This morning, with our schedule slightly out of sync with Paris time, we were wide awake at 7am. So, we went for a run. We ran up to the Champs Elysees, past the Arc De Triomphe, along Avenue Foch and down into the large park west of Paris, the Bois de Bologne. Not bad things to look at for a morning run, IMO.
After our run, we had no plans today so we initially thought we'd explore more of the neighborhood we were currently in, the 8th, but it's mostly hotels catering to tourists and shopping, and we weren't into it. Lisa wanted to check out the Monet museum down in the 16th, as well as explore some streets known for hidden shopping secrets, so we started walking.
We stopped to have some lunch at a famous bakery/sandwich shop, Bechu. After a sandwich and some coffee, Lisa had a pain du chocolat that she loved.
Walking down into the heart of this mostly residential district you pass by many embassies. We walked by the Place d'Etats Unis, with several monuments, I believe commemorating our WW 1 help.
The Marmottan-Monet museum was a nice change from the crowds of the d'Orsay yesterday. We had about 50 Monet's practically all to ourselves. They had a large dedicated room for these Monet's and displayed them in mostly chronological order. It was interesting to note his progression from his earlier, more impressionist work, into his later work where his strokes and use of color are (to me) almost abstract-like. The museum also contained many other impressionist works, including some from Renoir, Caillebotte, and Pissaro.
We walked back up through the heart of the 16th and Lisa got to explore Rue de Passy, famous for its shopping, and the area in general known to have the most expensive real estate. *Very* nice homes here.
We ended up at the Trocadero, a huge square with several museums that open up and frame the Eiffel Tower. Huge and amazing. I think we'd like to come back here and go to some of these museums, or maybe just enjoy a bottle of Champagne some evening and view the Eiffel Tower all lit up.
We headed back to the hotel, rested for a bit, then went to a nearby bistro on Rue Marbeuf. It wasn't bad, but they can't all be memorable experiences either. Definitely catered to the tourist crowd, in this neighborhood, so that probably had something to do with it.
Tomorrow we leave the hotel and move into the apartment-swap in the Marais, so our home-base will have a totally different vibe.
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Since you like running and you're now staying in the Marais, I highly recommend heading to the Jardin des Plantes. There's a nice path along the left bank of the Seine to get there. It's popular with joggers (though a tad smelly from the neighboring zoo).
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