July 8: Into the Fray, Le Champs Elysee

8 July 2008

(One note I forgot about the inimitable Dr. Dickenson is that he was tall, thin, dapper, and I found out had delivered all of his six children. A very energetic and efficient fellow.)

To the left here is a pic I took at the bottom of the stairs going down to the Metro from the Chateau de Vincennes stop. A little old lady hobbled up to me on her two canes demanding to know whether or not I'd taken her picture, but no, unless she looked like a shark, it wasn't her. I don't think she entirely believed I'd take a pic of ads, but I think they're interesting. Maybe because we don't have undergrounds in Halifax.

I finally made it into Paris proper on Tuesday, i.e., to the Champs Elysee, saw the Arc de Triomphe in the distance. Didn't actually go further up the rue than this for now.

Ate some boeuf bourguignonne at the George V Bistro, which was really good. I wasn't entirely sure what it was really -- beef stew? But this was what it's supposed to be, rare and tender even covered with a tasty gravy, potatoes and carrots cooked perfectly, al dente.

Actually, I went to the Champs Elysee to see if I could find the Viator people at Planet Hollywood, who were supposed to give me my "Paris Pass"-- admission to 60 different places, like the Louvre, or the Bateau Mouche--which translates to Boat Fly, if you want to know, because the two windows in the front combined with the pointy prow look like a fly--which sails up (or down) the Seine (it's now called the Batobus, pronounced bat-o-boose). All need to be seen in a six-day contiguous period, for only $US243, which includes a few free coffees and a pass on the Metro. But, I've now bought a month's pass for the Metro for $52 Euro (add 30% for C$).

Well, Planet Hollywood, which by itself didn't present too much interest for me, closed two months ago. To the left is a pic of what's there now -- Starbucks. The only other Planet Hollywood is at Disney Euro, which is about 40 km from Paris, and not a place I want to go. So, I called my travel agent who booked it, to cancel it, since it is still within the 7-day advance notice period. (Update: did get a full refund! Note: You can get passes like that in Paris, at least at the Louvre, for about 45 Euro, so you're better off waiting 'til you arrive.)

Also, I figure that I'm so slow that there's no way I could do all those things that fast and have it be worth the price, even if it means I wouldn't have to stand in line, which is why I considered it.