All truly great cities are built on water. I read that somewhere and whilst it’s not exclusively true (Rome doesn’t have a truly memorable river) it certainly helps. The Seine is an integral part of the Paris city-scape so what better to see it from a different perspective than by boat.
We used the well named but interestingly spelt Batobus service. As the name suggests a bus boat that for a fixed fee you can use as often as you like during a day. As it’s a slow and leisurely way to get about we thought a single trip in daytime and a return one at night would be the best use and was significantly cheaper than two separate conventional boat tours (although without a commentary).
We started off at their downstream location and were surprised to find the Statue of Liberty there. So the story goes it was built in the US but they decided to give it to France as a gesture of thanks for their support during the war and built a much bigger one. Very strange to see it in the middle of the Seine
The boat trip was a lovely relaxed way to pass through the city and I spent the whole journey up on deck
It gives splendid views of the Eiffel Tower
And a variety of other interesting buildings from below ground level as it were
This is the Pont Alexandre III with its ornate golden statues and street lamps
A distant view of the Grand Palais
The Musee D’Orsay, once a major railway terminus now a museum and art gallery
The Palais de Louvre
The pedestrian Pont des Arts we walked over earlier in the trip
The beautiful Pont Neuf
And then Notre Dame which looks especially grand from the river
We returned later in the evening to see Paris at night from the river. Clearly a popular activity as the boat was packed. It takes a slightly different route around the other side of the Ile de la Cite. Not entirely sure which bridge this is, there are several on that stretch.
Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame
Pont Louis Phillipe
The Conciergerie
The Pont Neuf
And lastly the Pont Alexandre III and the Eiffel Tower
It’s a grandstand spot to view the Eiffel Tower and we got our timing right this time to see it do its hourly sparkle. I’ve added in the video again
The service hops from side to side of the river and it does a nice 360 turn just past the tower to maximise the views
It was our last evening in Paris and a wonderful way to finish. 2.5 days was not even close to long enough and so much was left unseen. We were astonishingly lucky to have two days of glorious sunshine to see the city and our trip around Europe was off to a fabulous start. Time to cover some distance!
Most of the cities we visited were well furnished with wonderful ornate churches. Paris most famous two deserved a post of their own I thought.
On our first evening, still full of first day on holiday enthusiasm we went out for a post-meal stroll. No particular direction in mind but before we know it we came upon the Ile de la Cite. We wandered across the Pont Neuf and then along the banks of the river to the majestic Notre-Dame
We were lucky and caught the setting sun perfectly. It transforms Notre-Dame (and most of the buildings around) from their white daytime look into an evening gown of pure gold
I think it was this evening stroll that sealed the deal for me on that first day as to what a wonderous city this is. Golden churches, a beautiful river with walks along the banks, cosy restaurants and tall buildings. Life was pretty damn good at this point
The setting sun over the river was a grand finale to our first day
We came back for another look at Notre Dame on our last day to see it in its day outfit. The colour difference is pretty amazing
We had thought about going in for look and maybe climbing the towers but were put off by the long queue
Instead we headed off to find the second of the city’s landmark churches. Via the Tour Saint Jacques
And the Pompidou Centre. Home to modern art its an odd-looking place. I’d thought about having a look around but they wanted serious cash or even £3 just to see the view from the roof terrace. It’s renowned as a piece of modern architecture but it looks like something a child would build if they didn’t have enough Lego to finish. I thought it looked dated and shabby so we didn’t dally and moved on
The Basilica de Sacre Coeur at Montmartre is everything you expect. Striking, unique, stunning, beautiful and busy! Most packed place we went to after the Eiffel Tower
It’s very geared to tourists and the surrounding streets are a bit tacky if you ask me
It doesn’t detract from the beauty of the building or the views from the terraces. If you click on the panorama below you can see a larger version
A close up view of the Pompidou Centre. It gets uglier every time I look at this photo
A bank of cloud passed over while we were up here so we didn’t see it at its gleaming best. We did want to go inside for look and climb the dome but the queues were long and the afternoon was drawing to a close
We did escape the crowds in a lovely park around the back with view of the rear of the church (minus people in shot)
Capped off with an excellent view of the Stade de France for you stadium fans out there
To close the post a few photos from around the vicinity of Notre Dame as I had no better place to put them in a blog post and I like them
Not bad having these views just round the corner from your temporary home.
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
I'll also add in some gear and tech reviews and when something irks me I may even use this forum to have a rant - I do that pretty well I'm told.There are a few pages at the top that give a bit of background to what I like to get up to and what you can expect to see in my posts. I'm not exactly a creative writer but I hope some people will find my stuff useful or inpsiring or at least enjoy some of my photos.
It seems an awfully long time ago that I sat down to write about my Dad's passing, in this post: A tribute to our Dad but time marches on at breakneck speed. Last year, we lost our Mum. I don't know why, but it affected me far more than I had expected. I suppose when Dad died I was at the top of my game, in rude health and seemingly indestructible. […]
The previous week had been frustrating. I was 430 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and the Aurora forecast had been good. Whilst deep in the wilderness of Varangerhalvøya National Park and miles from any light pollution, cloud had stubbornly blanketed the night sky. I went to bed most nights with the sound of rain on […]
Ambleside – Nook Lane – Low Sweden Bridge – Low Pike – High Pike – Dove Crag – Hart Crag – Fairfield – Great Rigg – Rydal Fell – Heron Pike – Nab Scar – Rydal Hall – Rydal Park – Ambleside Mist over Ambleside. A friend from the village has decided to join B in playing […]
Hi folks. If you've popped in on here wondering what's going on then please let me explain.This 'blogger' blog is now closed.I'm now blogging on WordPress atTERRY ABRAHAM LAKE DISTRICT VIDEOAll the content I've posted for the past few years can be found there too.Hope to speak with you again soon!Terry
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Oh dear! We had some mice in our loft and they attacked my Tramplite rucksack. I’ve sent it back to Colin who is hopeful he can repair it. They also attacked my Exped Thunder rucksack but that didn’t appear to be as tasty and it only suffered minor damage to the hipbelt. They seem to … Continue reading Mice ate my rucksack! →
With the winter starting at last as a cold blast came down from the north west and draped a white sheet over the mountains, we headed up the potholed main road, past the emerging crash blackspot at the Sligachan junction, through the quiet streets of Portree to a small car park just north of Loch Fada, our goal a bimble along the southern part of the Trotter […]
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Ion8 Leak Proof Sports Water Bottle The newly supercharged Ion8 Leak Proof Sports Water Bottle offers rapid hydration with a super sleek design. Whether you’re in the car, on the trail or in the gym the Ion8 Leak Proof Sports Water Bottle is perfect. I only drink sparkling water and I have found it really difficult to […] The post Ion8 Leak Proof Sports Wate […]
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Midnight in Harlem LiveWell, you can read on, OR first you could just shut your eyes for 12 min and listen to the music.Just an idea but a great idea..AND.. some of the best bottleneck slide guitar you will hear!!Trust me!!!!! 😮😮🎸🎶Day 10 - Sun 21st - Braemar to CallaterAhh.but that's no day at all is it.Well, you'd think that […]
Cate and Chris are seasoned backpackers and wild campers. Over the years, they have steadily been picking off many of the UK long distance trails. They’re not averse to short trips either and, living near us, have spent many a night out in the Dark Peak. They didn’t know about the Hanging Tree, however. It … Continue reading Yes, It’s That Tree Again… […]
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In English: Cycling in winter 2018. Winter cycling is natural in Finland, because we have snow and ice during many months. Winter tires or studded tires are must and appropriate clothing ensures the successful cycling. Oulu, 600 kilometers / 372 miles to the north of Helsinki, is an excellent example of winter cycling town. Cycling […]
Deze post in het Nederlands: Klik hier.This post is written with the intention to give a detailed account of a large number of wild orchids which can be found in the Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantabrica in Spanish) of northern Spain. To be more specific, those species that I've managed to photograph during the past year. Of many species I have pu […]