A rainy day in Paris

We managed to avoid rain for most of the weekend but today we ran out of luck - it was misty, rainy and rather miserable. I was up very early and I met Luke for breakfast - I decided to treat him to breakfast at the famous Les Deux Magots restaurant in St Germain, as it was very near to the hotel where I was staying and it is about the only place where you could get egg for breakfast - as Luke says, a typical Parisian breakfast usually consists of a croissant, a black coffee and a cigarette which is not his choice! The French diet of bread and pastries is not at all suitable for my gluten intolerant needs so I had already eaten my gluten free granola in my hotel room. I cannot understand why more French people are not overweight with a diet so high in carbohydrates. Luke really enjoyed his breakfast while I had a coffee (I am not not a fan of French coffee either!) - it was quite pricey but I suppose one expects to pay those prices for the honour of eating in a place which was once the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual elite of the city - where one can rub shoulders with the ghosts of Picasso, Hemingway, Sartre and Beauvoir to name a few.

I was back at the hotel by 9.30am to meet the rest of my group and we set off for the day - yesterday I walked 20km but today we used the metro system which was very efficient. We went to Bastille to explore the Sunday market, where everything looked very tempting, despite the rain which was not ideal for taking photos. Then back in the metro and off to Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur and to wander the streets, looking at the artists and avoiding the peddlers. 

Then it was time to collect our luggage and head back to Gare du Nord to get the Eurostar home - and easy 2 hour journey on the train to Ebbsfleet followed by a short drive back home again. It was a very busy weekend, we did so much walking, saw so much and I took many photos, and it has all been very enjoyable.