Sunday, February 2 – transit from Monte Carlo to Paris
It’s another full day of train travel, and I’m looking forward to it! The itinerary:
Monte Carlo to Nice: 24m, no 1st class car (oh no! I guess I’ll survive!)
Nice to Paris: 5h 58m
Paris Gare de Lyon to Hotel: Paris Metro, one change, 30m
It was a very relaxing day. No drama thankfully! The views weren’t as dramatic as in Switzerland, but we did travel along the coast for a while, and that was beautiful!
A couple pictures of the Monte Carlo train station……it was pretty nice (as you would expect!)The train from Monte Carlo to NiceAt the Nice station, awaiting my train to ParisThe train to ParisMy hotel in Paris (picture taken the following day, I arrived at night)$89/night, helped in part from a one free night reward I earned from Hotels.com
Monday, February 3 – Paris
During my time in London I had the good fortune to visit Paris several times. So, my urge on this trip was to maybe take in some things that are off the beaten path, or I might have overlooked. There was one tourist spot I had to visit this morning though…
Notre Dame – kind of a depressing sightIt seems fitting that the skies would be overcast while taking this inNote the temporary bracing in the archesA nice photographic exhibit has been erected along one of the construction barriers. It chronicles the restoration work taking place.I next took a walk along the Coulée Verte (or Promenade Plantée), an elevated walkway that follows the former tracks of the Vincennes railway.It opened to the public in 1993 and has a total lengths of 3 milesWithin the last three months I’ve traversed both the New York and Paris High Lines!My final stop of the day was to the north side of the city to visit the Vernaison Flea MarketFirst established in 1920, the Vernaison has remained faithful to the old flea market spiritThe market is only open Saturday thru MondayI almost bought a toy car here. It was priced at €100 and included the original box. While thinking about it though, I stepped out the shop and did a search on my phone. I discovered reproductions of the car and the box were available on eBay. And obviously I don’t have the expertise to distinguish between the original and the reproduction, so I passed.
