First day in Paris

So now that we are in Paris, what to do first? A trip to the Eiffel Tower seems a good way to start. It will mean a ride on the Metro, the extensive subway system, and then we can find a larger grocery store and finish stocking our kitchen.

I don my new red coat in preparation! I am certainly glad that I bought this coat with the high collar. It gets very windy here at times and it is essential to have your neck covered. Most people wear scarves wrapped tightly around their necks and, one of these days, I may find one to add to my wardrobe.

First we walk over towards Sacre Coeur, the famous church built on the top of the Butte (hill) that comprises Montmartre. This beautiful facade is only a few blocks from us; so we will see it often during our stay here.

Many tourists come to see Sacre Coeur every day, and even though we are nearby, our street is just a block away from the tourist shops. So we are not bothered by a lot of noise and traffic.

In the photo to the right you can see the dome of Sacre Coeur behind the glass-covered entrance to the Funicular Railway. This is a small tram that takes people up and down the hill. There are probably 250 stairs in total! Some day we’ll have to count them when we brave the climb.

So far David has managed to climb up as far as Rue Gabrielle from the Metro station on his way home one day and he counted 140 steps to that point. We’re certainly going to get our exercise here!

That’s one of the joys of staying where we are – there are lots of places to walk to, many beautiful vistas since we are on ‘the Butte’, and there are plenty of opportunities for hill climbing and stair workouts. I expect to return to Salt Spring in much better physical shape. Who needs a Stairmaster!

In the photo to the left you can see David as he heads down the stairs below Sacre Coeur. Notice the entrance for the Funicular Railway at the bottom of the hill and the tram car unloading its passengers.

When we reach the street below, we see the truly impressive vista of Sacre Coeur with its many domes.  Construction was begun on the church in 1875 but it was not completed until 1914.

We wander through the busy streets watching a number of vendors playing what appeared to be some sort of gambling game enticing many locals to test their wits against the ‘sleight of hand’ experts.

Then we hop on the Metro and head to one of the best Indian restaurants in Paris – Krishna Bhavan. We are delighted to find an all-vegetarian restaurant since they are rare in this city. My meal started with a wonderful coconut-based soup unlike anything I have had before and was followed by a series of exqusite dishes. We’ll be back soon!

Enough for tonight. I’ll describe my first visit to the Eiffel Tower next time.

Bonne nuit!