looking at all John's post photos, I have to say, I feel like the luckiest person in the world! --Gail