Year 3 Day 362 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 4/28/2024. Day 27 of 28-day European Vacation. Day 4 Massey, France. Today is our last day in Europe. Tomorrow, we have an uber picking us up at 7am to head to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. After Breakfast
we headed back to Paris for a 1.5-hour Seine River Walking Tour we booked through Viator. The price was $78.68 for both of us. We took the B train from the Massy-Palaiseau train station this time to our meet up spot, in front of the Statue of Henry the IV on the Pont Neuf Bridge. I had to keep track of the stops on my phone. Good thing I took a picture of the route. I could not understand the announcements. The places do not sound like I would say them. There were 16 stops. We went underground after Denfert Roschereau.
We got off in the Paris Chatelet Les Halles train station. This is a massive train/subway hub. It is the largest and most complex metro underground station in the world with 20 platforms serving eight (three RER commuter rail and five Métro) lines. This station is one enormous labyrinth. I read that during rush hour, almost 120 trains stop every minute, that’s 1 every 2 seconds. We came up into a nice shopping mall. The two days we have gone into Paris we noticed a real lack of public toilets or any bathrooms. This is a real issue especially with the summer Olympics being held in Paris this year. There is a start-up that is hoping to solve Paris’s public urination problem. This application will reward businesses for making their toilets accessible to the public and help users to find them. Hopefully the ICI Toilettes app will make its way into the capital in time for the Olympics. We walked around, bought some souvenirs, had lunch, and made our way to the middle of the Pond Neuf bridge in front of the Henri IV Statue.
We were there a few minutes, and a few ladies came by and wanted us to sign a petition to make Paris accessible to the handicapped. Then they wanted money. I pulled change put of my pocket. That change was about 30 euros. The woman tried to take all of it. A man and Steve came running over to me saying give her that money back. Steve grabbed it from her hand, and they ran away. The man said they are thieves/pick pockets and check your wallets. They surround you and then steal from you. Yikes, I am not used to dishonest people. We walked a long time with our tour guide. We are in the heart of Paris. Some of the things we saw were: Below the Pont Neuf bridge at the western tip of the Île de la Cité is a small public garden which provides a lovely panoramic view of the two banks of the Seine and landmarks including the Louvre Museum, the Passerelle des Arts footbridge, and the dome of the Institut de France. The Pont Neuf bridge is the oldest stone bridge built the beginning of 16th century under Protestant king Henry IV. The Statue on the horse of king IV is not the original Statue. The original was destroyed in the French Revolution and then rebuilt in 1818. We walked down along the Seine River and passed many bouquinistes. The tradition of bouqunistes dates back to the 16th century. There are around 240 of these green stalls along the Seine. They get a license but do not pay taxes. We ended our walk along the Seine at the Pont Royal Bridge. The Pont Royal Bridge is the 3rd oldest bridge. Then we walked over to the Musée d’Orsay. Some of our group continued into the museum. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.
We walked back to the Paris Chatelet Les Halles train station pass some homeless sleeping in the doorways.
We actually managed to find the correct platform and get back to our hotel. In the train station there were military personnel carrying machine guns. Hmmm, not sure if that makes me feel comfortable or not.
Here’s an interesting tidbit. Budweiser is Bud in France.
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Halla Minis Cherry Sugar Free Cough Drops: Here’s a link to today product recommendation: https://amzn.to/4f5UtTf HALLS Minis Cherry Flavor Sugar Free Cough Drops are perfect to carry in your pocket, purse, and backpack when traveling. They stay dry and are the perfect size for that little tickle. I keep one in my car, and nightstand also. I used to always keep individual wrapped cough drops around but found the paper was always sticking to them and they are so large I needed to find a place to throw them away after a few minutes in my mouth. These minis are just PERFECT in size and NO sticking paper.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned
To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count