Day 43 - In Paris
After the days of riding over the past few weeks and the early starts, it was great to have a sleep in until 7.30 am…
After breakfast at the hostel it was off to find a bike shop to get mine and Steve’s bike serviced. After riding 2500 kms there was a need to look at a new bike chain, some new brake pads and for the bike to be given a good going over.
We managed to find what appears to be a good shop and Grace who looked after us was quite knowledgeable on what we wanted. To be honest finding good bike shops is very hard and to strike one in a strange city such as Paris was a real coup…I will hold my full praise until I get my bike back!
After this we had a wander to the hotel we are relocating to in a couple of days…unfortunately we can’t stay at the UCPA hostel which is very comfortable and convenient for the whole time of our stay here.
After this we had a bite of lunch and looked at getting some gear to wear for the Moulin Rouge dinner and show later in the evening. We settled on getting some second hand clothes and I managed to get a jacket, tie and smart shirt for €23 ( approximately $45) which was good value given I am not bringing them home with me.
As we were near Moulin Rouge, I suggested we walk there and catch public transport back so we could see whether it would work for us when we went for the show and sure enough it worked! For €3 each we were able to travel by bus back to the hotel!!! Good value I thought!
Whilst we were walking to Moulin Rouge, it was apparent that there was a significant presence of police and gendarmes in the streets as security for the Olympic Games. I some cases they were stopping people in the street and questioning them it appeared.
Arriving back at the hostel, we readied ourselves for the night out in our “ best clothes “ yes and we all agreed that we looked good!
Catching the bus back to Moulin Rouge was “easy “ as we were now experienced public transport users!
The queue at the theatre was not long and we made our way to our seats which were good to see the show. As we had our 3 course dinner and champagne the theatre filled to capacity. The show was spectacular and very entertaining. The showgirls and guys were in wonderful dress clothes and the other acts were very entertaining.
We left the show well entertained and well fed !
The trip home on the bus was a bit shorter with less cars on the road and we were back in our rooms by 11.30pm… a really late night for us.
It was a great day in Paris. The weather was nice and sunny but not too hot.
The pictures today are:
Grace at the bike shop
A canal near our accommodation which is going to be used as a live site for the Games
A view out our hostel window towards the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coure
The 3 of us resplendent in our theatre gear!
At our table at Moulin Rouge
…. With a bottle of champagne from Chateau Thierry
Moulin Rouge at night!!!
