Les Vacances: Day 9 - Tourist Time

With a break in the rain on Saturday, we put on our walking shoes and headed out to the Champs d'Elysees to see the sights and mingle with the tourists from all over the world. We took a pre-trip to Gare St. Lazare to orient ourselves with the station since we'll be departing from there on Monday to go to Normandy. It was a worthwhile side trip since the station itself is a beautiful facility and we now feel comfortable that we will have a stress free departure on Monday.

From Gare St. Lazare we rode the M3 & M2 lines and followed the stream of people heading to the Arc de Triomphe. When we emerged from the metro tunnels the grand Paris boulevard was before us and the massive Arc de Triomphe filled the large roundabout. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc is a classic icon of Paris. One gets a sense of how large this icon is upon noticing the many sightseers standing atop the structure. They look so small at the top of the 50 meter (165 feet) structure. It's also difficult to frame a camera shot that includes the entire monument without standing some distance away.

The roundabout has more than a dozen streets flowing into the multi-lane circle so access to the island in the center of the roundabout is via underground tunnel. Despite the availability of the tunnel, we saw many pedestrians that looked like they were playing a real-life game of Frogger as they started, stopped, dodged and ran across the traffic lanes. They obviously didn't get the memo about the tunnel. Once on the island, we explored the bas relief sculptures and the plaques on the floor and walls commemorating the French soldiers who fought on behalf of their country. Prominently placed at the base of the monument is an eternal flame. Fresh flowers are delivered there each day.

As we headed down the boulevard, we saw break dancers, clowns and artists working the crowd. The sea of bodies thinned only slightly in the first few blocks with many people ducking into restaurants or cafes. The Golden Arches were present and apparently do more business than any other McDonald's on the planet. We passed on that opportunity in favor of a Rick Steve's recommendation: Brioche Dore which boasted air conditioning, a WC and reasonable prices. Food was just OK, WC marginal and the A/C not operating.

Back on the street we strolled and popped into a few stores to browse. Most notable was the Swatch store where we found a nice souvenir watch for Gail. I ducked into the Mercedes, Alfa Romero and Citroen "stores" to ogle the shiny cars and snap a few pics. I was disappointed that there wasn't a Tesla store. Guess Elon Musk hasn't cracked the French market yet.

Despite the best intentions, we didn't make it all the way down to Tuilleries choosing instead to take a break at a park bench near rue de FDR. We consulted our maps and headed for the metro. Despite our best efforts, we just couldn't find the right hole in the ground for the right M line until we crossed the Seine. Nevertheless, our wanderings afforded us the opportunity to see the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais as well as some nice views of Les Invalides and the Eiffel tower.

The City of Light is such a feast for the eyes and we haven't even been out after dark.