I thought I had a great plan for today. It's the first Sunday of the month and entrance to the museums is free. I hoped to visit two of them - Musee d'Orsay and the Orangerie, both quite close to the Louvre.
I left here with written directions in hand that were retrieved off of Google maps. Usually this works but not so much today. I failed to make note of which bus I was to take after coming out of the metro. Ended up going the wrong way a couple of times but I did eventually make it to my destination.
There were dozens of people milling about but the doors were all locked. No signs or anything to indicate just why that was, and of course we were all tourists and most didn't speak french. Finally a young woman standing close to me looked up online what the issue was, only to inform us that it was indeed a public holiday. I guess if you live there, you already know that!
But the outside area is quite the sight to see as well. Next time.
I then walked over to the Orangerie, which is another museum on the same grounds as the Louvre.
The walk there takes you over the river and another bridge, but this one was loaded with the locks. There is even someone positioned on the bridge selling locks. The idea is to put both your names on the lock and then throw the key into the river. I can't begin to imagine how much metal is sitting at the bottom of the waterway.
On the opposite bank of the river, you enter the gardens at the Louvre. What a beautiful spot. There were loads of people out and about enjoying the area. There are even ample chairs along the way for folks to just sit and relax and people watch.
Leaving the grounds around the Louvre, is something I did the other day on my walking tour. But this time I came out at a different exit. I was looking for the metro station I took last time but made a wrong turn (seemed to be the theme for the day!)
While I wasn't on des Champs - Elysees, you would have thought it was close by. When Patti and I were here in December we walked down there and saw all the high end shops. Apparently I ended up on another one of those streets.
I found it interesting that the shops (which were all closed for the day) had beautiful window displays. In the corner of the windows were little signs listing the prices of each item.
I'm guessing it's to keep the riff raff like us, out. As they say, if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. Saves all of us some from looking downright silly.
From there I found my way back to the metro and back to my starting point. I got off at the stop before my usual one, that brings you out to a lovely huge square.
It was packed with people, lively music and the smell of various ethnic foods wafting through the air. Various groups were there looking for support for various causes. It was a very festive atmosphere and everyone seemed to be enjoying the day. What a great sight to happen upon by accident.
After touring around there, I headed home. Time to sit back and put my feet up and enjoy a beverage.
The rest of my afternoon was pretty low key. Started reading a new book and did some tidying up as company's coming tomorrow! Patti and Meghan should be landing at the airport around 8:30 in the morning. ✈
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