Rain has mostly held off but Friday was supposed to be the worst so we went heavy on the museums. First we walked to see the interior of Notre Dame before the crowds got too bad and then walked to the Louvre to try and get an 11am English tour. Lonely Planet led us astray on the priority entrance so we signed up for the 2pm instead and went to Musee de l”Orangerie instead. Then off for a quick lunch at Musee d'Orsay and back to the Louvre. Our tour was actually fun (as our guide was an unintentional hoot and kept talking about lovely bosoms and how the artist uses the beauty of the naked body to show the moral and spiritual beauty of his subjects) and we hit all the highlights without getting lost or dying in the crush around the Mona Lisa. Then off for a walk around the Rodin gardens and museum, back to the hotel for a yummy Italian meal and off to bed.
The next day was Bastille Day but everything was open so we watched the military flyover from one of the bridges and then went into the Paris Sewer tour. Really interesting from an engineering and social policy point of view but predictably smelly! Enjoyed walking around Paris as the weather was sunny and it seemed as if the whole city was out and about. Went back to the Orsay for a more in-depth visit and then off on a cruise of the Seine (although we would have been better with a true sightseeing cruise rather than just the Battobus service.) Then went down to the Champ de Mars to stake out a place to watch the Bastille Day fireworks. Tons of people but really well behaved and the fireworks were excellent! Walked home in a mad crush at midnight through the floodlit city and fell into bed. We leave tomorrow afternoon for home. Good trip!
