Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees (SALES!!)

We left our prime spot at the Pompidou cafe and found a Metro to the Arc de Triomphe. The subway exit is across the street from the monument with extremely crazy traffic. There are no crosswalks, but there is an underground walkway. We left quickly as Kalen was starting to get hounded by people working him for money.

Surfacing by the monument, we walked around the monument taking photos from every possible angle. It's really too close to get the whole thing into one frame. The military guys from every branch of the service are in town for the July 14 Bastille Day celebration, so they were out in full uniform. There is an opportunity to walk to the top, and no escalator or elevator, with about 250 steps, so I didn't say anything about doing it. We passed so that we could save something for the next time that we were in town.

We walked the entire length of the Champs-Elysees. There are sales going on everywhere. The time to come to Paris to get great deals is in the beginning of July. It was not until I realized that "Sondres" means "Sale" that I could see that this sign was in every window, even on this street of shopping streets. There was preparation going on with moveable fences. They were preparing for the big Bastille Day parade which moves from the Arc down Champs-Elysees. The lower end of the street ends in a big park. We stopped for a while and had a Coke.

Moving on, we decided to catch the bus back to our hotel. We found the stop in front of Musee d'Orsay but I had to find a bathroom and couldn't wait for the bus to come by. We started walking and stopped into one brasserie. Oh, one more issue. I was down to a few Euro and couldn't find an ATM. So, I needed a bathroom and the only bathrooms were in the brasseries and I didn't have enough cash to even pretend to have a drink. AHHH! One waiter told me that I needed to sit down and order first but I needed the bathroom FIRST. So off we went. I did find a place with a very kind woman who told me where they were.

We found the bus stop and stood for a while. Then a woman stopped by and said three paragraphs in fast flowing French. I just looked at her and summed it up "No Bus?" "No Bus." she said. Merci...off we went.

We stopped in a place that had a wonderful waiter and great food. We had a salad first, and then chicken and pomme frites. Two nice glasses of wine and we were good to go. And of course I always order "carafe d'eau" (water).