Day 3 - Adventures on the bus!  Steps: 12,000

I was surprised to see it was close to 9 AM when I woke up this morning - 10 hours of sleep!

I still hadn't decided what I would do today, but since many museums and other sights are closed on Monday, I finally decided to go La Butte-Aux-Cailles, an area where I had never been.  It was 11:00 before I left the apartment, and I walked over to Rue de Rivoli to take bus #69 to the Hotel de Ville where I transferred to the #47, which crossed the river and went through the Latin Quarter to Place d'Italie where I transferred to #67. If you are counting, that is 3 buses, so far.

La Butte-Aux-Cailles is in the 13th Arrondissement, which is in the southeast corner of Paris.  It is supposed to be somewhat like Montmartre was before it got run over by tourists.  Its claim to fame is that in 1783 a hot-air balloon landed on the hilltop - first free flight in a hot-air balloon. Narrow cobbled streets, charming buildings, etc.  There is a mixture of new and old buildings -- some high rise apartment blocks surround the area.  I found the area to be quiet without a lot going on, but I did have a nice lunch at Chez Nenesse on Rue de la Butte aux Cailles. My starter of fresh mozzarella with tomato and field greens was delicious, but the main course was so-so.  It was billed as "porc," which it was, but it was more like ham and was accompanied with plain white rice.  Tasted fine.

After lunch, I walked down the hill to find bus #62, which I stumbled onto quite by accident.  While at the bus stop, I consulted my map and decided I should be waiting across the street, so headed over there.  After being on the bus for several stops and getting closer to the end of the line without coming to my stop, I looked at my map again and realized I was headed the wrong direction.  I jumped off and went across the street to catch the bus going the other direction.  I transferred to the #28 at the proper place and got off at the Cemetery of Montparnasse in the 14th.

I wandered through the cemetery for a little while.  It is a lot like Pere Lachaise - same sorts of monuments.  It does have its share of famous people buried there, but I didn't seek out any of the sites.  I came out on Blvd Raspail where I was to catch another bus, but stopped at a cafe for coffee and some dessert, which turned out to be a very good pistachio creme brulee.  While at the cafe the wind came up, blowing things off the outside tables, and it started to shower, so I moved to a table closer to the building where I enjoyed a chat with a young woman from Australia, who had just arrived in Paris from London.

The #68 bus got me to where I could transfer to the #69 - so that's 4 more bus rides, not counting my backtracking on the #62.  Good thing I have a Navigo pass!  I finally got off at the Hotel de Ville (the City Hall for the City of Paris.  Each arrondissement also has its own city hall or "Mairie".)  I went into the BHV department store, which used to be the store for the more budget conscious, but it has been taken over by Galleries Lafayette and is now more upscale.  I wanted to see if I could get a more satisfactory light blanket.  I did find one, but it was a lot more than the 20 euros I spent on what I bought at the Monoprix yesterday.  However, I think it will work better and I'll take it home.  I walked back to the apartment, arriving around 5:00 -- tired and ready to chill out.

I did catch my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower today, though just the tip-top peeking over the top of the d'Orsay museum.  I also saw my first armed military guards outside the Louvre.  One thing about where I've been these first three days is that I haven't been around a lot of other tourists, thus no petition girls or other scam artists.

So many people who come to Paris obsess over what to wear.  They seem to think everyone dresses like they are on the cover of Vogue.  Well, no need to worry - I've seen every costume imaginable and nothing that looks like it belongs in Vogue, except maybe some things in shop windows.  Most people look like they would fit right into Seattle's grunginess.