Paris: Day 2 Some familiar landmarks.

I didn’t intend to visit the Louvre. It seemed it would be too busy/crowded to enjoy. However, my hotel was just 15 minutes walk away. So I thought I’d go there first thing in the morning and see what the queue was like.

This place is huge. Once I was in there, I think it took me longer to find the actual entrance than it took to walk there. Anyway, there were queues. There was a green sign for visitors avec billets (with tickets) and about twenty people standing there. Then a second green sign forvisitors avec billets and even more people waiting. Then a orange sign for visitors sans billets (without tickets) and no one standing there. A man walked up, looked about, shrugged and walked in. I followed. There were about six people waiting to go through security (there are security points at most places) but it was moving fast. Once inside, there was no one else waiting for buy a ticket. So there I was in, and now avec un billet.

So, well, it was interesting. More cool stuff and less arty stuff than I expected, also a lot of weird stuff and very interesting ceilings. I will keep photos for another day. Oh, except for one.

I don’t get it. Really I don’t. There are even signs up pointing the way from entrance.

After I left I went for a wander up through the nearby gardens

but they were setting up for some event

and it was mostly a bit bare and sad looking.

At the end is the Place de la Concorde. There seems to be things going on around here but I’m not sure what. There are places where people seem to congregate, around the big tourist attractions. It might just be because a lot of people are arrving, looking and departing but it feels like people are hanging aorund the area. As if drawn there and they can’t leave again. So this was one of those places, but I don’t know why.

The fountain is interesting though.

Then I found the river, crossed over and walked along the bank. (Guess where I’m going.) I had an idea of taking a boat cruise but they were all on the other side of the river 🙁

I did find this floating garden thing.

Also many bridges.

No places to get drinks either. Walkeed past some restaurants (bit pricey) and some cafes (closed).

Now a travel tip: if you use Google Maps phone app (and even if you don’t), look at the area around where you are. It’s a good way to discover interesting things like the Musée des Egouts. Egouts is sewers! You go down into tunnels where sewers are and find out about their history.

Leaving there, I was a tired, and thirsty too.
I walked past an interesting plant-covered building and found this tower thing.

I think the Eiffel Tower is like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You see it in pictures so often, it’s like meh. But then you see it peering over some buildings and you think “I might walk up to have a look”.

and up close, it’s rather cool. Not enough that I was going to queue for an hour and pay nearly $50 to go to the top though. I bought a little one instead.

Outside the site (there’s a fence around it, and you have to go through security checkpoints to get in underneath), there are these guys sellings flashig plastic towers I think the one who was trying to convince me to buy one said they were just 1 euro, and there’s a lot of them. I don’t see how they make enough money for it to be worthwhile.

This is another of those places were people gather. A lot of them don’t seem to coming or going, they’re just there.

And there are others who are taking advantage of the crowd, other than the flashing plastic tower sellers. (A two-story carousel!)

My photos don’t usually come with emotions attached (which is good if I took them when I was upset or tired or frustrated) but when I look at this, I feel a sense of happy satisfaction.