Sunday 24th July

This morning although up early we got a late start out on our trip for the day. We went to look at a couple of markets. Only one train out to Ecole Militaire and then a walk down Rue de Cler where there were lots of people about having petite dejeurner. Not really a market although all of the food shops had queues lined up to purchase fresh produce. We looked longingly at the goodies in the boulangerie and the smell of the rotisseried chooks and ducks (poulet et canard). We walked and walked and came to the Parc du Champ Mars which is the huge long park at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. There were people all over the park some just sitting, a lot taking photos of both the Tower and at the opposite end the Ecole Militaire, another magnificient building.

We were looking for a coffee but the kiosks in the park didn’t have a cappacino machine so we walked back around the block – big block – to where were had been at the market. Coffee – no but beers yes although Jane did stick to the coffee whilst we three had a beer. We were headed to the Jardin du Tuileries where we were going to watch the end of the Tour de France.

We had a bit of the walk past Musee de l’Armee and des Invalides. All of which are magnificient old buildings and across the Seine over Pont des Invalides. The roads were all cordoned off and we couldn’t walk to where we wanted to go. We found a little park where there were hundreds of people sitting eating their lunch. We had bought bagettes back at the market and we sat and ate them in the hot hot sun. Wanted a loo and a gendarme told us to go and use the loo at the pub down the road. So more walking. Out from there and we went looking for a place to watch the bike race. Walked and walked – downstairs to the Seine along the bank to the next bridge and eventually found a spot above the road where the riders would eventually pass by eight times. Hot and no shelter from the sun. All of the prime spots were taken by the crowd who had pinched chairs from out of the park and we had to stand. Bloody hell – standing and then the chap in front of us said that the race had just started and we found out that they wouldn’t be past here for two hours!!!
Did we want to wait? A majority decision deemed that we went home to watch it on television. All of us were beggared and had sore legs and feet. So we walked over the bridge and found a Metro station and headed for home. By the time we got to the street exit of our station we had been up and down 137 steps and we still had to climb the 79 steps up to our apartment. Home and a seat was a welcome relief.