Scenes from the Seine - the bridges of Paris
We woke up to a cold and rainy day and found out that Easter Monday was a public holiday so we changed our previous shopping plans and instead decided to take a tour on the Seine. Having lived in Paris before, my husband and I didn't really need to go on a Paris tour but we wanted to show Paris to our six-year old and a walking tour would have been out of the question with the weather. Besides, it was the only way we could convince him to leave the cozy hotel room and avoid watching DVD's all day long.
Facades of typical Parisian buildings lining the river Seine
There are several boat tours on the Seine - the Vedettes de Pont Neuf on the Pont Neuf, Les Bateaux Parisiens, in front of the Eiffel tower and the oldest one, the Bateaux Mouches on the Pont de L'Alma. We decided to take the Bateaux Parisiens so we easily find a taxi afterwards since there is a rank just in front of the Eiffel tower. The tour is a comprehensive one that meanders along the river Seine highlighting most of Paris' monuments. The boats are large and glass-roofed (perfect for a rainy day) and have individual recorded guides in several languages for each seat. We passed underneath all the beautiful bridges of Paris and saw the newly-scrubbed Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Grand Palais and Notre Dame plus the wonderful architecture and facades of the buildings lining the river. Seeing the apartments on the Ile Saint Louis made us remember our dream of one day having a Parisian pied-a-terre.
Lunch at Breakfast in America on the Rue des Ecoles in the 5th arrondissement
After the hour-long tour, we were ready for some lunch and we decided to go and have a quick lunch at the family-friendly diner, Breakfast in America. True to it's name, American-style breakfasts are served all day long with traditional diner fare - hamburgers, sandwiches and milkshakes. We had a Caesar salad and cheeseburgers plus a chocolate milkshake. It's a great place to take the kids in Paris for when they get tired of cafe food. It was back to the hotel afterwards for a rest before dinner.
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