Back to Paris

When we visited Paris in 2011, I honestly didn't plan to return for a while.   However, the way our transportation for the bike tour worked out, we ended up needing to take a train from here.  So, poor us, we decided to stay for a short visit.   We took the very fast Thalys train from Brussels and arrived about an hour later.

I picked a hotel basically at random, just thinking that the Latin Quarter would be nice.  I settled on the Hotel College de France.  It was very easy to find and the room was much bigger than last time, although the bathroom was equally tiny.

Our goal today was the Musee Rodin.  I love a good sculpture garden and it was one that I regretted missing on my last visit.   Before Rodin's death, he worked out a deal to leave his own art collection, the art he created, plus a bunch of money to create the museum.   First was a beautiful collection of marble sculptures inside; no photos allowed, sorry.  The garden was next and did not disappoint.  I'm not sure how many things we saw, but some favorites:

The Gates of Hell

The Thinker. I have many good shots but couldn't resist this one also showing part of the museum and the gorgeous sky.

Partway through the garden stroll we stopped for a treat.  Mille-feuille (with raspberry filling), a glass of Rose for me, and Bob had iced tea.   This little spot was lovely; a shaded lane next to the garden.

A closeup of his signature on one bronze piece.

And Bob posing, of course.

Back to the subway, I realized the setting was perfect for a pretty Metro sign picture.   It was absolutely a beautiful day, although windy which was cold if the sun was hiding.  But when the sun came out, wow.

We took a detour on the way back for some shopping on the Champs and to see the Arc de Triomphe.  You can't take a bad picture of this stuff.

This was the ceiling of the Cluny Sorbonne metro stop, near our hotel.  How the heck did they get the tile up there?

We decided to have dinner at a place near the hotel since my feet were very tired. I had a craving for pizza, so we picked an Italian restaurant.  This is my pizza and Bob's linguine with clams.   Very good!

We wrapped up the evening with a digestive stroll around the block and stopped for cookies and bottles of water for the hotel room.  The area with our hotel is really perfect with a ton of good restaurants, some convenient grocery places, just a block from the Seine and Notre Dame.  I know that the Sorbonne is nearby, which I assume helps inspire the diverse options.  I would absolutely recommend this hotel and the staff is very nice.