Kathleen's Blog: Day 53 Le Havre, France

July 11

Today we arrived at Le Havre, France. We had two hour + bus ride to Paris, a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower, city bus tour, Seine River Cruise, and a small amount of shopping time.

I would love to go back to Paris one day, I think you need at least three to five days there. I missed a lot of the good sites because they were all on the left hand side of the bus, so annoying! I was a tad agro with that, but the cruise that followed on the Seine River cheered me up.

The river cruise was fantastic, the food and wine were great, and there was a live singer on board who completed the atmosphere and mood. I missed the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, which you can see on the river cruise if you are on the port side, bummer.

The pictures I took from the river cruise are of poor quality with reflection from the glass. If I go back one day I would take a open air river cruise without the dinning.

Our shopping and toilet stop was for 30mins, which is a waste of time in a place like Paris, you dont see anything in 30 minutes. The 30 minutes would have been better spent with actual photo stops at the sites the right hand side of the bus missed.

Paris does have a classy feel about it. So much more I would like to see.

Drive through Normandy. Seine River.

White cows.

Eiffel Tower. Tallest building in France, located on Champ de Mars. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

Ecole Militaire (whatever that is) looked pretty enough to take a photo.

The two buildings in the distance were the ones the right hand side of the bus missed when we were close. I was so ticked off at the time that I didn't pay attention to what they actually are. Below is what you can see from the other side of the bus when close up.

Would have liked a photo stop, or at least to circle around. It looked awesome. I think it used to be a hospital.

I couldn't even see the golden dome on top of this building. I really should ask the tour guide what side is best for the views.

Out and about in Paris.

Le Palais de Chaillot. It looks across to the Eiffel Tower.

Seine River.

Some fancy residence.

On the Seine.

L'Hotel de Ville.

Little Statue of Liberty. It is a copy that faces the one in New York.

Louvre. Contains famous art works including the Mona Lisa.

Le Musee d'Orsay. Originally a railway station, it was converted into a museum in 1986 after it was nearly demolished in 1971. It is dedicated to late 19th century art, and particularly to a large number of impressionist painters.

I think this is Le Grand Palais. The roof looks like it is all glass. Would have liked to have a closer look.

Eiffel Tower from the river boat.

Happy about dessert. All three plates are for me. Haha I wish, it was yummo.

Arc de Triomphe, the largest triumphal arch in the world. Commissioned by Napoleon over 300 years ago to honor his conquests.

Champs-Élysées. Known as "La plus belle avenue du monde" ("The most beautiful avenue in the world"). It is lined with luxury shops, theatres, cafes, famous restaurants and the Arc de Triomphe.

This avenue is also the last leg of the Tour de France. With rents about $1.5 million a year per 1,100 square feet, it's the second priciest boulevard in Europe, next to London's Bond Street.