AUGUST 23, 2012 

CRUISIN' DOWN THE RIVER 

My friend from Australia, Debbie Gibson, for whom I dogsat during the 2010 trip, arrived yesterday late afternoon on the Eurostar from London (high speed train under the English Channel). This morning was her first trip to Paris.  I thought it a good idea for her to get an overview of the city the first day, and the Tour Bus is oh so touristy, so we took the metro to Hotel de Ville and got tickets for the Batobus.  This Batobus is a boat shuttle that goes up and down the Seine and visitors can get on and off where they like and stay as long as they please.

The boat first cruised down the river with possible stops at the Louvre, the Champs Elysee and the Grands Boulevards, then turned and went up the river, with possibilities of stopping at the Eiffel Tower, the Musee d'Orsay and Notre Dame. 

       We got off at the Notre Dame, bought a baguette on the street and sat in a little shady place to the side of the cathedral (I had already been through the cathedral a few weeks prior). 

 After our lunch stop, we climbed back on the Batobus and got off at the very next stop upriver, The Jardin des Plantes.  The first thing one sees from our angle is the Menagerie, which looked fantastic but is a separate fee to see it; we walked a bit further to enter the gardens, which I thought were fabulous.  

The Garden also houses a Botanical House and a Natural History Museum.  After walking from one end to the other but not taking much time to peruse the enormous display of plants and flowers, we walked back to the Batobus and boarded once again.  

crepes a la Seine

This made us want crepes!

Debbie wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower, so we went down the river again (after the boat turned around), passing our original place of embarkation at the Hotel de Ville, and half an hour later (after the boat turned around again) we got off at the Eiffel Tower.  It was a little late, about 5:30.  Debbie wanted to take pictures but had no interest in ascending it, and I had done that a few years prior.  What I wanted was an ice cream cone, so that cooled me off some (I am in love with the flavor citron (lime).  So much for giving up dairy.  The cone also made me very thirsty.   

The tower designed by Gustave Eiffel, was selected to showcase the 1889 Universal Exposition to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. 15,000 metal parts were prefabricated and numbered for assembly, and the 1.5 million rivets already in place before the tower went up.   Three hundred steelworkers toiled for 7 days a week for 26 months (without a single fatl accident) and the world's tallest building was completed 7 days before the opening of the Exhibition.  It was the largest and most innovative structure of its time.   Critics were less than enthusiastic and called it a "hollow candlestick."  You can read more about it on Google. The tower offers a great view that can extend  45 miles. The Jules Verne restaurant is supposed to offer a great (and expensive) view with excellent cuisine.

After re-meeting up with Debbie, we walked across the bridge to Trocadero Plaza; kids were swimming in the water and the fountains were very pretty; people were enjoying the nice day.  

 Our plan was to take the metro from there, but we never did find it, in spite of all our queries, so we finally started walking and caught the bus to the Hotel de Ville, from whence we had come that morning.  And so back to Vaujours and a bite to eat. I was all Batobus'd out and probably a bit seasick, but in truth, this was a good way for one to see the major sites with one transport for all.  I would recommend it for first time visitors (15 e).