For the next day, my main plan was to just walk around a bit in Paris to soak in the atmosphere and architecture. I had the morning to myself, waiting around a long to hear from my friend. It was nearly 2 pm by the time we rendezvoused, and we went immediately to an outdoor cafe for lunch. I had had an ample breakfast of a croissant and some other pastry from a bakery in the morning and had waited around so long that I had even gone over to the Carrefour for a baguette and bar of chocolate. So, I wasn’t particularly hungry. My friend was ravenous for the two of us and when she wanted both the “Irish cut” steak and the tartar, I suggested she just order both. It is a great thing to not have to speak French or deal with menus or waiters directly. I don’t think I’ve ever had steak tartar before and the raw “hamburger patty” lived up to its reputation.
The walk began after lunch, and we followed the Seine around the back of the Eiffel Tower, and to the east by the back end of the Louvre, all the way to the Notre Dame. On the way, we stopped once at a bar on a moored boat (getting soft drinks). The weather was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, but sunny. I don’t know how many bridges cross the Seine, but we passed many of them. The area around the Notre Dame was the most crowded. The tragedy did little to deter the masses of tourists from coming to take photos. I snapped a few shots myself, but I was also navigating an overly friendly puppy through the narrow gauntlet of tourists and construction barrier.
The Notre Dame was the apex of the stroll and having turned around we found a relatively cheap bar with a happy hour. Even discounted (a whole euro!), the beers did not seem worth the price, so I opted for an Aperol spritz, a drink I’ve been wanting to try.
We went to Luxembourg Gardens after two rounds with a bag of chips, a can of dog food, and a package of cured meats to lay out on the grass and have a light supper. Though joggers run laps around the gardens, there is only a small section where dogs are permitted and an even small patch of grass that where people are allowed to tread. We hung out there for a bit and almost fell asleep after a long afternoon in the sun and a bit of alcohol in our blood.
We passed through another section of town to find our final departure point, a metro station where we could each go our separate ways. It was nice to get back to the apartment by 10pm and since the corner store was still open, I popped in for a cold drink to fill the hours before I would fall asleep. I even had enough time to watch a whole movie and mindlessly finish off the half eaten baguette and chocolate.
| Flixbus | 33.30 EUR |
| Metro (x6) | 1.9 x 6 EUR |
| Airbnb (3 nights) | 220 USD |
| Carrefour groceries | 22.69 EUR |
| Pastries | 2.4 EUR |
| Baguette + Chocolate | 1.8 EUR |
| Soft drinks | 7 EUR |
| Bar tab | 25 EUR |
| Beer | 3.8 EUR |
| Total: | RMB 2350.4 USD 341.81 |
Running Total: 15663 RMB (USD 2277.82)
Daily Average: 391.6 RMB (USD 56.95)