The tour started on Sunday at 3:00 pm in the hotel's breakfast room. Marie was to be our guide and best friend for the next 6 days. She checked us into the tour and documented our negative COVID tests. We then moved to a private room at a local restaurant, La Terasse, for our introductory meeting and dinner together. She laid out the rules of the tour, including COVID related matters. We all introduced ourselves and chose our buddies. Each tour member chooses a buddy, someone not in their travel party, that will vouch for their presence. This way Marie did not have to count us. We also received our museum passes, our navigo decouverte cards and our whispers.
After dinner we went for a neighborhood walk and then an evening bus tour of the city. It was a great introduction.
The next morning we started with a class about how to use the metro. We took the metro to Il de la Cite, where Paris began. We had a walking tour of the island and visited Sainte-Chapelle. Everyone says it, but it is true: you have seen a hundred photos, but when you wind up that narrow spiral staircase and come out on top in the presence of those magnificent windows, you loose your breath. We gathered outside of Notre Dame to check on the restoration status. We walked by Shakespeare and Company and had a short rest at Square Renee Viviani. We ended our walk at the Luxembourg Garden. The rest of day was ours to choose individually.
Having the best, top tier personal guides is an important feature of a Rick Steves Europe tour. And so is the free time. I always plan several different options for my free time and then choose on the day. As a solo person on the tour, several tour members invited me to to do activities with them, but I was on a mission.
The Grand Mosque was calling my name. I learned to appreciate the beauty of a Mosque on my RSE tour to Turkiye. It was a pleasant 1.5 km walk. I decided to eat lunch at the Mosque restaurant and I shared my lunch with the resident cat, which also reminded me of Turkiye. After lunch, I visited the zoo. It was a beautiful sunny day. I was able to successfully find my way back to our neighborhood on the metro. I took a casual stroll down Rue Cler and had gelato for dinner! Another successful day in Paris.
What Did I Eat?
SCAVENGER HUNT
