Hotel Balmoral, Île-de-France, France
I didn’t sleep well again — sorry for the boring details, but just keeping notes for my own records! I ended up listening to a hypnosis recording I found on Spotify — it did the trick. Consequently, I slept in until Michael got back from his run. The noisy neighbours had been to hungover from Friday night to continue their partying, and so at least we weren’t disturbed by them. Michael kept the fan on all night (directed on to him), as the whirring sound apparently drowned out the noise coming from the creaking floorboards from the apartment upstairs.
After a breakfast of croissants (and muesli for Michael), we packed our bags ready for our departure at about 12:30pm. To fill in the time, we wandered around to the Archeological Museum located in an old nunnery next to the cathedral. Entrance was free (we’d already checked that bit out!). Unfortunately, the information booklet we were given was in French, but there were some information boards with some basic information in English. The displays included artefacts from the stone and bronze ages, as well as implements and containers from the Roman period.
It was fasacinating to see such old objects and to ponder what life must have been like in those days. Models depicted the homes/settlements from the different periods. How grateful I am that I was born in the 20th century in Australia! On the bottom level, we found ourselves in the crypt with old tombstones and statues. We presume we were walking underneath the cathedral, the huge stone structures being supporting the building above us.
Before heading home, we had another look inside the cathedral (we had had a quick peek the day before). For a Sunday morning, the congregation was very small — not what we had expected for such a massive place of worship.
At about 12:30pm, we deposited our rubbish in the bins downstairs, and then set off on the 15-minute walk to the railway station. Our timing was better than in Colmar, with only just over 30 minutes to entertain ourselves before the train pulled in to the station. We deposited our bags in the storage racks and then found our way to our seats on the top deck, this time easily working out how to open the electronic doors — you actually just press a button on the door itself!!!
The two-hour journey passed by quite quickly, again thanks to access to the internet. At Gard de Lyon, we worked out which Metro line we needed to take, purchased our tickets (with the help of a friendly information officer), and just managed to get our bags down the stairs via the ramp on the side. (I’ve never noticed these before. Given we couldn’t see a lift to get down to the platform, this is a good idea, although I did struggle a bit — I’m sure there’s a knack to doing it properly!) We found ourselves in the front car of a driverless train — really weird to be able to look through the front window and see where you’re going, but not have a driver in control!
We emerged into the daylight, with Michael having to carry our cases up the stairs, at the Arc de Triomphe — rather a spectacular way to mark our arrival back in Paris, particularly with the Eiffel Tower visible in the distance.
Michael thought we had been here last year, but it’s actually been three years since our last visit. Our stop here this time is primarily to break up the long trip to London, rather than being to see the city again.
Fortunately, the walk to our hotel was relatively short, as it was sunny and quite hot. (The temperature reached 29C, but, due to the humidity, felt hotter than the same temperature would feel in Adelaide.) We were warmly greeted by the reception staff, receiving an upgrade to a superior room. The bathroom is very spacious, but the bedroom is not particularly large. I wonder what the standard rooms look like?
It was about 4:30pm when we set off for a walk down the Champs Élysées. I mistakenly decided not to bother having an antihistamine tablet, given that it was late in the day, I was dressed in appropriately cool clothing, and our intention was to stroll slowly around the streets. Despite these factors, after a few hours, I noticed the familiar red rash beginning to break out on my legs. I took half an antihistamine tablet, nearly breaking a tooth as I snapped it in half. (I probably should have taken a whole tablet, and I definitely shouldn’t have broken it in half with my teeth — I just hope I haven’t cracked a tooth!)
Michael dragged me all the way to the shopping area near l’Opera, but being Sunday all the stores were closed. I particuarly wanted to walk across the Seine, and so we headed over to the left bank where all the action was happening.
It’s an area full of cafes and restaurants. I insisted on us finding somewhere to eat, as I really needed to rest before taking the long hike back to our hotel. Alternatively, I probably would have had to resort to going back via the Metro! The prices at most restaurants were a little higher than we wanted to pay for a casual meal, and the more affordable cafes selling hamburgers or pizzas were not what we wanted either. And so we settled for a small Italian restaurant which Michael describes as ‘all French fru-fru’ — ‘all style and little sustenance’! For about $70 we had a small main meal each and a bottle of sparkling water to share, and Michael had a glass of wine.
Sufficiently rested, we set off for the long walk ‘home’ via the Eiffel Tower. The grassed area leading up to the tower and the trees lining each side showed clear signs of heat stress — the long heat wave in Europe has taken its toll. There were people everywhere. Vendors selling bottles of wine were milling around trying to entice passers-by to imbibe. On one side, food stalls were selling all manner of food and drink at affordable prices — had I only known, and had I been able to hang out for dinner a little longer!It was clearly the place to be on this warm summer’s night.
We were shocked to see all the barricades that had been placed around the tower. To cross the road to go around the tower, we had to detour back along a temporary fence line. People wanting to climb the tower or wander around underneath it were queued up to go through a security checkpoint. Given that Michael saw someone jump the fence, I really don’t think these security measures will do anything to deter a potential terrorist! I would have thought the glass barricades they first erected should have been sufficient, given that they would have stopped a car from mowing down the tourists. Perhaps the fencing is only going to be there for the holiday period.
We crossed over the Seine again, and looked back to see that the lights on the Eiffel Tower had been switched on. I took a few more photos and then we headed towards the Arc de Triomphe which looked so close, but took so long to reach! Back at the hotel, we stopped in the lounge for drinks (decaf for me, and hot chocolate for Michael) and a snack (an apple for me, and some cakes for Michael). Back in our room, given that I was now beginning to shiver (a symptom of cholinergic urticaria — heat rash), I had a warm shower, took a couple of Panadol, and sat in bed with a wet towel over my legs. Once feeling more comfortable, I turned out the light and went to sleep, exhausted after our 5-hour tour of Paris.
Tracy
2018-08-14
Love Paris but no sure about the heat