Day 2 - Les Cars Rouges

Part of the series: Paris and Tuscany

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Red Bus hop-on, hop-off stop

On Sunday afternoon after a very long nap, we started the washer/dryer and then decided to get on the Red Bus hop-on, hop-off tour, just to get a feel for the city.

This particular tour has nine stops, and takes about two hours if you just stay on the whole ride, which we did (on Sunday). 

We started at the Arc de Triomphe, that being the closest stop to our apartment, and then back down the Champs-Élysées, turned right along the Avenue Winston Churchill, stopping in between the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and then crossing the Pont Alexandre III, turning right along the river, and crossing it again at the Place de la Résistance, passing over the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed 15 years ago.

From there, we went to the next stop, the Trocadéro, and then on to the Eiffel Tower for another stop. After the Eiffel Tower, we moved on to the Champs de Mars for the next stop. From the Champs de Mars, we drove past the École Militaire, which the King's "Favourite" (which I believe is a nice word for mistress) requested be built in order that 500 poor men could be trained to be part of the King's guard.

As we drove along listening to the guided tour, the phrase "requested" came up over and over for these absolutely breathtaking HUGE buildings and various monuments. I thought it was interesting that where in English we would say "commissioned", or "ordered", the French say "asked for". :)

After the École Militaire  we drove past the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's ashes were moved to. Then around the corner past the Rodin museum, in whose gardens "The Thinker" sits (and which is CLOSED on Mondays, despite being open every day,) back across the Pont Alexandre III, to the next stop at the Louvre.

Les Cars Rouges - Main stops and route

From the Louvre, we criss-crossed the Île de la Cité, passing in front of Notre Dame for another stop before driving along the Seine to the Musée D'Orsay, where we stopped again.

We then passed through the Place de la Concorde (opposite end of the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe  circling the Opera and stopping by the Galleries Lafayette. After that stop, the bus headed back up the Champs-Élysées  where we got off and walked back to our apartment, feeling nicely exhausted at the end of our second day in Paris.

And if anyone feels like I just talked them in circles through Paris, I did. See the map for proof. :)