Two busy days in Paris - Day 2

Pernille greets us bright and early in the hotel lobby keen to get us early in the queue for our visit to Sainte Chappelle, as it turns out the bus has no traffic problems we arrive to be first in the queue and time to take a coffee at the corner cafe. The chapel is one of the highlights of our trip, it has been recently restored and we are lucky once again that there is no scaffolding and we benefit from the whole structure having been freshly cleaned. The stained glass windows are, to use our guide's words, "a pure marvel". 

On our way to Notre Dame Cathedral we are given 10 minutes to have a wander in the flower market such an amazing array of plants, building on the Giverny experience, we have even grander ideas for Jim, Jenny and the St Silas Garden Group.

The queue to enter the Cathedral quickly disappears and we are inside this great medieval church, that was started in the 13th Century.  We have plenty of time to explore the multitude of chapels to wonder at the construction, the windows, the decor all amongst hundreds of tourists.

Boarding the metro we make our way to the station of St Paul where we have time for lunch and then a walking tour of an area known at La Mahais. It was delightful with its shopping precinct and stately homes gathered around a beautiful grassy square. The home of Victor Hugo was here. Once the homes of the aristocracy returning to Paris  after the days of the monarchy in Versailles.

Back on the subway again we make our way to Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower and the obligatory photo opportunities before making a quick dash to board the boat for our river cruise on the Seine. It is a glorious Saturday afternoon and we all enjoy relaxing on the top deck watching Paris go by and resting our weary feet.

We disembark and stroll towards the bus stop passing large crowds of people sitting on grassed area all watching on a large outdoor screen Raffael Nadal playing at Roland Garros nearly in the French Tennis Open which is on at present.

As we conclude our River Cruise, and this is the last time the majority of the group will be together we thank Pernille for a week of fantastic tour guiding and we present her with a beautiful pure cashmere scarf and an envelope of tips. She has been superb.

Tonight is free time and the group disperses into small groups to find an evening meal and prepare for our next day travelling from Paris to Canterbury via Eurostar.