Day 5 - Lunch with the Eiffel Tower - 13,800 Steps

I rode the Metro to the Franklin D. Roosevelt station on the Champs Elysees.  I walked a short distance down the Champs - it isn't the romantic street most people dream about when they think of Paris.  Mostly chain stores and auto showrooms, pricey restaurants, and lots of tourists.

My objective was to stroll down Avenue Montaigne.  I have a French movie DVD of that name, but saw little on the street that was in the movie.   Most fashion houses have shops on the street - Chanel, Dior, Valentino, Prada, etc.  There is a green AstroTurf carpet running down the entire length of the sidewalk on both sides of the street.  The symbolism is not lost -- lots of money on this street.  Most of the people I saw were well dressed -- they looked like the fashionistas one often associates with Paris, but many of them probably work in the shops.

I stopped at a cafe for a cafe creme and was shocked that it was 7 euros.  I've been thinking the 4.50 euros I've been spending for the same is steep.

At the end of the street at the Place d'Alma is the replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame.  There were lots of flowers around it, so I think it was probably used as a memorial for the 20th Anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

I walked west along the river for a distance, past the Palais de Tokyo, which is a museum of modern art, and crossed over the river on a pedestrian bridge, ending up at the Branly Museum.  I bought a 4-day museum pass and spent about an hour in the museum, which is art and artifacts from places other than France - mostly Africa, Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia, etc.  There was a small collection of Pacific Northwest Coastal Native artifacts, including some totem poles from the Skeena and Nass Rivers in British Columbia where my Great-grandfather and Grandfather Tomlinson were missionaries.  I couldn't help but wonder how they were obtained.

I had a 1:00 lunch reservation at Les Ombres, the restaurant on the 5th level of the museum.  It was to be my splurge lunch, and it was.  The restaurant has a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower, which is how I can say I had lunch with the Eiffel Tower.  When I first sat down, I was given an "amuse bouche," which was a mousse made from garbanzo beans - it tasted a lot like hummus, but much smoother in texture.  I ordered a glass of champagne, and the 42 euro three-course lunch.  The starter was roasted prawns in gazpacho with a little spoonful of "ice cream."  It was really good.  The main course was duck with some vegetables and a light sauce, which came with what they called polenta, but it wasn't made with corn meal, rather it was light, frothy, and lemony. Very refreshing.  The dessert consisted of three small puff pastries each with a different filling, including coffee ice cream.  I have posted pictures on Facebook.  Each presentation was lovely and everything was delicious.  The service was attentive as well.  A very nice experience.  The only downside was that it was raining.  When the bill came, it was 70 euros! I knew it would be a splurge, but that "coup" (small glass) of champagne was 21 euros! I thought about asking if it was correct, but decided against it.  And, again, my cafe creme was 7 euros.  Oh, well.  It is only money and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fortunately, I believed the forecast for today, so had my raincoat and umbrella with me.  I walked over to the bus stop where there was a 25 minute wait.  Many bus shelters have reader boards that indicate the ETA for the next bus, which is really handy.  However, after waiting much longer than that in the cold and rain, the reader board indicated that the bus had been diverted and wouldn't come to this stop.  I got out my map to locate the nearest Metro station and was about to set out when an available taxi came up, so I flagged it down and got in.  The fare was 20 euros - it was about 4:00 and the traffic was terrible - but it was worth it to get out of the rain, and it was a fairly long ride.  Taxis in Paris can use bus lanes, so they can move through traffic faster than cars, including Uber.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to accomplish the rest of what I planned to do today, which was go to the Musee du Petit Palais which houses the City of Paris' art collection.  The building itself is left from one of the World Fairs held in Paris in the late 19th or early 20th century.  This museum is also free as are all of the City operated museums.

All in all, despite the rain, it has been a good day with a memorable lunch.