SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2008

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Today’s first order of business was a city tour of Paris – a bit backwards for those of us who had been here for several days already. Still, it was a nice ride and a chance for one last look at some Paris landmarks.

Paris Hotel de Ville (City Hall)










Notre Dame











La Conciergerie

Ritz Hotel

Paris Opera House










The Pantheon













The Eiffel Tower













After the city tour, we went to the ship, docked on the river, just downstream from the Eiffel Tower. Our ship was the M/S Bizet, designed to carry up to 120 passengers. It is a long skinny ship, but (as we learned later on), it has great maneuverability around locks and small river ports.

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The Bizet is well-equipped for its size. The restaurant has a great view from every seat, a sun-deck upstairs, a library, a bar, even a small souvenir shop.

All cabins are ‘outside’ cabins and ours had a small balcony with a sliding door. The two daytime couches convert into beds at night. It was pretty compact, but we never felt cramped or crowded.

We got checked in, had lunch, and took off again for our last few hours in Paris.

We took the metro to the Latin Quarter and got off near Place St. Michel, where the tree-lined Boulevard St-Michel begins. The place is crawling with young people and the fountain on the square is a favorite meeting place.

This is a great place for people-watching, in a sidewalk café …

… or making your way through the bustling crowds.

This guy is one of the reasons that Paris is amazingly clean – as cities go. We saw these green uniforms all over the place, sweeping and clipping and carting off trash.

Crossing the river, we got a good look at a couple of the areas set up as part of Plages de Paris – the beaches of Paris. It’s a special summertime promotion to encourage residents to enjoy some of their vacation time along the River Seine.

We stopped off for a look at the Georges Pompidou Center, considered one of the 20th century’s most radical buildings. The building looks like it was turned inside out, with brightly painted pipes and ductwork displayed on the outside.

More artists at work.

We wandered around Marais neighborhood for a while, but our energy levels were waning fast, so we headed back to the ship to get settled into our home for the next week.

Dinner tonight was a river cruise, for some last looks at sights along the Seine.

Here is the local version of the Statue of Liberty, just like the one France gave to the US – but this one sits alongside the River Seine.

We had some good views of the Eiffel Tower as we sailed just below it.

This is a close-up of the Alexander III Bridge, honoring the Czar of Russia. It leads to the Hotel des Invalides (the old soldiers’ home) and the church containing Napoleon’s tomb.

Here is a look at the Pont des Arts (Art Bridge) – the only pedestrian bridge across the River Siene. It leads to the Institute de France, home of the Academie Francaise, guardian of the French language.

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And here is the end of the Pont Neuf (the New Bridge), with its statue of Henry V, sheltering the landing for the Vedettes du Pont Neuf, where we were earlier in the week.

This is the Conciergerie – pretty imposing structure when viewed from the river below.

This is one of the interesting boats we saw docked along the River. Sometimes it’s not clear if they are houseboats or floating restaurants or what.

As we headed back to our docking area, we got one last look at Notre Dame as the sun was setting.

And best of all, we arrived back at the Eiffel Tower just in time for the evening light show. (Note: Just click on the arrow to see the movie and turn your computer on its side to get the proper picture.)