we'll always have Paris- LOL

we had no wait at passport control so we were on the train to the St Michel interchange in a short time. the train ride seemed quite quick - because we had arrived on Monday morning around 10:30 we had a quiet ride-

We got to St Michel and changed to the C train on the RER so we could get off at the Orsay stop - our hotel is about a ten minute walk from there (even dragging luggage) - when we arrived at our hotel we were lucky enough to have to only wait a few minutes for our room (free breakfast and wi-fi included) at the K+K Cayre on the Boulevard Raspail at the Rue du Bac metro station (line12).

we have stayed here at least twice before and find the location quite good and the rooms a decent value (given Paris prices) and the breakfast worth getting up for! We got things organized and then went to sleep for a short nap- we skipped lunch and headed out for an early dinner to La Petit Chaise (reportedly among the oldest restaurants in Paris) we had dined there twice before and found them welcoming and the menu with good traditional selections but not too many that choosing is difficult. (I remembered the evening that Phil and TB and I landed in Auckland walking up to K- Road and being like zombies - no one could make a decision on where to eat so we ended up back at the hotel for a mediocre meal.) no such problem in Paris...

We split the escargot and foie gras starters. Then he had lamb and I had fish - a sizable portion that I couldn't finish. we finished with dessert but who remembers what...LOL- that is the way it is on day one- and the perfect reason to just go to the place a few blocks away and have a nice but not extravagant meal to enjoy even though you are not "all there"...LOL

so a stroll home - where we passed a practice session which we heard through an open door and then saw in a window at the sidewalk-

and saw one of those exquisite shop windows that they do so well in Paris-

and then noted that even after dinner we still had a little bit of sun on the buildings across the street from our hotel - and a blue sky! Such a nice change after such a bad couple of weeks at home...

then early to bed, after making plans on how to get to the Promenade Plantee the next day- this is also known as the Coulee Verte in case you can't find a reference to the other name. It runs 4.5km from the area behind the Opera Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. But more about that in the next post.....