Tuesday May 31st
I woke up at 5 am. Somebody is using a chainsaw in the bedroom, Oh it's only DW snoring. No point nudging her 'cos all she'll do is turn over and start again in 2 minutes. I'm just as bad but you don't hear yourself.
I give it up as a bad job at 6am and get up , it's a beautiful morning today , sunny with blue skies.
I go for awalk around the lake , the NPBC and the ballon look lovely in the early morning sun. The NPBC's whit colour is a creamy/orange and the ballon is up at the top of the cable ( I thought they'd have tethered it down for the night) and the sun makesit that orangey colour.
Stopped outside NPBC to talk to the swans and their cygnets, the adults look huge, then around and through the gardens/woods surrounding the SL.
I found the pool and i looked smaller than in the pictures and the Thomas Cook TV channel video.
Not wanting to disturb DW I used the toilets in the reception area and frightened the life out of the Domestic Supervisor ,or whatever she was , (she definitely wasn't cleaning staff with that suit on) with a cleaner in tow inspecting the toilets.
She didn't expect guests to be there washing their hands at that time of morning.
Breakfast was 7.45 today , after such a late supper we couldn't manage as much as yesterday. then off to the station for Paris.
It's a 45 minute run to Paris and we got off at the Auber stop ( advised by tourist info. ladies). It's on Rue Auber where the Open Bus office and stop1 is.
We finally get out at the right exit on to Rue Auber (be careful it has at least2 ) after being directed by a local who seems to work on the British principle with foreigners i.e. the louder you talk the more likleythey are to understand.
Typical of us we turn the wrong way out of the station and get to the end of the street and no bus office ( it's at the other end of the street). Turn right out of the station ten cross the road.
We do find Tourist info. who direct us in the right direction and also where to find the best toilets. (Department stores, clean and free.)
We get the wrong store , but it's worth it, the Gallerie Lafayette on the Rue Haussman , it has a beautiful stained glass dome in the roof in the centre of the shop. Toilets are fine too by the way (5th floor)
At last we get the bus and headphones, nearly blew DW's eardrums as the volume on hers was set too high.
And we stayed on the tour seeing all the sights until we got to Eiffel Tower where we got off. ( Even on a nice day when the bus is moving it's chilly up on top especially by the river.) Watch out for the sun it's fierce.
Very good commentary on the way round and more relaxing than cityrama.
We had to queue 40 min. for tickets and then in the lift to level 2 (didn't stop ant levels 1 & 2 as we had been on L1 before.
joined queue for the small lift up to the top , it was quite scary going up bu the views and experiece are worth it. Quite draughty though on the shady side. Then joined the queue to go down (it goes right round the top like a snake swallowing its own tail.
Allow time for the Tower at least 2 - 2 1/2 hours by the time you queue for lifts (4 lifts at the bottom , 1 ineach leg feeding the one lift that goes to the top.) and eat.
There are booths at the base of the lift selling bagettes, chips , cakes and drinks. Then back on the bus.
On the way to the tower the bus had driven through Place Concorde at the end of the Champs elysee, so we got off the bus here on the way back (route is like a figure 8 and drives through here twice) with the Monument like Cleopatra's Needle and beautiful fountains .
After seeing these we alked under the trees in the Tuilleries gardens to relax , it was lovely here and we could have stayed all afternoon.
We sat inthe bar in the middle of the gardens and had a beer. Didn't want to move after we were so relaxed.
Back to the train via the Dept. store for Dw to visit the loo and another look at the dome.
The station is a bit like the underground as long as you know the line you need and makesure you're on the right platform its fine.
The trains were really packed going home ,rush hour, but we got a seat after a few stops, then the afternoon beer and hot sun started working and I dozed off and on all the way back. DW said the woman sitting opposie me was terrified that I'd end up head first in her lap as my head kept going forwards, she apparently sat there like aterrified rabbit caught in the headlights unable to move looking at DW for help, Dw had to keep poking me awake.
It was jus on 6 pm getting back to SL and Beaver Tvern had just opened, the CM (a middle aged chap jean-Francois I think) was wrestling with the terminal they use for the seating , he was getting ratty with it and us ( we'dhave been easier going to concierge desk and booking) Dw was ready to thump him! But we got a table for 8.15pm.
Time for a wash and lie down before supper.
We both had the Salad buffet starter (a meal in itself) followed by the double chicken breast with pineapple, mushrooms and pan fried potatoes. We were stuffed.
You can get so much on the plate with the starter you can get away with that and dessert.
I insisted on a walk around the lake to walk it off and then to the Village for atmosphere and retail therapy before bed.
I woke up at 5 am. Somebody is using a chainsaw in the bedroom, Oh it's only DW snoring. No point nudging her 'cos all she'll do is turn over and start again in 2 minutes. I'm just as bad but you don't hear yourself.
I give it up as a bad job at 6am and get up , it's a beautiful morning today , sunny with blue skies.
I go for awalk around the lake , the NPBC and the ballon look lovely in the early morning sun. The NPBC's whit colour is a creamy/orange and the ballon is up at the top of the cable ( I thought they'd have tethered it down for the night) and the sun makesit that orangey colour.
Stopped outside NPBC to talk to the swans and their cygnets, the adults look huge, then around and through the gardens/woods surrounding the SL.
I found the pool and i looked smaller than in the pictures and the Thomas Cook TV channel video.
Not wanting to disturb DW I used the toilets in the reception area and frightened the life out of the Domestic Supervisor ,or whatever she was , (she definitely wasn't cleaning staff with that suit on) with a cleaner in tow inspecting the toilets.
She didn't expect guests to be there washing their hands at that time of morning.
Breakfast was 7.45 today , after such a late supper we couldn't manage as much as yesterday. then off to the station for Paris.
It's a 45 minute run to Paris and we got off at the Auber stop ( advised by tourist info. ladies). It's on Rue Auber where the Open Bus office and stop1 is.
We finally get out at the right exit on to Rue Auber (be careful it has at least2 ) after being directed by a local who seems to work on the British principle with foreigners i.e. the louder you talk the more likleythey are to understand.
Typical of us we turn the wrong way out of the station and get to the end of the street and no bus office ( it's at the other end of the street). Turn right out of the station ten cross the road.
We do find Tourist info. who direct us in the right direction and also where to find the best toilets. (Department stores, clean and free.)
We get the wrong store , but it's worth it, the Gallerie Lafayette on the Rue Haussman , it has a beautiful stained glass dome in the roof in the centre of the shop. Toilets are fine too by the way (5th floor)
At last we get the bus and headphones, nearly blew DW's eardrums as the volume on hers was set too high.
And we stayed on the tour seeing all the sights until we got to Eiffel Tower where we got off. ( Even on a nice day when the bus is moving it's chilly up on top especially by the river.) Watch out for the sun it's fierce.
Very good commentary on the way round and more relaxing than cityrama.
We had to queue 40 min. for tickets and then in the lift to level 2 (didn't stop ant levels 1 & 2 as we had been on L1 before.
joined queue for the small lift up to the top , it was quite scary going up bu the views and experiece are worth it. Quite draughty though on the shady side. Then joined the queue to go down (it goes right round the top like a snake swallowing its own tail.
Allow time for the Tower at least 2 - 2 1/2 hours by the time you queue for lifts (4 lifts at the bottom , 1 ineach leg feeding the one lift that goes to the top.) and eat.
There are booths at the base of the lift selling bagettes, chips , cakes and drinks. Then back on the bus.
On the way to the tower the bus had driven through Place Concorde at the end of the Champs elysee, so we got off the bus here on the way back (route is like a figure 8 and drives through here twice) with the Monument like Cleopatra's Needle and beautiful fountains .
After seeing these we alked under the trees in the Tuilleries gardens to relax , it was lovely here and we could have stayed all afternoon.
We sat inthe bar in the middle of the gardens and had a beer. Didn't want to move after we were so relaxed.
Back to the train via the Dept. store for Dw to visit the loo and another look at the dome.
The station is a bit like the underground as long as you know the line you need and makesure you're on the right platform its fine.
The trains were really packed going home ,rush hour, but we got a seat after a few stops, then the afternoon beer and hot sun started working and I dozed off and on all the way back. DW said the woman sitting opposie me was terrified that I'd end up head first in her lap as my head kept going forwards, she apparently sat there like aterrified rabbit caught in the headlights unable to move looking at DW for help, Dw had to keep poking me awake.
It was jus on 6 pm getting back to SL and Beaver Tvern had just opened, the CM (a middle aged chap jean-Francois I think) was wrestling with the terminal they use for the seating , he was getting ratty with it and us ( we'dhave been easier going to concierge desk and booking) Dw was ready to thump him! But we got a table for 8.15pm.
Time for a wash and lie down before supper.
We both had the Salad buffet starter (a meal in itself) followed by the double chicken breast with pineapple, mushrooms and pan fried potatoes. We were stuffed.
You can get so much on the plate with the starter you can get away with that and dessert.
I insisted on a walk around the lake to walk it off and then to the Village for atmosphere and retail therapy before bed.
Very funny about the woman on the train!! Sounds like it was a great trip to Paris! Are the lifts in the Tower the fast whizzing type? And how was the vertigo feelings at the top? Was it busy or could you get a turn at looking from the front?
